Jacksonville Jaguars: Top 3 safety options ahead of free agency

The Jacksonville Jaguars have the means to pursue John Johnson.

Some teams may stay away from John Johnson III this offseason for one reason. The Los Angeles Rams are notorious for having defensive backs that perform at a high level while they’re with them but once they change teams, they underperform.

Trumaine Johnson signed a five-year $72.5 million contract with the New York Jets in 2018 after getting tagged in back-to-back years. He ended up becoming a bust and was out of football in 2020. Safety Lamarcus Joyner, who joined the Las Vegas Raiders in 2019, was released two years after signing a four-year $44 million contract.

Will Johnson be the next Rams’ defensive back to become a free-agent bust? There’s only one way to find out and that is by signing him. In his defense, he’s excelled in pass coverage over his four-year career and has had a Pro Football Focus coverage grade lower than 84.9 just once. Even though he isn’t an interception machine, he’s allowed just one touchdown pass in the last two years.

Marcus Williams, along with tight end Jonnu Smith, was a favorite to sign with the Jaguars before the Saints placed the franchise tag on him. With him off the market, this Jacksonville team should turn their attention to Johnson, who will arguably be the best safety available in the free-agent market. Pro Football Focus projects he will get a four-year $52 million contract, but if he can keep opposing offenses away from the end zone in 2021, the Jags won’t mind giving him that kind of deal.