Cornerback Janoris Jenkins won his game of tag with the Los Angeles Rams last season. So did Trumaine Johnson, but in a different way.
The Rams did not place the franchise tag on Jenkins, choosing to protect Johnson instead. Jenkins signed a five-year, $62 million deal ($28 million guaranteed) with the New York Giants and had comparable numbers to those during his last season with the Rams.
He had 49 tackles, 18 pass deflections and three interceptions in 2016. In 2015 with St. Louis, Jenkins amassed 64 tackles, three interceptions and 15 pass deflections. He was selected to the Pro Bowl this season and was an Associated Press second-team All-NFL.
According to ESPN, Johnson’s statistics slipped in 2016 without Jenkins by his side.
Among 81 cornerbacks who were on the field for half or more of their teams’ defensive snaps, Johnson, who made almost $14 million last season, allowed 520 passing yards to rank 48th. He gave up four touchdowns (tied for 24th), allowed a completion percentage of 60.7 (42nd), allowed one catch per every 11 snaps (37th) and gave up a quarterback rating of 89.4 (34th).
Johnson’s basic stats dropped dramatically from 2015. He had 71 tackles, seven interceptions and 17 pass deflections in St. Louis in 2015. In L.A., Johnson finished with 57 tackles, one interception and 11 pass deflections.
ESPN also notes that Johnson was clearly the best corner among a thin group in Los Angeles last year, while Pro Football Focus lists Johnson as the third best free-agent corner available.
If the Rams place the franchise tag on Johnson in 2017, he will command nearly $16 million.
Is the price worth it to a team with so many holes, especially on offense?
One of the advantages of Los Angeles switching to a 3-4 defense under new coordinator Wade Phillips is the fact that the unpredictability of identifying the fourth pass rusher helps the pass rush. Of course, Phillips was able to do some more exotic blitzes with his linebackers on the Denver Broncos last season because he had strong cover corners in Aqib Talib and Chris Harris.
A 2015 version of Johnson would help Phillips, but a 2016 version wouldn’t be worth the money when the Rams could fill other, multiple holes. And L.A. might not be able to land a complementary CB to play opposite Johnson at the franchise tag price.
Unless the coaching staff thinks the Rams are a playoff team in 2017, it might be better to punt on Johnson’s franchise tag and look for other solutions.
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