New York Jets 2019: Ranking the 53-man roster — #53 Trumaine Johnson

As another lost New York Jets season unfolds, it’s time to evaluate this 53-man roster from top to bottom. Let’s start this daily ranking with #53.

Trumaine Johnson will go down as one of the worst New York Jets free agent signing to date. That in and of itself is quite a statement.

Before the 2018 season, former general manager Mike Maccagnan thought he’d found the Jets’ next Darrelle Revis shutdown corner. So he lavished the rising star an eye-popping five-year $72.5 million contract, that included $34 million guaranteed.

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The Los Angeles Rams did not even try to re-sign Johnson after the 2017 season — and the next year they went to the Super Bowl.

Apparently everyone in the league knew that Johnson was not beloved in the locker room, and had a bad rep for taking plays off. Everyone that is not named Maccagnan.

The 2012 third-rounder performed historically bad in his two seasons in green and white, with five interceptions and one forced fumble in just 17 games.

He was one of the league’s worst cornerbacks of 2018, got benched by former head coach Todd Bowles for his insubordination, and then wound up on the injured reserve.

This year, reunited with his dynamic Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, Johnson played so poorly when healthy that two ankle sprains were reason enough to end his Jets career.

At best, he’s been a below-average backup, with no demonstrable upside over Darryl Roberts, Arthur Maulet or Blessuan Austin, let alone Nate Hairston, Maurice Canady or Kyron Brown.

The Jets will certainly release Johnson by March, before the third day of the league year — when his 2020 salary of $15 Million would become fully guaranteed. He’s been such a bust that Joe Douglas is thrilled to save $3 million by eating $12 million worth of dead cap money.

In other words, everything the Jets thought they’d found in Tru was false.