The Los Angeles Rams' gamble on youth in the secondary last year backfired, prompting them to spend heavily in the secondary, adding three veteran free agents and a top-100 pick to shore up their depth. The Rams aim to improve on a unit that finished in the bottom half of the NFL last season in passing yards and touchdowns allowed.
Pro Football Focus isn't expecting much out of the Rams' secondary even with the additions of Tre'Davious White, Darious Williams, Kamren Curl, and Kamren Kinchens. In their ranking of all 32 NFL secondaries, the Rams came in 26th in the league.
"The Rams heavily relied on youth in 2023, and it came with the expected mixed results. This offseason, they brought back cornerback Darius Williams, who had a career year in 2023 with the Jaguars. They also added safety Kamren Curl and the oft-injured CB Tre’Davious White. Curl has shown to play at a high level (82.9 grade in 2022), and White can be a shutdown cornerback, but the Rams will need both to step up in 2024."
I do understand the concerns around the Rams' secondary. The Rams are banking on Tre'Davious White staying healthy at one cornerback spot, as they didn't add any corners in the draft to improve their depth over the players who struggled in 2023. Their safety room is relying on Kamren Curl, who is at his best close to the line of scrimmage, to anchor a struggling Russ Yeast and a talented but unproven rookie in Kamren Kinchens.
The good news is that Darious Williams should thrive in the Rams' defense once more. With Quentin Lake likely holding down the nickel spot as well, he and Williams should provide at least two solid or better starters. It's the rest of the room that remains unproven and one of the biggest questions on the Rams' roster in 2024.
