Should the Rams franchise CB Trumaine Johnson again?Alden Gonzalez
LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Rams went six years without utilizing the franchise tag, until they designated it for cornerback Trumaine Johnson last offseason.
Will they use it a second year in a row?
Wednesday marks the first day for teams to designate franchise or transition tags on players, with the window closing at 4 p.m. ET on March 1. Johnson played under the non-exclusive franchise tag last season and made $13.952 million. Franchising him again would increase his salary by 20 percent, to about $16.75 million. The Rams are currently projected to have about $40 million in cap space, so they certainly have the financial means.
But is Johnson worth it?
Five players -- defensive end John Abraham, kicker Phil Dawson, and linebackers Karlos Dansby, Terrell Suggs and Anthony Spencer -- have been franchised in back-to-back seasons since 2005. The last cornerback to get that treatment was Charles Woodson with the Raiders, from 2004 to '05.
The Rams chose to franchise Johnson instead of Janoris Jenkins around this time last year, prompting Jenkins to sign a five-year, $62.5 million contract with the Giants. That prompted Johnson to step in as the No. 1 corner. But his interceptions went from seven in 2015 to one, a career low, in 2016. Below is a look at the production Johnson allowed as the primary coverage defender and where those numbers ranked among the 81 cornerbacks who were on the field for at least 50 percent of defensive snaps, with stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus ...
520 receiving yards (48th)
four touchdowns (tied for 24th)
60.7 completion percentage (42nd)
1 catch for every 11 snaps (37th)
0.93 yards per coverage snap (14th)
89.4 QB rating (34th)
In a vacuum, it's easy to see that Johnson isn't worth a second franchise tag; not when you consider that only one cornerback, Darrelle Revis, made more than $16 million on a base salary last year.
Here's the problem: The Rams currently don't have much depth beyond Johnson.
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