EARTH CITY, Mo. -- After drafting, developing and watching their two starting cornerbacks grow into productive NFL players, the Los Angeles Rams couldn't afford to lose both of them.

That is why they took the only step possible that would just about guarantee that they retain at least one of them this offseason when they used the non-exclusive franchise tag on cornerback Trumaine Johnson. Before Tuesday, there was plenty of debate as to whether the Rams should use the tag on Johnson or fellow cornerback Janoris Jenkins.

Really, though, it didn't matter much which one ultimately became the first Ram to receive the designation since 2009. All that mattered was that one of them did.

Staring what could be the most lucrative free-agent market in NFL history in the face with teams flush with salary-cap space and some even required to spend it, the Rams knew that if they let Johnson and Jenkins see what's out there, the contract numbers could soar into an uncomfortable stratosphere that would ultimately make a group filled with solid depth into a position of need.

So the Rams did the logical thing: they tagged one of the two players who would command the most money on the open market. Of course, other teams could still come at Johnson with huge offers and poison pills intended to prevent the Rams from matching an offer sheet, but it's unlikely that any of them would be willing to forfeit two first-round picks plus all that money for Johnson's services.

That means there's a strong chance that Johnson will be with the Rams for at least the 2016 season. The fact that the Rams can continue negotiating with Johnson until July 15 and his excitement for playing in his home state of California means there's a good chance they'll be able to lock him up beyond next season as well.

Even with Johnson essentially tied up for 2016, the Rams would still like to keep Jenkins as well as other key free agent defenders such as ends William Hayes and Eugene Sims and safeties Rodney McLeod and Mark Barron.

With more than $58 million in salary cap space, it's not out of the question that the Rams could pull it off, though they must still find a way to improve their lagging offense. That should provide even more incentive to sign Johnson long-term and keep his cap number below the $13,952,000 that would come with the one-year franchise tag tender.

For Johnson, it's been quite a journey to becoming the team's franchise player. In the month leading up to his breakout 2015 season, during which he made seven interceptions, Johnson looked like he'd be on the wrong side of a competition with E.J. Gaines for the starting spot opposite Jenkins. After a foot injury to Gaines, Johnson became the starter. A few months later, he's the first Ram to get the franchise tag since Oshiomogho Atogwe in 2009.

Before 2015, Johnson's first three seasons had been filled with stops and starts, including a knee injury that cost him seven games in 2014. But his combination of size (6-foot-2, 208 pounds), youth (he's 26) and production (his 15 interceptions are the most by anyone in the 2012 draft class) have turned him into one of the most important members of the Rams' hard-hitting defense.

That the Rams finally used the franchise tag again also is a sign of progress. It means they're finally at a point in which they're drafting and developing players who are good enough that other teams would chase them on the free-agent market. It also doesn't preclude them from keeping both of their prized cornerbacks.

“I love them, and they’ve done a great job," defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said at the end of the season. "I would love to be able to coach them for as long as I can. I’d love to be able to coach them their whole career, but that’s the nature of our business. We understand that. When free agency came in, I was in this league for a long time and there was no free agency. When that started, it’s like college. You graduate guys and you’ve got to have guys behind them getting ready to roll, but those guys have been really, really fun to coach. They’ve done well, and I think you guys have seen them improve every single year of their careers. So, I’d love to be able to coach them for the rest of their career. Hopefully, we’ll see.”

Tuesday's move might not have guaranteed Williams the chance to do that, but it was a step in the right direction. In more ways than one.