Rams safety John Johnson proved a high priority for the Browns as they seek to deploy a three-safety dime defense as their base system. (USA Today)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Takeaways from the first day of NFL free agency …
It was no secret the Browns would use free agency to attack their needs on defense. The fact they targeted safety first indicates the level of frustration, if not exasperation, the Browns felt about the position last year.
Joe Woods wants to play a three-safety alignment as his base defense, and in his first season as Browns coordinator he struggled to find two healthy ones from week to week.
The addition of former Los Angeles Rams safety John Johnson III on Monday will change the dynamics of the position and enable Woods to deploy a third safety against pass-heavy teams. It explains why the Browns haven’t jumped enthusiastically into the linebacker market.
Johnson, 25, reportedly agreed to a three-year contract worth $33.75 million, of which $24 million is guaranteed. The transaction won’t become official until Wednesday.
The deal exceeds Spotrac.com’s estimate of an $8.33 million per-year average for Johnson by 26 percent. That vigorous pursuit by the Browns is not a negative reflection on 2020 second-round draft pick Grant Delpit or 2020 trade acquisition Ronnie Harrison. Rather, it’s an affirmation that Woods needed a dependable playmaker to top off his plans for the defense.
Delpit missed his entire rookie season with a ruptured Achilles suffered in training camp. The Browns have said they are excited about his expected return for the beginning of the 2021 camp. Harrison was a gem of a pickup in September from Jacksonville for a fifth-round pick, but he missed four games with a shoulder injury. Harrison’s long-term future with the Browns will be determined in 2021, the last year of his inherited contract.
The Browns began the 2020 season with stop-gap pickups Andrew Sendejo and Karl Joseph the starters. Sendejo missed one game with a concussion and Joseph missed four games with a hamstring injury.
Johnson, 6-0 and 209 pounds, was a third-round pick (No. 91 overall) of the Rams in 2017 from Boston College. Other players taken in that round figure prominently in this year’s free-agent market, including franchise-tagged Tampa Bay receiver Chris Godwin (No. 84), Seattle cornerback Shaquill Griffin (No. 90), Pittsburgh cornerback Cam Sutton (No. 94), now-New England tight end Jonnu Smith (No. 100) and New Orleans pass rusher Trey Hendrickson (No. 103). Browns running back Kareem Hunt was taken No. 86 overall in that third round by Kansas City.
Johnson started 32 of his first 38 games for the Rams at strong safety. In his second season, he intercepted Drew Brees in overtime in the NFC Championship Game, helping the Rams to the Super Bowl. In 2019, Johnson intercepted Baker Mayfield in the end zone on the fourth of four straight passes from the Rams’ 4, sealing a 20-13 defeat. He would miss 10 games with a shoulder injury.
Johnson was switched to free safety in 2020 and played every defensive snap of the season – 1,024 in all – on the Rams’ No. 1-ranked defense. He was one of four safeties to play 100 percent of his team’s defensive snaps. He led the Rams with 105 tackles, was third with eight passes defensed and had one interception.
What’s next?
While the Browns nabbed their No. 1 safety, they watched all the major pass rushers come off the free agent board, including presumed top priority Carl Lawson and No. 2 choice Trey Hendrickson.
Lawson agreed to terms with the Jets for a reported $45 million over three years. Late in the evening, Hendrickson agreed with the Bengals for a four-year, $60 million deal.
Other pass rushers gobbled up were Shaq Barrett (re-signed with Tampa Bay), Matt Judon (New England), Romeo Okwara (re-signed with Detroit), Yannick Ngakoue (Las Vegas), Bud Dupree (Tennessee) and Denico Autry (Tennessee).
What’s left of the defensive end market includes Carlos Dunlap, Ryan Kerrigan, Jadeveon Clowney, and Justin Houston.
Bye bye
The first Browns free agent to switch teams was defensive tackle Vincent Taylor, who moved to Houston for $2 million on a one-year deal.
Offensive tackle Kendall Lamm agreed with Tennessee for two years for $8.5 million.
Return to tender
The Browns gave restricted free agent KhaDarel Hodge the right of first refusal tender of $2.183 million. Hodge is free to find a better offer, but the Browns would have the right to match.
The tender to Hodge is believed to be worth more than the offer the Browns made to receiver Rashard Higgins, who is an unrestricted free agent. It’s conceivable Higgins could return to the Browns if he doesn’t like what free agency brings to him.