Monson: Tru Johnson Among Top 5 Free Agents to Get Overpaid

[den-the-coach]

5 FREE AGENTS ABOUT TO GET OVERPAID

Which 2017 free agents are about to receive big pad-days, despite the questions marks they bring to the table?

SAM MONSON

NFL free agency can be a fantastic opportunity for teams to add proven talent to their roster before the draft rolls around. Teams that invest wisely in free agents can massively boost the talent of their rosters, but a mistake can prove even more costly than a swing and a miss come draft time.

Free agency isn’t just about talent evaluation; it’s also a bidding war against 31 other potential landing spots, and that marketplace drives up the costs.

Every year there are players who hit the open market and end up getting dramatically overpaid, costing teams in the long run and never justifying the dollar figure that gets attached to them. Here are a group of players likely to fit that billing in 2017.

5. Trumaine Johnson, CB, Los Angeles Rams
The league has a love affair at the moment with big, tall, long cornerbacks—the type of athletes that can at least attempt to go one-on-one with players like Julio Jones athletically and live to tell the tale. Trumaine Johnson, at 6-foot-2 and 208 pounds, has that prototypical size and length, but remains an inconsistent player on the field. At his best, he looks like a player worthy of those measurables, but that guy doesn’t appear on tape every week of the season, and in 2016, he allowed four touchdowns while picking off just one pass and breaking up another six. He has only allowed fewer than 60 percent of the passes thrown his way to be caught once in a season, and his career mark in that statistic is 61.2 percent, which would have ranked 61st in the NFL this season.

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[www.profootballfocus.com]

 

[Loyal]

Can we franchise tag him again?

 

[Psycho_X]

Can we franchise tag him again?

We can but already did last season so there will be a huge mark up for tagging a second year in a row. I don't know what the number would be but my guess would be around $15 million for one year.

In the end, is he worth top CB money? I don't know, depends on what Wade Phillips thinks of him. If Wade thinks he'd be a good CB in his defense than Tru would be worth every penny. If he doesn't we won't resign him. Pretty simple. Overall, we drafted two starting CBs, developed them, and have now let one walk away and are about to let another do the same possibly. That's a failure some where along the way.

 

[Loyal]

We can but already did last season so there will be a huge mark up for tagging a second year in a row. I don't know what the number would be but my guess would be around $15 million for one year.

In the end, is he worth top CB money? I don't know, depends on what Wade Phillips thinks of him. If Wade thinks he'd be a good CB in his defense than Tru would be worth every penny. If he doesn't we won't resign him. Pretty simple. Overall, we drafted two starting CBs, developed them, and have now let one walk away and are about to let another do the same possibly. That's a failure some where along the way.

I can live with that. As for letting developed players walk, it's as much as anything about losing, money, and short career span.

 

[A.J. Hicks]

I like Tru but I really hope we don't way overpay for him. He's a good corner, and could potentially look better in Wade's scheme. But I don't think we are smart to pay him top corner money.

 

[SteezyEndo]

I'm in the Gray Area on this. We either bite the bullet pay the guy, or we let him walk and we end up kicking ourselves in the end...Obviously there is always room for negotiations. Tell him what he wants to hear and if he plays well this upcoming season sign him long term...

 

[So Ram]

Can we franchise tag him again?

Might be better to get compensation . The money he will get will be worthy of a 3rd rd pick.

I think they do it by contract given to the player.

--Rather The Rams find value in lower cost free-agents & draft picks.

Have not heard anything about LaMarcus Joyner from new coaching staff or front office . He was drafted #41 over all & The Rams even traded up for him. He has started at nickel ,but on big downs teams always seem to pick on him. His size does matter.Bigger TE(Graham,Drunk) & WR's. That is why teams are falling in love with taller CB.

JJ -39
Tru - 65

Pead - 50
Quick - 33. 2012 draft
----------------------------

EJ 188 was a great find the same draft as T Mason & Joyner.
Mo was a nice pick up.

 

[Dxmissile]

I don't get how they lose out on Jenkins and not manage to get a long term contract on Johnson just terrible management. Now you gotta resign Johnson for more money

 

[Ramrasta]

I don't think it's necessary to resign Tru. Once Jenkins left the building and he had to matchup with the #1 receivers this season, he got exposed and was nothing like his former self. It makes more sense to play the field and maybe bring in Logan Ryan or AJ Bouye if we are going to pay big money. Plus, the CB group in the draft is very deep this year.

 

[bubbaramfan]

I hate to overpay a guy, but Tru is the best CB and ballhawk the Rams have and will hurt the Rams D overall if they let him go.

 

[Picked4td]

maybe instead of paying tru a crap load of money, they could put that money toward funding a working time machine and just go back in time and pay jenkins instead?

 

[TexasRam]

:yay:Let's just let Tru walk while other teams overpay for the high end CB's so we can start two untested college players that we draft in rounds 3 and 6.

Sounds like a great plan.

 

[bubbaramfan]

Like Tye Hill and Ron Bartell?

 

[jap]

Tru: "Show me the money!!!"

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I don't think it's necessary to resign Tru. Once Jenkins left the building and he had to matchup with the #1 receivers this season, he got exposed and was nothing like his former self. It makes more sense to play the field and maybe bring in Logan Ryan or AJ Bouye if we are going to pay big money. Plus, the CB group in the draft is very deep this year.

I will be surprised if Houston let's Bouye hit the market. Ryan is a bit overrated IMO. I really liked him coming out of college but he can't even cover as well as Tru. He would be a drop off IMO.

 

[Mojo Ram]

You've got to be really good at QB, LT, pass rush and CB(and you've got to have two of them). Ditching on JJ and Tru in consecutive years because of money isn't the answer.

 

[Ramrasta]

I will be surprised if Houston let's Bouye hit the market. Ryan is a bit overrated IMO. I really liked him coming out of college but he can't even cover as well as Tru. He would be a drop off IMO.

I would say Tru J is a bit overrated if anything. Watching him get shredded by Mike Evans, DeVante Parker, Mike Thomas, Julian Edelman, etc, it's pretty clear he isn't the shutdown corner we were hoping for. Then you see games without him (injury prone) like the Giants game and we shut down Odell Beckham. Just how valuable is Trumaine?

Maybe Ryan is overrated as well though considering Malcolm Butler might be helping him look better than he is similarly to how Janoris did with Trumaine for years.

 

[jrry32]

I'm torn on Tru. Let's say we can re-sign Tru for $12.5 million per year or sign Logan Ryan and Brandon Carr for a total of $15.5 million per year, is Tru really worth it? I don't know.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Johnson has only allowed fewer than 60 percent of the passes thrown his way to be caught once in a season, and his career mark in that statistic is 61.2 percent, which would have ranked 61st in the NFL this season.

I don't have access to stats at the moment, but wouldn't this also be a product of the Fisher defense?

 

[snackdaddy]

Sometimes I wonder if Tru didn't benefit from JJ being on the other side. His INT's were down last season. Then again it seemed the pass defense suffered when he was out. Especially against the Lions.