There simply was not much to takeaway from the Los Angeles Rams’ preseason finale against the Cleveland Browns, outside of the impressive performance of rookie TE Terrance Ferguson. Most of the players we watched on the field likely won’t sniff the 53-man regular season roster.
However, one key storyline that was uncovered in Cleveland was Desjuan Johnson—an interior defensive lineman—playing 54 snaps at EDGE rusher according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). Prior to Saturday’s game, Johnson had taken
roughly 33 snaps aligning outside the tackles on 463 total career plays (7%).
Why is this important?
This development could easily be a nothingburger. It could also signal an important shift in the Rams’ deployment of pass rusher.
Johnson figures to be safe on LA’s 53-man roster. He’s performed better than others on the interior defensive line this preseason, including Larrell Murchison and rookie Ty Hamilton (also probably safe?). The Rams likely gave Johnson an extended look against the Browns in this new role to help him learn the ropes and test whether he can handle the duties.
It’s worth noting that Los Angeles still must fill the third EDGE rusher role and the void left by the free agency departure of Michael Hoecht. While Hoecht had his fair share of coverage struggles that maddened fans, he was a plus run defender and situational pass rusher. The Rams often deployed three-EDGE looks on obvious passing situations with positive results, and they need someone else to step in if they are going to continue seeing the benefits of this package.
Up until this point, I assumed rookie Josaiah Stewart or veteran Nick Hampton would be the favorite to fill this role; however, Johnson has now entered the conversation. His conversion to EDGE—whether situational or permanent—is reminiscent of Hoecht’s position change when the Rams were short on OLB’s during the 2022 season. It’s important to find ways to be useful on the backend of the roster, and Johnson seems to be doing exactly that.
How did Johnson fare at EDGE?
Considering it was his first game playing entirely OLB, Johnson performed admirably.
He notched a team-leading five pressures against the Browns, his second performance on the preseason meeting this mark. Pass rushing productivity is the most important aspect on this positional change. Johnson cleared the bar.
However, Johnson did miss two tackles on six opportunities and netted a PFF tackling grade of just 27.8. He also graded average in terms of run defense, which is surprising for a converted interior player.
