ESPN: Rams need to replenish their secondary

Rams need to replenish depth in their secondary

By Alden Gonzalez

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/33034/rams-need-to-replenish-depth-in-their-secondary

Key returnees: CB E.J. Gaines, CB Lamarcus Joyner, S Maurice Alexander, S Cody Davis, CB Troy Hill, CB Mike Jordan, CB Blake Countess

Notable free agents: CB Trumaine Johnson, S T.J. McDonald

Key stat: The Rams had a 1.7 percent interception rate in 2016, the seventh-lowest mark in the NFL and their worst since 2009. Johnson had 13 interceptions from 2013 to ’15, tied for fourth in the NFL, and a career-high seven in 2015. But he intercepted only one pass in 2016.

E.J. Gaines was graded 107th out of 112 qualified cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus in 2016. Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports
The depth in the Rams’ secondary has eroded rather quickly. Last offseason, they lost primary cornerback Janoris Jenkins and free safety Rodney McLeod and replaced both internally. This offseason, their new primary cornerback, Johnson, and their stalwart strong safety, McDonald, are headed for unrestricted free agency. There’s a chance — though perhaps a slim one — that either one will be franchised. But the likely scenario is that the Rams try to bring them back at fair market value, or if they can’t then simply move on.

Joyner, only 5-foot-8 but pound-for-pound one of the game’s toughest players, emerged as a solid slot corner in 2016. But Gaines, a promising rookie in 2014 who then missed all of 2015 with a serious foot injury, was graded 107th out of 112 qualified cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus. And the Rams didn’t have much beyond that. Hill, Jordan and Countess, either undrafted or pushed aside by other teams, were next in line at cornerback. And Davis, primarily a special-teams contributor, was pressed into action when Alexander missed time at free safety.

Just as with the offensive line and the receiving corps, the Rams need to address their secondary this spring. They need to do it through free agency, a realm they haven’t been very active in since Les Snead became general manager in 2012. And they need to do it through the draft, where they haven’t taken a defensive back since 2014.