FA Most Wanted: Stamps’ Johnson in a league of his own

TORONTO — The CFL’s top 30 pending free agents list was released on Tuesday, highlighting several of the league’s most impactful players due to become free agents on Feb. 12.

While the list is riddled with elite-level talent, Calgary Stampeders defensive tackle Micah Johnson may just stand out the most.

“Micah Johnson is arguably the CFL’s strongest interior lineman, making him amongst the CFL’s most likely to collapse the integrity of the pocket single-handedly,” said CFL.ca’s Marshall Ferguson. “When he gets on a roll he can ruin a series, quarter or game all by himself.”

Johnson is the fourth-ranked player on the list, slotting behind three free agent quarterbacks in Mike Reilly, Bo Levi Mitchell and Trevor Harris. However, it could be argued that no player in the CFL has as decisive an edge at his position as Johnson.

Johnson truly was a disruptive force in 2018, recording a career-high 14 sacks, good for second in the CFL behind Charleston Hughes. That’s an impressive number for any defensive player, but Johnson’s position makes it an incredibly rare feat: Interior linemen rarely hit double-digits, an occurrence that’s only happened four times dating back to 2004.

Single-Season Sacks: Defensive Tackles (2004-2018)

Shudder to think that the 30-year-old, who changed positions after playing linebacker at Kentucky from 2006 to 2009, is still learning some of the finer points of the position, with room to continue growing.

Johnson’s sack totals are certainly impressive. The Stampeders defensive tackle has seen his totals increase every season in his six-year career, putting him at 41 takedowns in 81 career contests. His 0.51 career sacks per game is a higher rate than many defensive ends in the CFL.

However, sacking quarterbacks isn’t Johnson’s only quality. He’s also strong against the run, playing a big role on a Calgary defence that ranks at or near the top of the league both in total defence and against the run every season. In 2018 the Stamps had the league’s best run defence, allowing 86.5 yards per game, and the second-ranked defence overall (317.5 yards per game).

Stampeders’ Run Defence (2014-2018)

With an ability to impact a game unparalleled to the defensive tackle position in 2019, Johnson would be a centrepiece on any defence in the CFL. That will make him one of the most coveted free agents in the CFL if the Stampeders don’t sign him before Feb. 12.