Webster must show he can handle starting role

Super Bowl-pedigreed Kayvon Webster must show he can handle starting role with the Rams

Gary Klein

http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-kayvon-webster-20170609-story.html

Most of Kayvon Webster’s NFL snaps came on special teams, not in the secondary.

The cornerback sat behind multiple Pro Bowl players while contributing to Denver Broncos teams that played in two Super Bowls.

Now, for the first time, Webster is on track to start on defense.

The Rams, with a hearty endorsement from new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, signed the fifth-year pro to play on the outside opposite franchise-tagged cornerback Trumaine Johnson.

Webster said his Super Bowl pedigree, and what he learned while earning it, helped prepare him for the opportunity with the Rams.

“I know what it took to get there,” he said of playing for an NFL championship, “and what it’s going to take to get there.”

The Rams, of course, have a long way to go to reach the playoffs, never mind the Super Bowl.

They finished 4-12 last season. They have not played in the postseason since 2004.

As an unrestricted free agent after last season, Webster received interest from the Broncos, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Miami Dolphins. But the Phillips connection was strong.

“He knows what kind of player I am and what kind of player I aspire to be,” Webster said. “So it goes hand in hand.”

In March, after signing a two-year, $7.75-million contract, Webster cited former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and former defensive back Champ Bailey — both destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame — and Pro Bowl cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. among the players whose influence “kind of rubbed off on me.”

The Rams pursued Webster with the belief that his experience and work ethic would similarly influence veteran and rookie teammates.

Webster, 26, was part of a Rams free agent class that included offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth and receiver Robert Woods.

The Rams targeted them mainly because of their performance but also for the example they might set for a team that has not had a winning season since 2003.

McVay, 31, has preached a “We Not Me” philosophy.

Webster embodies those traits, cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant said.

“It’s different when you talk about it,” Pleasant said, “and you have living, breathing examples.”

In the months leading up to the start of free agency, Pleasant evaluated potential cornerback additions.

With Johnson’s status uncertain, the Rams were searching for players to possibly replace or complement a cornerback who earned nearly $14 million while playing under the franchise tag in 2016.

The Rams tagged Johnson again — at a cost of nearly $17 million guaranteed — and signed the 5-foot-11, 192-pound Webster.

As a rookie in 2013, the former South Florida standout had played extensively as a reserve. But with Talib’s arrival in Denver as a free agent in 2014 and the ascent of Harris and Bradley Roby, Webster’s defensive snaps decreased.

They fell from 479 in 2013, to 130 in 2014, and to 69 and 59 the next two seasons, respectively, according to profootballreference.com.

Pleasant, though, saw enough in the limited snaps.

“He’s not the biggest corner in the world, but he played very large and played good against bigger opponents,” Pleasant said. “And then, when there are guys in the NFL who are considered speedy receivers he had to go against, he didn’t blink.”

Webster, a special teams standout, also demonstrated another quality.

“Any time you can be patient and wait for your opportunity and be ready when your opportunity becomes available, that says something about you as a person,” Pleasant said. “And those are the types of people I want in this locker room.”

During an April minicamp, Webster and Johnson were “excellent off the edges,” McVay said. Johnson was absent from three of 10 organized team activity workouts, but he and Webster worked as starters in the others.

The two also developed a relationship off the field, with Webster inviting Johnson to workouts with his personal trainer.

“He’s a real-deal competitor,” Johnson said of Webster.

With Lamarcus Joyner moving to safety, Johnson and Webster are part of a cornerbacks group that includes E.J. Gaines, Nickell Robey-Coleman, Troy Hill and Michael Jordan.

The Rams will end offseason workouts with a three-day mandatory minicamp that begins Tuesday.

Webster is confident that he can handle the starting opportunity.

“The team counts on you,” he said, “and you have to put that on your back.”