1. Alexander Johnson
Like Carter, Alexander Johnson looks to be the odd man out in his former (?) team’s linebacker rotation. That’s not really a surprise, though.
With the Broncos’ re-signing Josey Jowell to a two-year contract and the emergence of 2021 third-rounder Baron Browning towards the end of last season, Johnson is likely looking for a new home this offseason.
In a normal offseason, the 30-year-old linebacker likely would’ve have been signed already. However, his age coupled with the fact he’s coming off a season-ending torn pectoral muscle has undoubtedly hindered his market.
That kind of fits right into Washington’s line of business this offseason. Of all the players they’ve signed/re-signed in free agency, Bobby McCain signed for the most guaranteed money at a measly $4.7 million. Coming into the offseason, PFF projected Johnson to sign for $7 million per year and $9 million guaranteed.
When healthy, Johnson is a menace going sideline-to-sideline sniffing out running plays. In fact, according to PFF only Bobby Wagner has a better run-defense grade at the LB position since Johnson became a starter for Denver in 2019.
Johnson has also held his own in coverage as a pro, logging a combined 67.0 coverage grade from PFF across 2,118 career snaps. And don’t look too much into his age. He got a delayed start to his career and didn’t play his first defensive snap until 2019. Unlike most 30-year-olds, Johnson doesn’t have much wear and tear on his body.
Bottom line? Johnson is the best pound-for-pound inside linebacker left on the open market this side of Bobby Wagner. As long as Washington is encouraged by his medical report, they shouldn’t think twice about signing him.