PFF suggests that Packers sign safety John Johnson

The Green Bay Packers have a number of unknowns at the safety position. To help remedy that, Brad Spielberger of PFF suggested in a recent article that the team sign free agent safety John Johnson.

Johnson was released by Cleveland earlier this offseason after spending two seasons with the Browns. He does, however, have connections to Green Bay through his time with the Los Angeles Rams. Johnson spent his first four NFL seasons with Los Angeles, overlapping in time with Matt LaFleur’s one season there as offensive coordinator, along with Joe Barry, who spent several seasons with the Rams as their linebackers coach.

On top of that, arguably Johnson’s best season as a pro was in 2020 and came with Brandon Staley as the Rams’ defensive coordinator. Barry, as we know, runs a similar version of that two-high Staley defensive system with Green Bay.

At his best, Johnson was consistently graded as one of PFF’s top safeties, impacting the game both in coverage and as a run defender. With the Rams, Johnson proved to be a sound tackler and a willing run defender, an important role for the safety position in Barry’s defense that frequently utilizes lightboxes. He also came away with nine interceptions and 24 pass breakups in his first four seasons.

With Cleveland, however, Johnson’s play has taken a step back a bit. Missed tackles have been an issue at times, and he hasn’t made as many plays on the ball–although he was still credited with allowing only four touchdowns during the last two seasons. Johnson has spent most of his time either lined up in the box or as a free safety and has been very durable, playing over 900 snaps in four of the last five seasons.

The Packers, meanwhile, have a number of question marks at the safety position. What we know is that Darnell Savage will be starting to begin the season, however, he is coming off a down season plagued with missed tackles and coverage breakdowns that led to him being benched at one point. The front-runner for the starting spot next to him appears to be Rudy Ford, who provided stability to the position last season but has his limitations.

Also competing for playing time and even a roster spot is free agent signee Tarvarius Moore, who hasn’t seen significant snaps on defense since 2020, and Jonathan Owens, who only has one season of starting experience. Both players bring similar skill sets in that they have been sound tacklers, but what Green Bay also needs at safety is help in coverage.

Another option at the position is rookie Anthony Johnson, but it’s worth noting that not only is he navigating the learning curve that comes with making the leap to the NFL, but this is only his second season playing safety. He has consistently been the fifth defensive option throughout OTAs and minicamp.

Given Johnson’s skill set, familiarity with Barry’s defense, and questions that the Packers have at safety, signing him does make sense. At the very least, it’s a move that would hopefully provide some stability in the midst of a number of unknowns. With $14.29 million in cap space currently, the Packers have the means to sign him as well and most likely would be looking to do so on a one-year deal. I’m guessing that at this stage of the offseason Johnson’s deal won’t break the bank, although it’s unknown how much he is looking to earn or for how many years he is wanting to sign for.

With all of that said, my expectation is that this is a move that doesn’t take place. For one, the safety room is already crowded – I didn’t even mention Dallin Leavitt – and adding Johnson would require a corresponding cut to take place. In addition to that, Johnson has been available since March 15th, and the Packers have since signed both Moore and Owens and also drafted Anthony Johnson. If there was mutual interest, one would think that something, or at least some rumblings, would have materialized by now.