Another wide receiver is leaving the Rams. One day after Cooper Kupp signed with division-rival Seattle, reserve wideout Tyler Johnson signed with the New York Jets.
Johnson is the ninth Rams player to leave in free agency this week, joining Kupp (Seattle), linebacker Jake Hummel (Baltimore), defensive end Michael Hoecht (Buffalo), nose tackle Bobby Brown (Carolina), linebacker Christian Rozeboom (Carolina), defensive tackle Neville Gallimore (Indianapolis), tight end Hunter Long (Jacksonville) and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (San Francisco).
All except Kupp, who was released Wednesday, were unrestricted free agents and could help the Rams qualify for one or more compensatory draft picks in the 2026 draft. The NFL awards compensatory selections based on a classified formula that includes net losses in unrestricted free agency.
After comparing the unrestricted free agents the Rams lost to those they signed, the league might have good news for Los Angeles next March. The only unrestricted free agents the Rams have added so far are defensive tackle Poona Ford and center Coleman Shelton. They also re-signed wide receiver Tutu Atwell and defensive tackle Larrell Murchison.
Davante Adams, the prize addition in the Rams’ 2025 group, was released by the Jets and doesn’t count as an unrestricted free agent. In addition to Adams, Nacua and Atwell, the Los Angeles receivers room still includes Jordan Whittington, Quintez Cephus, Xavier Smith and Drake Stoops.
Johnson spent two seasons with the Rams, playing limited snaps. Waived at the end of training camp in 2023, he rejoined the club as a practice-squad addition and saw action that year in just one game, making his Rams debut in the season finale against San Francisco with two catches for 8 yards.
Last season, Johnson saw more offensive snaps, especially while Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp battled injuries. In two seasons with the Rams, Johnson finished with 28 catches for 299 yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps Johnson’s new head coach, Aaron Glenn, remembered the 2024 season opener at Detroit, where Glenn was then the Lions’ defensive coordinator. In the Rams’ 26-20 overtime loss at Ford Field, Johnson posted five catches for 79 yards, including a 63-yard reception. That game produced the receiver’s season bests in receptions and yards.
The Jets added Johnson on Friday night along with cornerback Kris Boyd from the Houston Texans.
