The concern for the Los Angeles Rams heading into 2023 is how much they’ll be relying on the youth to carry them.
Los Angeles selected 14 rookies and signed 26 undrafted free agents who all have a shot to earn a spot on the 53-man roster. Both sides of the field feature multiple position battles, but the secondary in particular has several starting positions open.
Russ Yeast and Quentin Lake are expected to take on larger roles as safeties next to Jordan Fuller, but the Rams determined they needed more help as they went out and brought back John Johnson III.
Sean McVay’s first year as Los Angeles’ head coach coincided with Johnson’s rookie season and the head coach expressed how happy he is to reunite with him.
“It’s great to be able to have him back. Really, just another really good player. Obviously was here from the start of when we got here in ’17, was a foundational piece. To be able to get a guy that’s familiar with the culture, has played a lot of really good football. He’s gonna come in and he’s gonna continue to compete and earn everything just like everybody else. But we felt it was a chance to be able to upgrade our secondary, upgrade the depth of our safety room. I’m looking forward to getting him out here. He got out here in individual and a couple of plays in 7-on-7, but we’ll continue to get him acclimated smartly and we’ll see what that looks like but it’s great to have JJ back.”
It’s safe to assume that Fuller is in line for one of the starting safety spots, so Johnson will be competing with Yeast and Lake for the other. His experience and familiarity with the team should give him an edge, but the second-years could push him during training camp.
Regardless of whether or not Johnson starts, just having him around is a boost to the Rams defense. His experience and ability to make plays either up front or in the run game will be helpful when the new season begins next month.
John Johnson has chip on shoulder after disappointing tenure with Browns
Johnson had a successful first stint in Los Angeles that he parlayed into a three-year deal with the Cleveland Browns. While Johnson was solid in two seasons with the Browns, he wasn’t satisfied with his performance and now has a chip on his shoulder.
