Pro Football Focus Ranks Rams' Trumaine Johnson, Janoris Jenkins As #5 And #6 CBs In Free Agency

There might not be a more interesting angle to the Rams' free agency dealings this year than how they approach the cornerback duo of Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson.

Both selected in the 2012 NFL Draft, the first under Head Coach Jeff Fisher and General Manager Les Snead, the two headline the group of Rams with expiring contracts this offseason. It of course sets up a hypothetical issue of having to pick one or the other.

Now it's entirely true that the Rams could manage to re-sign both, but there is a fair question to ask if it's worth the money to do so with Lamarcus Joyner and E.J. Gaines on the roster as well. And if the Rams were to look at the value and decide to only keep one, it's going to be a very tough decision.

The toughness of which is reinforced with Pro Football Focus' rankings of the cornerbacks who might be hitting the free agent market in a month. In those rankings, Tru comes in at #5 while Janoris is the next CB listed at #6.

Here's what they had to say about Tru:

Johnson is the lesser known of two free agent cornerbacks for the Rams, but he had his best season as a starter and ranked 19th at his position with an 82.2 overall player grade. Johnson allowed a 55.0 passer rating when targeted, second to only Norman this season among corners. He still needs to prove that he can sustain that level of play for more than one season, but the arrow seems to be pointing up for Johnson.

And for ClampSeason:

We’ve come to expect big plays when quarterbacks target Janoris Jenkins, but those could be either good plays made by Jenkins, or big plays that he has allowed. Over his four-year career, Jenkins has allowed five or more touchdowns in every season (22 total), and missed 56 tackles in 60 games. However, Jenkins has also had 13 or more combined interceptions and pass defenses in three of his four seasons. He has improved over time, and is coming off his highest-graded season in coverage, where he ranked 30th among cornerbacks. Jenkins will make some impactful plays on defense, but he has shown over the last few years that he is susceptible to giving them up, as well.

It's a tough call to make, and could certainly be one the Rams have to in the coming offseason. Of course depending on the suitors as both are unrestricted free agents, there may be thirstier teams out there who make offers far beyond what the Rams would even consider. That might make it easier for Snisher to just remove one from calculation.

Otherwise, the Rams could well be facing a terribly difficult Sophie's Choice this year.