<![CDATA[The decision to tag Trumaine Johnson for another year was met by many because it ate up valuable cap real estate but with Les Snead openly telling teams that if they want to pursue Johnson, he's listening. It was speculated that if Johnson didn't seem to fit into Wade Phillips' new system they'd be open to a trade but rather than wait for Johnson's already limited value to diminish, Snead is wisely going to kick the tires and see which corner back starved team will gamble on Johnson being the answer.
Luckily, the market for corners has only grown as many teams saw what Seattle did with its secondary and the fact that a shut down corner is almost as paramount as having a blue chip pass rusher. Is Johnson a shut down corner?
No, but if another team wants to give up picks whose going to argue. So who has the best shot at getting Johnson? Let's take a look at the three most likely suitors and what assets they'd potentially give up to get him.
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3. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
This is far less likely than the other two simply because the Jags have more adults in the front office than they’ve had in recent years.
They also might feel they have bigger fish to fry than their secondary given their desire to find a real quarterback. That being said, they’ve poured a lot of money into their defense but they hadn’t done much to improve their secondary situation so Johnson might be worth considering.
They have $75 million in cap space and could afford his one year tag. Their arsenal of picks isn’t as robust as other teams on this list but they could be willing to give up the 3rd pick in round two a 4th next year and maybe something next year if they deem Johnson worth the trouble. Like the Rams, Jacksonville’s top priority in free agency will be to fix their offense but they could see the value in bolstering their already vaunted defense. Pairing Johnson with a rising star like Jalen Ramsey would make life difficult for opposing offenses and it wouldn’t cost them a lot in the long run.
2. TENNESSEE TITANS
It’s funny, the team that fleeced the Rams for their picks the last two years could be the team to almost make them whole again. The Rams and Titans are always linked in some way, ever since Super Bowl XXXIV and Trumaine Johnson could be the next chapter.
The Titans surprised everyone last year by nearly winning the AFC South but were undermined by a weak receiving corps and an even weaker secondary. They have 61$ million in cap space and multiple first round picks as well as two picks in the third round (thanks to the Rams). Their cap money could actually solve both problems at once as they are also going to pursue a marquee receiver.
If they’d rather use their 5th overall on are receiver to pair with whomever they decide to sign they could be willing to part with the 18th overall pick. Johnson would be better than any of the rookie corners on the market and they could absorb his deal.
If they still want their first round picks the Rams probably wouldn’t balk at taking one of their third rounders and maybe their 4th. The Titans recognize that they are ready to make the leap from rebuilding team to playoff contender and Johnson could certainly help them get over that hump. Incidentally, if the Rams can get some combination of picks for Johnson it retroactively make the Goff deal seem less idiotic.
- CLEVELAND BROWNS
Out of all the teams in the league, the Browns have by far the most draft picks and they the most cap space so absorbing Johnson’s one year of $16.1 million price tag (or more if they choose to resign him). The Browns have $102 million in cap space and this year have a total of thirteen draft picks. There’s no way in hell they part with the number one because they want Myles Garrett and no one is trading a number one for Johnson.
However, they could be willing to give up the 12th overall pick because many had them taking a corner or safety there anyway. Their secondary was by far the worst in the league with Joe Haden being the only bright spot. If the 12th is too steep a price the Rams could pry the 33rd or the 53rd picks in the second round which would be a boon for them or maybe the Browns are only willing to give up a 65th pick (which is at the top of the third) and a 4th rounder.
The Browns have a ton of assets and Johnson would be a veteran presence on a team that is going through its version of Sam Heinke’s process and having a few vets would mitigate the learning curve that would come with a team primarily comprised of draft picks. The Rams need draft picks more than anything else and the Browns can certainly afford to give some of those up.
Trumaine Johnson will most likely not be on the team at the start of next season because one of these three teams or maybe someone else will trade for him. Finding a proven corner isn’t easy and teams could very well look around and decide that it’s easier to take on one year of Johnson’s deal rather than wait for a corner to develop because its rare that rookie corners make a huge impact.
For the Rams, Les Snead is well aware that his team isn’t one player a way from relevance so why not restock on draft picks? It would also give them more cap space which will come in handy once its time to resign Aaron Donald and if they can get a decent package for picks it would make the Rams a much more attractive destination for free agents.
The Jared Goff trade almost derailed the rebuilding process but Trumaine Johnson could get things back on track.
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