Is It Time to Worry About the Future of the Rams Secondary?
After the Los Angeles Rams’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Rams fell to 3-2 and took their second loss in the span of three weeks in one-score games. What stings the most for Rams’ fans is that the losses to the 49ers and the Eagles both come against teams that the Rams will hopefully be competing against for playoff seedings come December and January. Both losses happened only because of crucial, preventable mistakes such as multiple blocked kicks and costly fumbles. Another major factor was the pass defense, which excelled through the first two weeks of 2025 and has struggled in the past three games. With this loss coming at the hands of Mac Jones' performance, 342 passing yards, and two touchdowns, it may be time to start worrying that the secondary of the past three games is more indicative of what this secondary is capable of for the rest of the season.
There are likely two major factors that contributed to this regression from the first two weeks of the season for the secondary. First of all, the strength of their schedule has likely increased. The Rams played against the Texans and the Titans in the first two weeks, who have both come out of the gates with poor offensive performances through four weeks. Since then, the Rams have played against the reigning Super Bowl champ Eagles, the 3-0 Colts, who had punted once before meeting the Rams, and the Kyle Shanahan-led 49ers, who always seem to have the Rams’ number regardless of how injured they were. The problem is that this streak of good offenses isn’t set to end as they play against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in Week Six.
The other major factor has been Ahkello Witherspoon’s absence. Much of the lack of solid play from the secondary has mostly come from the cornerbacks, as the safeties have been a highlight thus far this season. Quentin Lake continues to be the Rams' most versatile weapon on defense and has become a sleeper breakout star. The rest of the safety room has also made its contributions. Kamren Curl even had two game-changing interceptions against the Colts, one of which essentially sealed the game in the Rams’ favor.
When Witherspoon, who was playing like a cornerstone of the Rams' defense, went down with a broken clavicle, a hole opened up in the secondary that didn’t exist before. It was initially hoped that the pieces the Rams had around to replace him were enough to man the sails until his hopeful return. The Rams’ coaching staff kept emphasizing that they believed they had four starting cornerbacks, and were happy about the depth they had to replace Witherspoon’s absence. They made a minimal roster change, signing Tre Brown from Seattle, and continued to roll with the guys they already had. However, this statement hinged entirely on the development of Washington’s cast-aside former first-round pick, Emmanuel Forbes.
While the Rams' other cornerbacks, Darious Williams and Cobie Durant, have been okay, the Rams’ statement about having four starting corners always hinged upon Forbes being a true X factor. Forbes came into the year with a lot of hype over what he could potentially bring to the Rams’ defense. One of his main detractors in Washington was being undersized and being bullied on the outside. He came into the year having put on more muscle, and buzz around Rams’ camp seemed excited over the way that he was taking in the Rams’ scheme. Since Witherspoon’s injury, Forbes has been the main player to take on the opposing team’s best receiver, and he has largely disappointed his offseason buzz. Williams and Durant have not been enough to fully cover the team’s weaknesses without Forbes hitting on his upside. To add insult to injury, the Rams declined to keep Derion Kenrick, a player they’ve had since they drafted him in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Kenrick currently has two interceptions for the Seahawks, and his contributions would be gladly appreciated in LA in Witherspoon’s absence.
To better explain Forbes' disappointing play, in Week Three against the Eagles, Emmanuel Forbes matched up against AJ Brown and his six-foot-one, 226-pound frame. By comparison, Forbes matches Brown in height at exactly six feet, but is forty pounds lighter at 180 pounds. When Forbes was in Washington, it was matchups against Brown that fully exposed some of Forbes' weaknesses, and this came to light again with Los Angeles. In one play in particular, on a crucial third down and ten to get the ball back in the fourth quarter, Brown caught a ball short of the first down with Forbes draped on his back. Forbes attempted to punch the ball out, and Brown was able to shake Forbes’ small frame off his body and run after the catch for 25 yards. The Eagles went on to score a touchdown on that drive, which ultimately became the game-winning drive.
While it could be argued that AJ Brown was always going to be a tough matchup for Forbes, the problems continued. Against the Colts, Michael Pittman got going on the outside with a combination of Forbes, Durant, and Williams covering him. Adonai Mitchell also caught a 75-yard pass that should have been a touchdown while being covered by Forbes. Luckily for the Rams, Mitchell accidentally fumbled the ball for a touchback entirely unprompted. If Mitchell had scored, it may have been too much for the Rams to overcome, and the blame would have been put on Forbes.
Against the 49ers, Darious Williams and Cobie Durant started over Forbes, and Forbes’ snap percentage plummeted from 82% and 61% in Weeks Three and Four down to 28% in Week Five. Without Forbes fulfilling his potential as a true shutdown outside corner, Durant and Williams were unable to contain Kendrick Bourne, who caught 10 catches for 142 yards for the 49ers. There is still hope for Forbes, who is still a young player and flashed potential earlier in his time in Los Angeles. However, the clock is ticking, and it is clear that the Rams are not in a place where they can rely on him. Sean McVay and Chris Shula will need to find a way to best utilize Forbes’ strengths and hide his weaknesses, or find a better way to survive the tides, relying on Williams and Durant. Les Snead could also make a drastic move to bring in a cornerback, though the avenues for how to do that grow slimmer every day. Regardless, it is clear that the Rams now have to worry about their cornerbacks as they move on to Baltimore next Sunday.
