Rams, Johnson Won’t Sign Long-Term Deal
Last week, we heard that the odds of an extension for the Rams and Trumaine Johnson are “extremely slim.” Now, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com hears (on Twitter) that there is “nothing close” between the two parties and flatly says that “no long-term deal will get done.” 
[RELATED: NFL Pushes Back Deadline To Sign Franchise Players]
Without a new deal, Johnson will play out the 2017 season on his one-year, $16.742MM franchise tender. This is the second straight year that the Rams have used the franchise tag on Johnson, though their actions have made it clear that they do not see him as a franchise player. The Rams seriously considered trading Johnson this offseason, though talks with teams like the Browns and Saints did not yield the kind of offers that they were seeking.
Johnson’s $16.742MM salary currently has him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL on a per-year basis. After a season in which he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 26th-best cornerback, one could argue that he’s drastically overpaid. The Rams probably weren’t crazy about that price tag, but they were also unwilling to lose a starting cornerback for the second consecutive offseason. Last year, the Rams franchised Johnson and allowed Janoris Jenkins to sign with the Giants in free agency.
Tyrunn Walker Accused Of Rape
Free agent defensive tackle Tyrunn Walker is accused of raping a woman in Louisiana in February, report Jim Mustian and Ramon Antonio Vargas of the Advocate. Walker was released by the Rams today just two hours after the Advocate scribes offered his agent an opportunity to respond to the allegations.
Walker and another man are alleged to have sexually assaulted two women in a hotel following a celebration of Mardi Gras in late February. At least one woman believes she was drugged before the assault occurred, and both women have filed restraining orders against Walker and the other male. An investigation began in March, but the Lafayette, La. district attorney hasn’t yet decided whether the case will be sent to a grand jury.
Los Angeles cut the 27-year-old Walker just three months after signing him to a one-year deal. Under the NFL’s personal conduct policy, Walker could face a league-imposed suspension regardless of whether he’s found guilty or charges are officially filed.
Rams Release DT Tyrunn Walker
The Rams have released defensive tackle Tyrunn Walker, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). Walker joined the Rams as a free agent just three months ago. 
The Rams were Walker’s third NFL stop and he’ll now be in search of team No. 4. Walker, 27, spent the first three seasons of his career with the Saints and the last two with the Lions. All in all, he has totaled 42 appearances with the majority of his 13 career starts (eight) coming in 2016.
Walker tallied 26 tackles and played in 34.1% of the Lions’ defensive snaps last year. He ranked a below-average 77th among Pro Football Focus’ 127 qualified interior defensive linemen.
With the Rams, Walker was supposed to provide depth at defensive tackle behind starting nose tackle Michael Brockers. Now, the Rams will evaluate Mike Purcell, rookie Tanzel Smart, and untested 2015 UDFA Louis Trinca-Pasat as reserve options.
Opinion: Rams Need To Change Culture
- The Rams‘ inability to build a winning culture for the past 12 years has left them in a tough spot, Michael Lombardi of The Ringer writes. The Rams have just 60 wins over that period and have not done better than .500 in that span.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/21/17
Today’s minor moves:
- The Rams have waived defensive back Brian Randolph, the club announced today. Randolph, 24, went undrafted out of Tennessee in 2016 following a collegiate career that saw him play the most games (53) in Volunteers history. One of 19 undrafted free agents signed by the Rams last May, Randolph suffered a torn ACL during the club’s first preseason contest and was waived/injured. After clearing waivers, Randolph spent the entirety of his rookie campaign on injured reserve.
Rams Waive OL Demetrius Rhaney
The Rams announced that they’ve waived WR Marquez North, LB Reggie Northrup, C Demetrius Rhaney, and LB Teidrick Smith, while the club has also signed offensive linemen Michael Dunn and Alex Kozan, according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Of the players involved in Los Angeles’ transactions, only Rhaney has any NFL game experience. A seventh-round pick in 2014, Rhaney had appeared in all 32 games for the Rams over the past two seasons. However, most of Rhaney’s work has come on special teams, where he’d played 237 snaps from 2015-16. Rhaney, who turns 25 this week, did start one contest in 2015 (and played 123 offensive snaps that year).
Kozan, an Auburn product, has already had one stint with Los Angeles earlier this year, as he’d signed with the club during minicamp before being waived in May. Dunn, meanwhile, hadn’t yet latched on with a team since going undrafted out of Maryland.
