The Eagles might be in a salary cap crunch in 2021 but that probably won’t keep them from signing at least a few free agents.
And according to one report, they’re interested in John Johnson III, one of the better safeties set to hit the open market.
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Johnson makes a ton of sense for the Eagles if they can get him without a ridiculous bidding war.
The Eagles’ safety position is in a state of flux right now. Jalen Mills will become a free agent and Rodney McLeod is coming off an ACL injury. After those two, the Eagles have young players like K’Von Wallace and Marcus Epps.
Johnson, 25, is coming off his rookie deal with the Rams, who drafted him in the 3rd round back in 2017 out of Boston College. In four NFL seasons, Johnson has played in 54 games with 48 starts and 350 combined tackles.
While he hasn’t risen to the level of being a Pro Bowl player, Johnson has been a good pro and would immediately help the Eagles upgrade at the position. This potential move would kind of feel like the one the Eagles signed McLeod to back in the 2016 offseason.
NFL
Johnson played in just six games in 2019 because of a shoulder injury but returned in 2020 to play all 16. Last season, he started all 16 games and had 105 tackles, 8 pass breakups and an interception.
Earlier this offseason, I ranked him as the fourth-best safety set to become a free agent after Justin Simmons, Marcus Maye and Anthony Harris.
If the Eagles end up signing a player like Johnson, they’ll need to backload the contract in an attempt to keep the deal cap friendly for the 2021 season.
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