The Los Angeles Rams announced that they have placed starting cornerback Darious Williams on injured reserve ahead of their Week 1 matchup against the Detroit Lions.
Williams has been dealing with a hamstring injury for all of training camp although there was recent optimism that he wouldn’t miss any time in the regular season.
It appears the Rams will be cautious with the veteran cornerback though, placing him on IR which means he will miss at least the first four games to begin the season. He will be eligible to return as soon as Week 5 against the Green Bay Packers. The Rams took a similar approach with Cooper Kupp last season when he was dealing with his own hamstring injury.
Williams is a familiar face that found his way back to the Rams in free agency this offseason to add some veteran experience to their secondary. He was a breakout player for the Rams from 2018-21 after going undrafted out of Alabama-Birmingham. He was a big piece of their Super Bowl team in 2021, starting at cornerback opposite of Jalen Ramsey.
He was able to parlay that into a nice three-year, $30 million payday with the Jaguars, where Williams continued to improve as a player.
The 2023 season was Williams’ best as he started all 17 games and had 19 passes defensed, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and 53 total tackles. He was one of the best corners in the league, although he still wound up being a cap casualty for Jacksonville, allowing him to hit free agency again and return to the Rams at the age of 31.
In Williams’ absence, the expectation is for Cobie Durant to start at cornerback opposite of Tre’Davious White. Josh Wallace could also see some playing time considering the Rams lack depth at the position with Derion Kendrick and Tre Tomlinson also going down for the whole season.
Given those injuries, it will be interesting to see if the Rams look to bring in a free agent corner. Another familiar face in Ahkello Witherspoon is still available on the free agent market.
Quentin Lake enjoying “star” role on Rams defense
With so many corners out, there will be pressure on the rest of the Rams secondary to step up to begin the year. One of those players is safety Quentin Lake, who is playing the “star” role and said he has enjoyed it to this point.
Lake was voted a defensive captain so should be their most vocal leader with Williams out.
