Rams waiting to see if Trumaine Johnson can handle Wade Phillips' defense

Rams still in wait-and-see mode with CB Trumaine Johnson

By Alden Gonzalez

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/33904/rams-still-in-wait-and-see-mode-with-cb-trumaine-johnson

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — If the Los Angeles Rams and standout cornerback Trumaine Johnson are going to sit down and revisit talks for a contract extension, it’ll wait until around the middle of June. The Rams want to finish with organized team activities, which run through June 8, or the entire offseason program, which concludes June 15, to see just how good of a fit Johnson is for a Wade Phillips defense that utilizes a lot of man coverage.

The Rams communicated that to Johnson about a month ago, and he understands.

“But so far, so good, man,” Johnson said Monday, the start of the Rams’ OTAs. “I like it. I like it here. I like the defense. I’m trying to pick Wade Phillips’ brain every day. He’s won a Super Bowl, he’s been to the playoffs. You’re talking about a Hall of Fame coach. So it’s cool right now, man. Just being around my teammates also, that I’ve been around a couple of years now, it’s been fun.”

Johnson is playing under his second consecutive franchise tag, which will pay him $16.74 million in 2017, and can replace that with a long-term deal at any point until July 15.

But the priority is Aaron Donald, the game’s best interior pass-rusher, who was absent from OTAs on Monday while his representatives engage in contract negotiations that Rams general manager Les Snead deemed “serious.” Donald is still two seasons away from free agency — without even including the ability to franchise him — but probably seeks higher compensation for 2017 and 2018, for obvious reasons.

The Rams, Snead said Monday, are “very hopeful” that they can get a deal done with Donald.

But what about all those other defensive players who are a year away from free agency?

The list includes Johnson, inside linebacker Alec Ogletree, slot corner and free safety Lamarcus Joyner, strong safety Maurice Alexander and outside corner E.J. Gaines, among others. The Rams at least have the financial wiggle room. They’re set up to have about $43 million in cap space in 2018, which currently stands as the fifth-most in the NFL.

“When you have a 53-man roster, you have to be able to juggle a few balls in the air,” Snead said Monday. “It’s not just one person. It’s a team. All of those variables we have to work through, and that’s what we’re trying to do right now.”

Asked about Johnson, who was shopped earlier this offseason, Snead reiterated that the organization wants to “get through OTAs, make sure it’s a fit on all sides, and then we’ll not take a summer vacation to see if we can figure something out.” Donald might require being compensated as the game’s highest-paid defensive player. But Johnson won’t come cheap, either. A good comparison might have come in early April with the Falcons’ Desmond Trufant, who signed a five-year deal that is worth about $69 million and guarantees him close to $42 million.

“Overall, you always want a long-term deal,” Johnson said. “But right now, my focus is here, with these OTAs. We have until July 15, so I’m going to let my agent handle the business side and I’m just going to handle the football side.”

Johnson, a third-round pick in 2012, intercepted 15 passes in his first four seasons, tied for the fourth-most in the NFL during that time. Last year, he replaced the departed Janoris Jenkins as the primary corner and intercepted only one pass in 14 games, but was ranked 25th among 111 qualified corners by Pro Football Focus. The Rams have since signed Kayvon Webster, who will compete with Gaines for the starting job on the outside, and Nickell Robey-Coleman, another option in the slot.

But Johnson is by far their best and most accomplished at the position.

“My whole thing is, man, I’m just glad I’m playing football,” he said. “If it was about the money for me, I would’ve left somewhere else to get bigger money. I love football, I love my teammates.”

What defense would a big, physical cover corner not be a fit for?