What does John Johnson III add to the Cleveland Browns defense?

The Cleveland Browns spent big in free agency on safety John Johnson III but what will the former Ram bring to the defense in The Land?

The Cleveland Browns‘ addition of John Johnson III has to rank in at least the top three agent acquisitions early in NFL free agency as the legal tampering period began on Monday. Previously of the Los Angeles Rams, Johnson was arguably the top-ranked safety in this free-agent class and the Browns got some much-needed help to their backfield.

Johnson was officially announced on Thursday after signing his three-year, $33.75 million deal and will be a shiny new piece on the defense in the 2021 season. But what will he bring to the Browns on that side of the ball?

That’s what we’re looking at today, examing what exactly John Johnson will add to the Cleveland secondary and, on a larger scale, the defense as a whole.

John Johnson offers versatility for the Browns

Johnson has the ability to play a variety of roles on the field. Last year, the Rams divided his time almost equally in a combination of both zone and man coverage roles and also in the box as a run blocker.

The above chart shows his snaps per game at different positions and we can see that, while there might be a slight focus on him playing more in the box, he has the ability to play in the backfield as well.

Johnson is also 6-0, 209 pounds, so he has the physicality to cover larger receivers and tight ends, a beneficial trait for the Browns in a division filled with the likes of Mark Andrews, Eric Ebron, Chase Claypool and potentially Ja’Marr Chase if the Bengals pick him up in the draft.

The Browns will have support in the backfield with John Johnson

Support in the backfield is the big factor the Browns had to address both in the offseason and in the draft this year. The defense kept the opposition in the game for too long on many occasions this past season with the rotating combinations of Ronnie Harrison, Andrew Sendejo, Sheldrick Redwine and Karl Joseph unable to consistently break up passes and cover receivers on deep routes.

Johnson brings an answer to that. Though he has a great ability to make tackles in the box or play coverage in the shallow field, look for the Browns to make him a priority deep as his leadership and vision will be needed more in those areas of the field.

Could John Johnson give the Browns flexibility with 2-high safety looks?

Browns fans will be eager to see Grant Delpit return next year after sustaining an Achilles injury in the preseason. The LSU defensive back is a season removed from his time at LSU but he was a terrific coverage player for the Tigers in college.

The NFL is of course a different beast and you would expect defensive coordinator Joe Woods to give Delpit some backfield help as he makes his comeback from injury. The Browns played a lot of 2-High coverage last year with Sendejo a fixture for most of the season paired with either Joseph, Harrison or Redwine.

Look for this to continue and maybe even be a greater focus but with Johnson and another safety in order to help both Delpit’s return and also assist the other coverage defenders in their responsibilities.