Focusing on extension for Aaron Donald over Trumaine Johnson would be wise for Rams

Potential extensions for Aaron Donald and Trumaine Johnson from the Los Angeles Rams have been popular topics of discussion this offseason.

Believe it or not, the Los Angeles Rams have been one of the surprise winners from the 2017 NFL offseason when looking at all of the key moves made in free agency along with the NFL Draft, but the team has also been forced to deal with contract situations surrounding two key players. For months, Aaron Donald and Trumaine Johnson have been looking to receive hefty extensions from the organization, but if it comes down to choosing between the two, it would be a no brainer for the Rams.

Clearly, Donald is more of a top priority when it comes to locking him up for the long run compared to Johnson when seeing how quickly he’s made an impact on defense in just three seasons. Not only has Donald recorded 28 sacks over the last three years, but he was one of the lone stars of Los Angeles during the 2016 season after leading the league with 31 quarterback hits, which is impressive when seeing all of the extra attention he was receiving from opponents.

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While Donald made the decision to skip OTAs with the hope of the organization rewarding him with the hefty extension he clearly deserves, at least the former first-round pick was willing to show up for mandatory minicamp last week. There was some early speculation that Donald would end up skipping the practices in protest, but at the end of the day, it seems like he realized the importance of being there for his Rams teammates since the defense is still adjusting to new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

As for Johnson, the cornerback doesn’t have too many reasons to complain since he’s going to be the highest-paid player at his position in 2017 thanks to Los Angeles using the franchise tag on him for the second year in a row. Despite the franchise tag, there’s been plenty of discussion surrounding the possibility of the Rams reaching an extension with Johnson before the deadline in the middle of July, but as Jason La Canfora reported on Tuesday, the chances of a new deal are unlikely to happen.

Nothing against Johnson, but if Los Angeles was truly convinced he had what it takes to be a reliable No. 1 cornerback for this defense, they would have worked out a long-term deal with him by now to avoid any chance of him ending up elsewhere in the future. In fact, it’s safe to say the only reason why the Rams were willing to swallow that tough pill of Johnson playing another year under the hefty franchise tag was due to the fact they couldn’t afford to lose him in free agency since that’s what happened in 2016 with Janorkis Jenkins joining the New York Giants.

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Los Angeles has made some questionable moves over the years (Tavon Austin‘s contract immediately comes to mind) when it comes to signing certain players, but give the team credit for taking the right approach in this scenario. If the Rams do in fact have no intention of working out a new deal for Johnson at the moment, and seem determined to focus on an extension for Donald instead, it would keep the defense in solid shape for years to come.