The Los Angeles Rams lost experienced all across the roster, but the secondary was hit the hardest. The Rams traded away Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins, while letting players like Taylor Rapp, Nick Scott and David Long Jr. leave in free agency. Los Angeles also hasn’t re-signed Troy Hill, who remains a free agent.
With so much depth and talent gone from the secondary, it’s opened up opportunities for people like second-year cornerback Cobie Durant. Durant played sparingly in his rookie season due to injuries, but showed what he brings to the table as a ballhawking defensive back who can excel either on the outside or inside.
Members of the organization have already come out and said that 2023 will be a remodeling year for the roster which means they’ll be looking to reestablish a foundation and see which players they’d like to build with long term. As such, every starting position is there for the taking and Durant acknowledged that everyone in the secondary including himself is looking forward to competing for one of those spots, via Cameron DaSilva of USA Today:
“Yeah, it’s a goal for everybody on the backend,” Durant said this week. “I feel like all positions is open and they’re gonna play the best. Going through OTAs and walk into a training camp, wherever the coaches want us to play, we’ll play. Everybody knows every position, so it’s good.”
Along with Durant, players like Robert Rochell, Derion Kendrick, Russ Yeast and Quentin Lake will be looking to capitalize on the open competition for a starting role and more playing time. The Rams also brought in a host of undrafted free agents who could very well snag a spot given how up in the air everything is right now.
While the uncertainty at so many positions looks like a bad thing, ultimately it should help Los Angeles in the long run. Durant has the inside track for a bigger role given his draft pedigree and experience, but it will be interesting to see who else makes a name for themselves in the coming months.
Rob Havenstein believes Rams are building foundations ahead of 2023
Sorting out the secondary is one area the Rams are looking to nail down during the offseason, but the entire roster currently feels under construction. However, during OTAs Rob Havenstein has seen players working hard and believes that the team is building foundations ahead of the 2023 season.
