What Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is saying about John Johnson III, Takk McKinley

With a focus on improving their defense this offseason, the Browns began free agency by agreeing to contract terms with safety John Johnson III on Monday and defensive end Takk McKinley on Tuesday.

The NFL's negotiating period opened at noon Monday, with free agency kicking off at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

The Browns announced their deals with 25-year-old defenders Johnson and McKinley shortly after the signing period officially started.

Johnson's deal is for three years and $33.75 million, $24 million of which is guaranteed, two people familiar with the situation confirmed. McKinley's deal has a base value of $4.25 million and can reach $6 million with incentives, another source confirmed.

"Really excited about what John Johnson is going to bring to our defense and our back end in particular," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said in a news release. "He's a dynamic player that will fit in well with our group. On top of that, I'm excited about the person, as much as I am about the player. He was the captain of the team out there in Los Angeles at such a young age and all the people that I've spoken to about him consistently rave about the person that he is and the leader he is for a football team, so we couldn't be more thrilled to add him to the team."

Johnson spent the past four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, who drafted him in 2017 in the third round out of Boston College. He started 54 of the 60 games in which he appeared with the Rams, including six in the playoffs, and compiled 350 tackles, 32 passes defensed, eight interceptions and a forced fumble in his 54 regular-season games.

Last season, Johnson started all 18 games, including two in the postseason, relayed the defensive calls to his teammates on the field and tallied a team-high 105 tackles to go along with eight passes defensed and an interception.

More:Browns strike deal with safety John Johnson III for three years, $33.75 million

Johnson, listed at 6-foot and 209 pounds, finished the 2020 season ranked third among the 94 qualifying safeties ProFootballFocus.com graded. The Browns had a firsthand view of his playmaking ability in 2019, when he had a game-clinching interception on a pass that quarterback Baker Mayfield intended for wide receiver Damion Ratley in the end zone with 27 seconds left in a 20-13 Rams win at FirstEnergy Stadium.

“John has a diverse skill set so we're excited about his versatility. He can do a bunch of different things, that will allow us to expand our packages to see where he fits in,” Stefanski said. “Versatility is a big part of where we want to be.”

McKinley won't arrive in Cleveland with a resume nearly as impressive as Johnson's.

A groin injury limited him to four games in 2020 and led to failed physicals with two teams after his tenure with the Atlanta Falcons ended in dramatic fashion. The Falcons drafted him in the first round (No. 26 overall) out of UCLA in 2017, but they declined to exercise the $10.3 million fifth-year option on his rookie contract last offseason. In early November, he tweeted he had requested the Falcons to trade him in 2019 and 2020 but they had turned down offers from other clubs. The Falcons cut him a week later.

Then McKinley failed physicals with the Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers before settling on injured reserve with the Las Vegas Raiders. The Browns submitted waiver claims all three times, but the Bengals, Niners and Raiders were ahead of Cleveland in the waiver order. The Browns are also believed to have engaged in trade talks with the Falcons about McKinley before Atlanta severed ties with him.

More:Browns and defensive end Takk McKinley agree on one-year deal

McKinley has started 25 of the 49 regular-season games in which he has appeared and has 79 tackles, 17½ sacks, 45 quarterback hits, two passes defensed, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

McKinley, listed as 6-foot-2 and 265 pounds, had eight tackles, a sack and seven quarterback hits in his four games last season.

In terms of PFF's grading, McKinley didn't play enough last season to become a qualifying edge rusher. He ranked 53rd in 2019 and 72nd in 2018 among 104 qualifying players at his position.

"Takk is a skilled young player with tremendous upside," Stefanski said. "We like his pass rush ability and the way he has gotten after the QB throughout his young career. Defensive line was a position that we felt we wanted to address during free agency, and we are excited to add Takk and the impactful tools he possesses to the group that will help make the plays we need along the line."

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.