How does John Johnson's return impact the Rams secondary?

The Los Angeles Rams appeared to be done adding pieces to their secondary after drafting Kamren Kinchens and signing Kamren Curl, but Les Snead and Sean McVay made another notable move on defense this week. The Rams and John Johnson III agreed to terms on a new deal, bringing back the veteran safety for the second straight year.

Johnson didn’t earn a starting role until the second half of last season but the Rams clearly liked the way he played enough to add him to the mix again at safety. His return does complicate things in a secondary that already had several questions to answer.

The only certainties right now are that Curl and Darious Williams will be starters at safety and corner, respectively. Tre’Davious White is likely to be another starting cornerback, but that’s contingent on his health as he recovers from a torn Achilles. It remains to be seen who will cover the slot in the “star” role, a position Quentin Lake played last season, because Russ Yeast and Derion Kendrick are both getting reps there.

Could Lake be moving back to a more traditional safety role next to Curl? And if so, where does that leave Kinchens on the depth chart? And now that Johnson is back, does Kinchens have any chance to start as a rookie?

Last season, Johnson played most of his snaps as a deep safety. Assuming the Rams want to play him there again, he would be a natural fit to start next to Curl, who has been more of a box and slot defender in his career. The Rams have never really deployed a true free and strong safety under McVay, seeking safeties who can play either spot, so they might see Curl and Johnson as interchangeable.

Details of Johnson’s contract haven’t been released yet so we don’t know if the Rams are paying him starter money or the veteran minimum again like last year. That won’t determine his role, but it could be an indication of the team’s plan for him.

The biggest questions on defense following this signing are with Lake and Kinchens. The return of Johnson could mean the Rams want to keep Lake as the “star” and allow Johnson to compete with Yeast and Kinchens next to Curl. It’s hard to imagine Lake falling out of favor so much after a strong 2023 season that the Rams felt the need to replace him by signing Johnson.

No matter how things shake out, the Rams now have more depth and leadership in the secondary than they did a week ago. Johnson was fine with a backup role initially last season before working his way into a starting spot, so he’s a team player through and through.

This is a smart move by Snead and McVay, one that will guard against youth and inexperience creating weaknesses at safety.