With a lot of youth and inexperience at safety, the Los Angeles Rams turned to a familiar face this offseason: John Johnson III, a seventh-year veteran who was surprisingly still available on the free-agent market. The Rams scooped him up in August, adding depth to a safety room that featured Jordan Fuller, Russ Yeast and Quentin Lake.
It was logical to think that Johnson would quickly become a starter alongside Fuller, but maybe there’s a reason he only got a contract worth the veteran minimum of $1.08 million in 2023. Through four games, Johnson has barely seen the field and has almost exclusively been a special teams player.
He didn’t play a defensive snap in Weeks 1, 3 or 4, and in the only game he did play defense – Week 2 against the 49ers – he played only four total snaps. Meanwhile, Fuller has played all 249 snaps and Yeast has played 248. Even Lake is ahead of Johnson as the third safety, playing 43 snaps in four games thus far.
Sean McVay, Raheem Morris and several Rams players were jacked about getting Johnson back in Los Angeles, raving about his knowledge of the defense and his history as a playmaker. So why isn’t he getting any looks on defense?
The Rams simply like their younger guys better, and thus far, Fuller, Yeast and Lake have given them no reason to mess with the status quo. While none of them are playing at a Pro Bowl level, they’ve been plenty good enough to remain the starters. Yeast plays with a ton of energy on the back end and Fuller is an unquestioned leader in the secondary. Lake has done a nice job in coverage when given opportunities, too.
Very simply, the Rams haven’t needed Johnson and it seems like he hasn’t done enough in practice to earn reps on defense. There’s no guarantee that will change, either.