It has been quite the journey for Los Angeles Rams cornerback Dont’e Deayon. The 27-year-old spent his first three seasons with the New York Giants before signing to the Rams practice squad in 2018. He then appeared in three games in 2019 before spending the entire 2020 campaign on the practice squad.
Deayon now finds himself on the 53-man roster once again after L.A. was forced to place running back Jake Funk and tight end Johnny Mundt on injured reserve. The injury to cornerback Darious Williams opened the door for ample playing time over the last two weeks.
Deayon’s efforts have provided some major stability in the passing game with Williams sidelined. He weighed in on his performance so far and is looking forward to capitalizing on the latest opportunity, via J.B. Long of the team’s official website:
“Pretty decent so far,” Deayon told us on the latest Rams Revealed podcast. “You know, just getting out there, being able to fly around and really showcase my talents in a game setting now, versus it being preseason or practice. Like you said, I feel like this is my biggest opportunity, and I’m really excited for it and just ready to make the most of it.”
Deayon admits that after spending his career being moved around on and off the practice squad, he is hoping that this latest promotion will be a more permanent one:
“I want nothing else,” he said with an infectious laugh that’s always at the ready. “Going through that process… of being waived those times after preseason… now we’re in the regular season, like, it’s go time. Either you’re contributing to a team winning a Super Bowl or you’re not. And that’s my goal is to do whatever I can to help this team – contribute to make it to the playoffs and win a Super Bowl.”
Deayon became a star when the Rams were one of two teams featured on “Hard Knocks” thanks to his magnetic personality. Even though he spent the ensuing season on the practice squad, he was still among the players that were signed to reserve/future contracts during the offseason.
L.A. has clearly benefitted from having a surplus of talent in the secondary given the notable departures in free agency. With Williams out for at least one more game, Deayon will have at least one more chance to show what he can do on the road against the Houston Texans in Week 8.
