The Los Angeles Rams’ secondary will be looking a lot different in 2023 as they traded their leader in Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins.
Additionally, the team could be losing a pair of safeties in Taylor Rapp and Nick Scott with them both hitting free agency offseason.
Safety is not typically a position the Rams like to devote a lot of resources to, and they have some young ones they like on the roster in Jordan Fuller, Russ Yeast and Quentin Lake.
Because of that, it’s likely that both Rapp and Scott will be playing elsewhere in 2023 as they look to land lucrative contracts in free agency.
It appears both are starting to get some suitors as Rapp is meeting with the New England Patriots on Thursday, per Field Yates of ESPN:
Rams free agent S Taylor Rapp is visiting the Patriots today, per source.
The 26-year old Rapp has started 48 games in his career and posted sux interceptions over the past two seasons.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 16, 2023
Additionally, Scott will meet with the team the Rams beat in the Super Bowl just 13 months ago in the Cincinnati Bengals, via Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic:
Former Rams S Nick Scott is visiting the Bengals, per league source. The Rams have had very preliminary talks with Scott, who started for them full-time last year, but he’s expected to have interest from a few teams as free agency unfolds.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) March 16, 2023
Rapp is a former second-round pick of the Rams in 2019 out of Washington. In four seasons with the team, he has appeared in 57 games (48 starts) while recording 330 tackles, 23 passes defensed and six interceptions.
Scott’s journey has been a little different as he was drafted in the seventh round of the same year out of Penn State but didn’t really get on the field on defense until the end of the 2021 season. Scott was essential during the Rams’ Super Bowl run though and then started 16 games in 2022, finishing with 86 total tackles, five passes defensed and two interceptions.
Even though the Rams like their young, in-house safeties, they may need to take another in the draft if they are not able to re-sign one of Rapp or Scott. The cornerback position will also likely need to be addressed with Ramsey no longer in the fold.
Regardless, by the looks of it, the Rams defense will be taking a step back in 2023 with Bobby Wagner and Leonard Floyd also among the departures this offseason.
