Denver Broncos: 8 free agents who should be on the team’s wish list

Denver Broncos 2021 FA wish list: John Johnson, S, Rams

The Denver Broncos’ secondary was decimated by injuries in 2020, although not at the safety position.

Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson played 100 percent of the team’s snaps in 2020, but only Jackson is under contract.

The Broncos obviously want to keep Simmons in the fold and hopefully Simmons will be able to stay, but if Simmons stays, does that mean Jackson will have to go?

That’s a tough decision the Broncos will have to at least talk about because Jackson’s cap hit could prevent the team from making other long-term investments.

One such long-term investment that might be worth moving on from Jackson is bringing in Rams safety John Johnson, a former college teammate of Justin Simmons who has been a stud with the Rams.

Johnson has 350 career tackles and eight career interceptions, and getting into the same defensive backfield with Simmons would be a lot of fun to see for Broncos fans.

It is also worth noting that Johnson is coming off of a tremendous season with Brandon Staley as his defensive coordinator. The former Vic Fangio protege (now the head coach of the Chargers) obviously ran a similar defense to what the Broncos run if not a carbon copy with his own flair mixed in.

Since Staley moved on from the Rams, Johnson could see the fit in Denver in a similar defensive scheme next to his pal Justin Simmons and the two could give the Broncos the distinction of best safety tandem in the NFL for years to come.