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Here is Part II of our sodium pentothal-laced look at the Jets’ defense.
Q)How has Trumaine Johnson looked so far?
Kacy Rodgers: You know, he’s a guy that we really highly sought out in free agency and as we watched and studied, he’s a playmaker and he can do anything you ask a corner to do. So far he hasn’t disappointed at all.
Leberfeld: Man did the Jets need a guy like this. Johnson is a true #1 CB.
Yes, they paid a fortune for him (5 years, $72.5 million with $45 million guaranteed), but they had no choice – they desperately needed a #1 CB. The lack of one in recent years dragged their defense down.
The last time they spent this kind of money on a free agent cornerback was Darrelle Revis, but that was an ill-advised move because the player was on his downside. That move was driven by non-football people, perhaps as a mea culpa to the fans, for letting him go the first time. This move turned into an unmitigated disaster. Not only had he lost a step which hurt him in coverage, but he feigned interest in tackling. He was released after two years after collecting $39 million guaranteed.
This move makes a lot more sense. Johnson is 28 and coming off a terrific season. While Johnson signed for five-years, it’s essentially a three-year contract. The Jets can easily get out after the third season. Since the guaranteed money is all the really matters in these deals, we should view this contract as a three-year deal for $45 million.
So this contract will pay him when he’s 28, 29 and 30, as opposed to Revis, who got paid at 30 and 31 with his wheels falling off.
If you want a comparison to Johnson think of Richard Sherman in his prime – a long, physical corner with terrific instincts and ball skills.
And what makes this move so smart, aside from the player’s skill set, is who the Jets’ secondary coach is – Dennard Wilson, who coached Johnson with the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams. The two are very close, and Wilson knows this player, how to use him and what buttons to push. When Revis came back the second time, it was with people he had no connections to – new GM, head coach and secondary coach. He had no relationship with any of them, and it showed. There was a big-time disconnect there. Look, I understand that free agents often sign with new teams to play for new people, but Revis and the new regime clearly weren’t on the same page. For goodness sake, he showed up out of shape for his second training camp.
This Wilson-Johnson connection can’t be downplayed. Not only is Johnson not going to want to let the Jets down because of the money they invested in him, but he definitely won’t want to let Wilson down. The two have a symbiotic relationship.
There is only one concern the Jets and fans should have about Johnson. While has a world of talent, he’s a long-legged cornerback, who if asked to cover too long in space, if a pass rush is lacking, could have issues with smaller, quicker receivers cutting away from him. With long-legged corners, they often have to gather to cut, not cut on a dime, due to how they are built.
But overall, the import of this signing can’t be minimized.
June 26, 2018
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