The Los Angeles Rams faithful knows who Troy Hill is, but most NFL fans probably had not heard his name until Sunday night. After grabbing a key interception in the Rams’ 17-7 victory over the Chicago Bears though, people are starting to take notice.
Hill has had a tumultuous NFL career, going undrafted in 2015 and through two other organizations before landing with the Rams. Since then he has been a backup for a number of Rams cornerbacks, starting for injured players on occasion.
After Los Angeles traded Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib earlier this season, Hill was given an opportunity to start opposite recently-acquired Jalen Ramsey in the team’s new-look secondary.
When given an opportunity to start for the first time in his career, Hill knew he needed to make the most of it, via Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
“In my head,” Hill, 29, said earlier this month, “I was like, ‘This is an opportunity I’ve got to take advantage of.’ ”
In his five starts, Hill has recorded 24 solo tackles, two quarterback hits, one sack and his big interception against the Bears.
Hill has spent most time in his career as a special teams player. He had some vital experience on the defensive side last year when he started for the injured Talib. It seems that experience has helped Hill excel this year as he believes that has been key in him improving:
“The more you play, the more you learn,” Hill said. “The more you get the feel for the game, you understand, ‘I did that wrong with my technique,’ or, ‘I need to stay tapped in longer.’ ”
With Ramsey typically playing on the opposite side of him, teams have often targeted Hill the last few weeks. He is viewing that in a positive light:
“When you’ve got Jalen on the other side of you, you’re going to get a lot of opportunities to make a lot of plays,” Hill said. “You’ve got to go one game at a time, one play at a time, and keep focusing. Let it come to me.”
Since the acquisition of Ramsey, the Rams defense has settled and and become one of the better units in the league. They have some tough tests coming up though, so Hill will have to continue his high level of play to keep Los Angeles in the playoff mix.
