After two years of great fortune on the injury front, players are suddenly dropping left and right in Los Angeles. The Rams already placed Aqib Talib on injured reserve this week, and on Wednesday, the team announced John Johnson will join him on IR.
Johnson is sidelined with a shoulder injury and will miss at least eight weeks. It’s unclear if Johnson will miss the rest of the season, but if he’s healthy enough at the end of the season, he will be eligible to return after sitting out eight weeks.
Johnson injured his shoulder against the 49ers on Sunday when he attempted to make a tackle on Tevin Coleman’s touchdown run. He returned to the game after missing a brief period of time, but he left again in the fourth quarter.
He’s been a starter for the Rams for the last two-plus years and graded out as one of the best safeties in the NFL last season. Johnson is tied for second on the team with 51 total tackles, and also has two interceptions and two tackles for loss.
His absence will hurt the defense in a significant way, given his versatility and playmaking ability. Sean McVay said on Monday that if Johnson were to miss time, Marqui Christian would replace him in the starting lineup.
