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USA Today
02-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Reasons for optimism about Rams' secondary after missing out on Jalen Ramsey
The Rams may lack stars in the secondary but there's still potential with this group The Los Angeles Rams had a golden opportunity to reunite with Jalen Ramsey this offseason after the Miami Dolphins put him on the trade block. No team was linked to Ramsey more than the Rams, but a trade never came together. Instead, the Dolphins traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick. Sean McVay's recent comments made it clear there were hurdles in the way of the Rams acquiring Ramsey, but they were still one of the two main teams involved in trade talks, per one report. With Ramsey (and Jaire Alexander) off the table, where do the Rams turn next at cornerback? The likeliest answer is nowhere. They don't need to add a star cornerback to feel good about their secondary. They have talent in the defensive backfield, which is why they haven't been overly aggressive this offseason. Looking at their current roster, there are plenty of reasons for optimism in the secondary. Quentin Lake is a quarterback on defense Every team wishes it had a player like Lake in the secondary. He's essentially the quarterback of the defense, leading that group despite only entering his fourth season in the NFL. Last season, he was the defensive signal caller, playing every single snap throughout the year with the exception of a few in Week 18 when the Rams rested their starters. He played safety and nickel, doing everything the Rams asked of him. That's all likely to continue in 2025 as Lake enters the final year of his contract. Having his intelligence and versatility in the secondary is a difference-maker for the Rams, helping everyone around him elevate their play. Cobie Durant ranked among the league's best in yards allowed According to The 33rd Team, Durant allowed just 293 yards in coverage last season, which was fifth among all defensive backs who were targeted at least 50 times. Translation? Despite seeing a lot of passes thrown his way, he didn't give up much yardage to opposing receivers. He also led the NFL in interception return yards in 2022 when he was just a rookie and through Week 13 of last season, he allowed a passer rating of 0.0 on third down. Ahkello Witherspoon only gave up 20 yards in the playoffs Witherspoon really locked in during the playoffs last year, which is a big reason the Rams blew out the Vikings and nearly upset the Eagles. Granted, it helps that the Eagles game was played in a blizzard, but Witherspoon started to heat up late in the year. According to Pro Football Focus, Witherspoon allowed just 20 yards on four catches in the Rams' two playoff games. His coverage grade of 73.0 was sixth-best among all NFL cornerbacks in the postseason, as well. If he can pick up where he left off last year, the Rams' secondary should get off to a much better start in 2025. Darious Williams allowed the 7th-lowest passer rating from Week 15 on Williams had some tough outings in the middle of the year after he returned from injury, but once the final stretch of the season hit, he started to play better. From Week 15 on, he allowed a passer rating of just 49.7 in coverage, which was the seventh-best among cornerbacks with at least 55 snaps played in that span. He had one interception and zero touchdowns allowed, giving up a completion rate of only 50%, per PFF. Like Witherspoon, he played some of his best football late in the year, which the Rams hope will carry over to 2025. In the right coverage scheme, Williams can be a playmaker on the outside. Emmanuel Forbes may be turning his career around Forbes has received positive reviews from his coaches this offseason, bulking up and putting in some good reps in practice. The former first-round pick from the Commanders is trying to turn his career around after a terrible start in Washington, and there's a real chance he does so with the Rams. In college, he picked off 14 passes in only three seasons, leading the nation twice in interceptions (2020, 2022), return yards and pick-sixes. There's a reason he was drafted in the first round and the potential is still there for Forbes. The Rams don't need him to become a starter but if he does, it'll be a major bonus. Kamren Kinchens is a certified ball hawk Kinchens picked off 11 passes in his last two years at Miami and he proved as a rookie last season that it was no fluke. He pulled down four interceptions, tied for the team lead, and even had a pick-six – the longest interception return in franchise history. He did go through a learning curve and struggled with some of his pursuit angles, but in coverage, he was a playmaker. Having a year of experience in the Rams' system and a full offseason of work, Kinchens should only continue to get better in his second season. Kamren Curl was the 8th-highest graded safety after Week 9 Like many of the Rams' defenders, Curl started