Rams Sign Five Rookies, Wrap Up Draft Class
The Rams have become the latest club to lock up their 2017 draft class, as the team announced they’ve agreed to terms with fourth-round wide receiver Josh Reynolds, fourth-round linebacker Samson Ebukam, sixth-round defensive tackle Tanzel Smart, sixth-round fullback Sam Rogers, and seventh-round linebacker Ejuan Price.
Reynolds, who posted 1,039 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns during his final season at Texas A&M, figures to see the most playing time of the rookies signed today. The 6’3″, 195-pounder — whom Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compares to NFLer Marvin Jones — will compete with fellow rookie Cooper Kupp for playing time behind Robert Woods and Tavon Austin.
Here’s a complete overview of the Rams’ 2017 rookie crop:
- 2-44: Gerald Everett, TE (South Alabama)
- 3-69: Cooper Kupp, WR (Eastern Washington)
- 3-91: John Johnson, S (Boston College)
- 4-117: Josh Reynolds, WR (Texas A&M)
- 4-125: Samson Ebukam, LB (Eastern Washington)
- 6-189: Tanzel Smart, DT (Tulane)
- 6-206: Sam Rogers, FB (Virginia Tech)
- 7-234: Ejuan Price, DE (Pitt)
Rams Unlikely To Extend Trumaine Johnson
The odds of the Rams reaching a long-term agreement with franchise-tagged cornerback Trumaine Johnson are extremely slim, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Los Angeles spoke with Johnson’s representatives regarding an extension only once, and the discussions weren’t fruitful enough to warrant another round of talks.
If he’s not extended, Johnson will play under the franchise tag for the second consecutive season. As such, his fully guaranteed base salary for the 2017 campaign will be $16.742MM, a 20% raise over his 2016 salary and the highest figure among cornerbacks for the upcoming year. The 27-year-old Johnson will have earned north of $30MM for the 2016-17 seasons.
The Rams explored trading Johnson this offseason, and while the Browns and Saints reportedly expressed interest, Johnson is now expected to stay put in Los Angeles. New head coach Sean McVay recently indicated that Johnson “fits any system. You’re talking about a big corner who can run, he’s physical, he can tackle and he has great ball skills.”
The NFL has pushed back the deadline for franchise players to sign extensions to July 17, meaning the Rams and Johnson have a little less than a month to agree to a long-term deal.
NFL Pushes Back Deadline To Sign Franchise Players
The NFL has pushed back the deadline to sign franchise players to multiyear contracts, relays ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Teams that haven’t yet extended their tag recipients will have until July 17 to do so. The deadline was previously set for July 15.
The change could affect the Redskins, Rams and Steelers – the only teams that have players currently slated to play the season under the tag. The Redskins have the most expensive member of the trio, quarterback Kirk Cousins ($24MM), who could go through his second straight year as their franchise player. The same holds true for Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who’s in line to make $16.42MM. The cheapest of the three, Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, comes in at $12.1MM.
Placing the franchise tag on Cousins again next year would cost the Redskins upward of $34MM, an unpalatable amount, and finding quality quarterbacks isn’t exactly easy. As such, Washington has been working to extend the 28-year-old Cousins prior to the deadline. Unlike last year, when the two sides made little to no headway toward an agreement, there has been progress this spring.
Meanwhile, there’s no indication that the Rams and Johnson have engaged in discussions, in part because they wanted to see how he’d fit in new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ scheme. Los Angeles’ coaching staff got a look at Johnson, 27, in Phillips’ defense during the club’s offseason program, and head coach Sean McVay subsequently praised the corner. It’s possible, then, that a deal will come together in the next month.
While Cousins and Johnson each signed their franchise tenders awhile back, Bell still hasn’t put pen to paper on his. He and the Steelers have been discussing an extension throughout the offseason, though, and despite his past suspensions and injury issues, the 25-year-old wants to become the league’s highest-paid back on his next deal. There’s a good chance that will happen, writes ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, who notes that the per-year value of Bell’s contract won’t match the tag.
“Even if he gets $10 million a year, that’s 25 percent more than any other running back is making right now,” one front office executive told Fowler. “You’d have to call that a market-moving deal.”
In the end, Fowler expects the Steelers to offer Bell a four-year accord in the $40MM to $45MM range, including $20MM in guarantees.
Jared Goff Will Miss Former Teammate Greg Robinson
Former Rams’ second-overall pick Greg Robinson was traded to the Lions earlier this week, and former first-overall pick Jared Goff said that he’ll miss his former lineman.