Only 37 days stand between us and the New Orleans Saints’ season opener. That makes the current owner of the No. 37 jersey our Saints Player of the Day: Lawrence Johnson. The rookie safety has made some plays at training camp, so let’s dig into his story and how he can make the team.
- Name (Age): Lawrence Johnson (24)
- Position: Safety
- Height, weight: 6-foot-0, 205 pounds
- Relative Athletic Score: 5.28
- 2024 salary cap hit: $796,666
- College: Southeast Missouri State
- Drafted: Undrafted in 2024 (New Orleans Saints)
- NFL experience: Rookie
Johnson gained a ton of experience in college, appearing in 55 games (most of them starts) at both free safety and strong safety while also spending a lot of time in the slot. He had a nice forced fumble in team drills recently, punching the ball out of Mason Tipton’s hands at the end of a long reception. He reminds you of former Saints defensive back P.J. Williams, who played with a similar physical edge while lining up all over Dennis Allen’s secondary.
And Johnson could be someone who shines best when playing at full speed in the preseason games. He’s competing with other safeties like Millard Bradford, another undrafted rookie, as well as veterans Will Harris and Roderic Teamer. The Saints typically roster six safeties so with Tyrann Mathieu, J.T. Gray, Johnathan Abram and Jordan safe that’s two spots up for grabs between these four players. We’ll see if Johnson can continue strengthening his case.
