The Rams Underrated Depth at Cornerback Gives Them a Major Problem to Solve
As the Rams assemble a Super Bowl-contending roster for the 2025 season, many have identified either the Rams’ secondary or their linebacking crew as the primary points of concern for why the Rams may fall short. If this Rams defense is going to take a step in 2025, it will likely be due to their lethal defensive front led by the 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year, Jared Verse, as well as a slew of young pass rushers like Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske. The discussion surrounding the rest of the defense seems to be simply hoping they don’t fall apart. This sentiment does a disservice to a Rams cornerback group that, while not spectacular, saw major improvement after a pretty bad first five weeks of the 2024 regular season. The Rams have elected to bring back the four corners that contributed the most to their 2024 playoff run, with Ahkello Witherspoon, Darious Williams, Cobie Durant, and Emmanuel Forbes being nearly assured locks to make their 53-man roster.
It is easy to see there are no outstanding star players in this cornerback group, and start to worry. However, all four are solid players who can contribute even without a true cornerstone of the defense in the secondary. Witherspoon and Williams are both veteran corners who have played with the Rams and understand the system, with Williams being a starter for the Rams’ LVI Super Bowl team. Durant is a 2022 Rams draft pick who has grown throughout his tenure with the Rams and blossomed into a key starter for them in 2024. Forbes is a former first-round talent who was acquired midseason last year and showed flashes in his short time with the Rams. He still has room to grow and has reportedly had a great offseason. This means the sky is the limit for what he can be for the Rams this season.
There’s a lot to like, even if there’s not that much to love, about this Rams cornerback room that has all eyes on how to exploit this perceived weakness in the Rams defense. Evidently, the Rams front office was satisfied with this group, as they chose not to pursue their former star cornerback, Jalen Ramsey, despite it being seen as a likely outcome earlier this offseason. This Rams front office has a history of not being afraid to make the moves they feel are necessary to make, with one of the best examples being the original trade to bring Ramsey to the Rams. Instead, they chose to trust these cornerbacks, showing that they may see something in them that the public eye has not noticed.
Outside of the four locks to make the 53-man roster, there is likely only the fifth and final roster spot available for the rest of the Rams’ cornerbacks. In what might be the toughest roster battle on this Rams team, there are six players all fighting for the same roster spot. These players are Derion Kendrick, A.J. Green, Josh Wallace, Shaun Jolly, Cam Lampkin, and Charles Woods. All these players have made their case for the roster spot through training camp and the preseason, but none have really elevated themselves above the pack. This may be a surprise to those who have been following Derion Kendrick’s career and seen his flashes of potential since being drafted by the Rams in 2022. However, since Kendrick’s knee ligament tear kept him out of the whole 2024 season, the argument for keeping him on the roster has unfortunately become more and more difficult. Earlier this offseason, the Rams cut him to resign him to a cheaper deal, and may end up cutting him again on cut day.
It is worth noting that Wallace is listed as a corner but has played safety, which potentially means he could get kept as a safety instead of this roster spot. Going into preseason week three against the Browns, the Rams hoped one player might stand out and play their way onto the roster, but that didn’t really happen. Sean McVay tends to rest all locks for the roster by the third preseason game, and Green rested. This potentially signals that Green will be the fifth cornerback; however, McVay also mentioned that Green was resting due to a sore knee. Woods also has an injury concern as he left the preseason game early with a concussion. The Rams’ decision for who to keep may come down to who they believe they can slide to the practice squad, as a guy like Kendrick may be more difficult to sneak onto the practice squad. This position battle will be one of the main things to look out for when the Rams ultimately decide who to keep when they make roster cuts in a few days.
