LA Rams secondary needed this veteran glue guy, so GM Les Snead signed him

Seniority does not seem to have a huge role in how the LA Rams secondary is constructed in 2024. At least, not after the team begins competing and training at their 2024 Rams Training Camp. After all, this team failed to extend two of the four starters from the 2023 NFL season. Instead, the team opted to refurbish the entire secondary with new faces either from the 2024 NFL Free Agency market or the 2024 NFL Draft. That meant the team signed two new veteran cornerbacks and one new veteran safety.

The team also drafted an elite ball-hawking safety in the 2024 NFL Draft.

But after assembling the roster through OTA and mandatory mini-camp, there was one piece missing. The Rams secondary did not have that veteran 'glue guy' who knew the system, knew the coaches, knew the goals, and knew how to communicate to his teammates to aid in ways and places that the coaching staff could not.

That meant that the LA Rams had to bring back their secondary standout, John Johnson III. Just check out this video of John Johnson III mic'd up against the Baltimore Ravens. It's obvious that Johnson was not only making plays but ensuring that his teammates remained in the game and focused.

So how did John Johnson III's return seem to be to his teammates? If the reaction of DB Quentin Lake is any indication, his teammates are excited to have him back:

There are a lot of new faces with a wide spectrum of experiences and expectation on this defense. One key veteran for the defense and secondary is veteran DB Darious Williams. Much like John Johnson III, Williams is back for a second chapter of his NFL career in The Horns. But that second chapter already holds so much more upside by reuniting him with JJIII in this secondary.

Of course, how the team will arrange the secondary, the depth chart, and the rotation will depend on how players represent themselves throughout training camp.

Signing JJIII for another season is one of those under-the-radar moves that I do not believe is getting enough recognition or credit this offseason. Johnson has been an outspoken leader of this defense, a player who not only puts his best on a football field, but holds other players accountable for their performance as well.

Like DB Quentin Lake, I am excited to have Johnson back in this locker room.

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