THOUSAND OAKS — Worlds will collide for John Johnson III this weekend. Back in Los Angeles with the Rams after a two-year tenure in Cleveland, the seventh-year veteran safety will play against the Browns at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.
“I told somebody else it’s going to feel like practice a little bit,” Johnson said, “but we can actually go live, tackle them to ground. So it’ll be fun, but when I’m out there it’s a nameless, faceless opponent wearing orange colors.”
In his two years in Cleveland, Johnson never quite lived up to his free agent contract. He was available and played every game for the Browns, but he never found his role with their defense, which led the team to release him in March.
“I felt like I stayed stagnant, if anything,” he said. “I felt like I was just kind of in limbo. … I probably could have did some things differently, but the past is the past and I got another opportunity to prove who I am.”
Johnson signed with the Rams, the team that drafted him in the third round in 2017, just as they wrapped up training camp in Irvine and headed back to their Thousand Oaks headquarters. He got one practice in before the move and spoke about needing to get his conditioning up to his teammates’ level.
In Week 2, the Rams gave him a shot in some packages against San Francisco. But in four snaps, he gave up two receptions and missed a tackle. He didn’t play the next three games, instead focusing on getting in game shape and learning the nuances of the defense that had changed since he left in free agency in 2021.
“He really started to get better,” defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said. “He made some plays on the ball and then putting him out there to get into his natural flow and rhythm of the game with his communication.”
But for the first time since his rookie season, Johnson wasn’t getting more than a handful of snaps each week. He used that experience to stay patient as he waited for an opportunity.
“It was kind of similar to that situation: I came in ready to go. I didn’t know when, I didn’t know what had to happen, but I just stayed ready,” Johnson said.
Coming out of the Rams’ bye, Johnson got his chance. In 46 snaps, he didn’t allow a reception while being targeted twice. That led to a starting opportunity this past weekend in which he had four tackles and two pass breakups.
“I’ve always trained myself as a starter while I’m starting or if I’m not starting,” Johnson said. “So I was always going to be ready. My body feels good. I haven’t been taking all of the hits that the rest of the guys have, so I’m fresh, feel good and ready to just put some more tape out there.”
QB QUESTION
As the Rams prepare to face the Browns on Sunday, an important question remains: Who will be Cleveland’s quarterback?
Starter Deshaun Watson went down for the season earlier in November, clearing the way for former UCLA standout Dorian Thompson-Robinson to get some action as a rookie. But Thompson-Robinson suffered a concussion last weekend and remains in the protocol, leaving his status for his return to Los Angeles in question.
On Wednesday, Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said that veteran Joe Flacco, signed to the Browns’ practice squad last week, would start against the Rams if Thompson-Robinson is unable to play.
Rams head coach Sean McVay said the Rams are preparing for all possibilities, and that he’s been impressed with what he’s seen from Thompson-Robinson as a rookie.
“The ability to be able to create, you can see he’s gotten better with a little bit more experience,” McVay said. “A lot of those that you see these good ones do, they have the ability to extend plays. I thought he did a good job of being able to play in rhythm.”
BRIEFLY
Rams right tackle Rob Havenstein did not practice on Wednesday as he received a veteran rest day.