slowly last season. However, from Week 10 on, he was one of the better safeties in football. According to PFF, he had the eighth-highest grade (75.9) of any safety from Week 10 through the playoffs, receiving grades of 70-plus across the board, from run defense and tackling to pass rush and coverage. He may not be a DB who picks off many passes or creates turnovers, but he can play deep, in the box and near the line of scrimmage, which gives Chris Shula options in the secondary. The pass rush will make life easier on the CBs There's no better way to help out the secondary than applying pressure on the quarterback up front. Thankfully, the Rams are very good at that. Their pass rush was arguably the best in the NFL late in the 2024 season, sacking Sam Darnold and Jalen Hurts a combined 16 times in the playoffs. Pressuring the quarterback forces the ball to come out quickly, thus giving receivers less time to get open against DBs. If the Rams can continue applying pressure at the remarkable rate that they did late last year, the corners and safeties won't have to cover as long. That makes life a whole lot easier and will help the pass defense as a whole. If the Rams didn't have a top-tier pass rush, the secondary would be a little bit more concerning. Rams allowed the 9th-lowest passer rating after their Week 6 bye The Rams gave up 24-plus points in each of their first five games of the season, starting the year 1-4. After the Week 6 bye, though, they only allowed more than 24 points four times. One of those games was in Week 18 when their starters were resting and two of them were against the Eagles. From Week 7 on, the Rams gave up a passer rating of only 89.3 on defense, which was the ninth-best in the NFL during that span. They picked off 11 passes, tied for the fourth-most and allowed a completion rate of just 64%, 11th-best. Some early struggles set the season off on the wrong foot defensively but the secondary did improve as the year went on. Follow Rams Wire on X, Facebook and Threads for more coverage!
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Browns' Offseason Labeled 'Underrated'
Browns' Offseason Labeled 'Underrated' originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Cleveland Browns' offseason started with a bang after star defender Myles Garrett demanded a trade. But general manager Andrew Berry kept things calm, refused the trade request, then extended Garrett, keeping him in Cleveland for the foreseeable future. Advertisement Berry also dealt well with the NFL Draft, where they addressed many roster needs while also adding two quarterbacks in the process. That, after signing two veteran quarterbacks to compete for the starting job. Sam Monson of thinks the Browns' offseason is completely "underrated." "Starting point, Myles Garrett demanded a trade. Instead of trading one of the best players in the NFL, they extended him and got him a new contract. Albeit, one of the most expensive contracts in the NFL, but they've gone from 'their best player wanted out the door' to 'he's happy again,' that's good," Monson wrote. "You can debate how they got there, but they ended up with the quarterback I would have taken at No. 2. I would have taken Shedeur Sanders just because I think they need a way out of that. They got him in the fifth round. "So they got the same guy and they're paying him like a fraction of the money they'd be paying him at No. 2, AND they got an extra roll of the dice, like a bonus lottery ticket with Dillon Gabriel in the third round as well." Advertisement Making it through the first portion of the offseason with a good grade is one thing. For Berry and the Browns, it's the final portion of the summer that needs to end positively. Related: Browns Cornerback Unhappy With Role in 2024 Related: Browns' Shedeur Sanders Receives Striking Comparison from Cleveland Legend This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
This QB Just Dethroned Patrick Mahomes as NFL's Best, Says Top Analyst
This QB Just Dethroned Patrick Mahomes as NFL's Best, Says Top Analyst originally appeared on Athlon Sports. One NFL analyst boldly declared that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is no longer the bar other quarterbacks are trying to pass. Advertisement For the first five years of his career, few would argue that Mahomes was the top player at his position in the NFL. But over the last two years, Mahomes hasn't quite lived up to the critically high bar he set for himself. Since becoming a starter in 2018, Mahomes often led the NFL in passing, averaging 4,791 yards, 38.2 touchdowns, and 9.6 interceptions per season with a passer rating of 106.2. But in the last two seasons, his production was been down significantly, averaging just 4,055 yards, 26.5 touchdowns, and 12.5 interceptions per season with a passer rating of 93.1. And with the number of top young quarterbacks growing — a list that includes Buffalo's Josh Allen, Baltimore's Lamar Jackson, Cincinnati's Joe Burrow, Houston's C.J. Stroud, Green Bay's Jordan Love, and San Francisco's Brock Purdy — fans probably expected Mahomes to lose his title as the NFL's best QB at some point. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15).Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The 33rd Team's Sam Monson believes that time is now, arguing that Allen, the reigning MVP, has surpassed Mahomes, a two-time MVP, as the best signal-caller in the league. Advertisement 'I believe the best quarterback right now is Josh Allen,' Monson said. 'I think he's become the guy. Like, for years it was Patrick Mahomes. Brady, that generation — once they went, Mahomes took over. The start of Mahomes' career was absolutely mind-blowing; the last couple of years though, he's not been that guy and really it's been Josh Allen. 'I think you can make a case for a couple of other people, but Allen's combination of freakshow, wow plays, everything he can do with his arm, the cheat code that is his short-yardage ability, his athleticism, the fact that he basically does not take sacks—I mean, one of the lowest pressure-to-sack rates you're going to find anywhere—utterly absurd analytics numbers behind him as well. I think Allen's the guy right now.' Buffalo Bills quarterback and reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen.© Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images Allen is coming off arguably the best season of his career. Advertisement He racked up 4,262 total yards (3,731 passing, 531 rushing) and 40 total touchdowns (28 passing, 12 rushing) with a career-low six interceptions while leading the Bills to 13 wins (tying the franchise record) and falling just one win shy of the team's first Super Bowl appearance since 1994. After adding a pair of former second-round picks in wide receivers Elijah Moore and Laviska Shenault, plus wideout Joshua Palmer, Allen enters 2025 with arguably the deepest WR room he's had in his seven-year career. Related: Kylie Kelce Alarmed by Fan's Outrageous Jason Kelce Tattoo This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
11-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
3 Rams rank in the top-10 of most pressures by a rookie since 2020
3 Rams rank in the top-10 of most pressures by a rookie since 2020 The Los Angeles Rams have drafted well on defense in the past five seasons. Between Braden Fiske, Kobie Turner, Byron Young and 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse, the Rams have a fantastic core of defensive lineman for Chris Shula to work with for foreseeable future. Most of that group has especially been great at generating pressures on opposing quarterbacks. Verse, Fiske and Young have generated three of the top-8 most pressures for a rookie since 2020, per The 33rd Team. Verse ranks No. 1 with 77 this past season, while Fiske's 51 finished tied for sixth and Young's 50 in 2023 ranks eighth. This group proved their ability early in their careers, and the hope for L.A. is now is that they can continue to develop into star players. The Rams focused on offense throughout free agency and the draft likely because they feel confident they can rely on their young defenders. With another offseason upcoming, this group should be able to coalesce together and bring the heat against quarterbacks in a pivotal 2025 season.
USA Today
12-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Rams QB Matthew Stafford is the only over-30 player to rank top-10 in this stat
Rams QB Matthew Stafford is the only over-30 player to rank top-10 in this stat Matthew Stafford has proven to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL during his career, but especially when he joined the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. Not only did he win a Super Bowl, but Stafford has also thrown for at least 3,700 passing yards and 20 touchdowns in the three seasons he played at least 10 games. One area he especially excelled at during 2024 was throwing downfield. Stafford ranked sixth in the NFL this past season in with 15% of his throws going for at least 16 yards downfield, per The 33rd Team. This is great for Stafford, but even better that ever other player on this list is under 30 years old, whereas Stafford is 37. Here is the full list: Brock Purdy: 18.4% Lamar Jackson: 16.8% C.J. Stroud: 16.0% Jared Goff: 15.2% Tua Tagovailoa: 15.2% Matthew Stafford: 15.0% Josh Allen: 14.7% Baker Mayfield: 14.6% Jordan Love: 14.5% This is perhaps why Stafford finished the season with ninth with 2,036 completed air yards in 2024. Stafford may be older, but he still has his arm strength. The Rams now replace Cooper Kupp with Davante Adams, who was more prolific, less injured and had a higher average depth of target than Kupp. Puka Nacua is also one of the best receivers in the league in yards per route run and also had a great average depth of target than Kupp. For a Rams team looking to compete for a Super Bowl in 2025, having a fully-loaded Stafford arm is a huge weapon to lean on with the rest of the team's offensive skill players.
