John Johnson is 1 of 3 available FAs the Rams should sign post-draft

The Los Angeles Rams are almost certainly fixated on the 2025 NFL Draft. The annual three-day NFL Draft event is not just a means for a team to restock its roster. It's a crossroad of sorts, a time that signifies the team's roster converting from collecting players to a football team putting the players into meetings and onto the football field to learn techniques and plays.

The thing about the annual NFL Draft is that it is more like shopping a Trader Joe's (a niche grocery market) than a Costco Warehouse. That is, there are limited supplies and niche items available. It's not meant to satisfy every need from every shopper. So too, the NFL Draft is meant to augment the efforts of NFL teams to augment their roster, not to become the source of new NFL talent.

The Rams' roster is not at a point where it is entirely ready for the 2025 NFL season. Nor is it going to meet every niche need in the draft. The Rams should keep one eye on the NFL free agency market for the finishing touches. Like it or not, this team is powered by veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, which means that the Rams have a closing window to win a Super Bowl with him at the helm. To help succeed in that limited time frame, here are some available free agents who could be just enough to put this team over the hump.

III - RB Nick Chubb

It's almost unfathomable that Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb is available this close to the draft. After all, the seven-season veteran is just 29 years old, has been the offensive engine for the Browns offense, has racked up 6,843 yards and 51 rushing touchdowns despite playing 10 games in the past two seasons combined.

Perhaps is recent durability struggles is why he is still a free agent.

Browns fans desperately want Nick Chubb back, and for good reason. When healthy, this 5-foot-11, 227-pound juggernaut brings a load that is difficult to stop. The thing is, many NFL teams view Chubb as an instant boost to their playoff chances. So it's not as though the Rams can wait too long. But if the team wants to get a proven NFL-ready running back, it's unlikely to find a better rusher. Chupp gives this offense the long-absent oomph.

II - CB Asante Samuel Jr.

The Los Angeles Rams have plenty of warm bodies lining up to compete in training camp. But quantity is not a true substitute for quality. And the Rams may need to improve the quality of pass defenders before the season starts. So far, the team seems to be banking on returning players getting a boost by recovering from injuries suffered last season, or simply having players throughout training camp.

That could be enough to improve.

The thing is, former Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. has struggled to stay on the football field for the past two seasons. He had played in just four games in 2024, and his ability to come back ready to compete in 2025 is up in the air. It's so much of a mystery that the Chargers have not extended Samuel.

When healthy, Samuel brings a lot of expertise to an NFL secondary. He had averaged two interceptions, allowed QBs to complete 47 out of 80 targets (a 58.75 completion rate), 4.3 TDs allowed, nearly 12 pass break-ups, and 34 tackles per season in his first three seasons in the NFL. But he is suffering a lifelong shoulder injury, and that is enough to scare away many NFL GMs.

He wants to play and would love to stay in the Los Angeles, California area. I would not lobby for the Rams to get into a high-paying long-term contract, but a one or two-year deal at a modest cost could certainly go a long way for this defense.

I - S John Johnson III

The sense from many Rams blog sites and analysts is the perception that the Rams need to draft safeties in the 2025 NFL Draft. I'm not sure that I want to stand in that line, as I am thrilled with the rookie performances of safeties Kamren Kinchens and Jaylen McCollough. The team may or may not be content with the first year from Kamren Curl (I am), but the team has made it a point to repurpose S Quentin Lake as a slot corner.

Despite the absence of veteran Rams defensive back John Johnson III last season due to injury, I would not want this defense to step into 2025 without him. He is a veteran leader in the secondary, and his understanding of the Rams pass coverages and concepts is rooted in a deep history with the team's coaching staff.

What I love most about Johnson is his ability to make spectacular plays in pass coverage, run-stuffing, or simply thrilling tackles downfield that save the Rams from allowing an opposing touchdown.

JJIII signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2021, missing the Rams' Super Bowl LVI victory experience. I would be sorely saddened if he is not on the team in 2025 if the Rams win Super Bowl LX.

There may be other fits among available NFL free agents. These three jumped out to me as players the team should sign shortly after the 2025 NFL Draft concludes. And as always, thanks for reading.

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