When the Rams decided to shuffle their secondary after a Week 4 loss to the Bears, one of the beneficiaries of that increased competition was Jaylen McCollough.
The rookie safety saw 14 defensive snaps against the Packers in Week 5, then 18 against the Raiders in Week 7. In that span, he snagged three interceptions: One against Green Bay, followed by two against Las Vegas.
While he saw a slight dip against the Vikings with just nine snaps in Week 8, he played at least 24% of Los Angeles' defensive snaps in all but one game from that point on, becoming a regular part of the secondary. The Rams were rewarded with his team-high tying fourth interception of the season – a critical play in their Week 9 road win over the Seahawks.
Stats
All stats from the regular season and via Next Gen Stats (^ = team-high). Stops are defined as tackles that result in a successful play for the defense.
| Season | Tackles | Games played (starts) | INTs | Stops |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 43 | 15 (1) | 4^ | 16 |
Playmaking
An undrafted free agent signee out of the University of Tennessee, McCollough did not let that inhibit his path to the 53-man roster. Early on, he made an impression for his attentiveness in meetings and overall work ethic, according to Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula.
"Obviously you don't do quite as much work on those (undrafted) guys before they come in, so you don't know them quite as well as some of the other guys," Shula said. "But really within the first week, you noticed how attentive he was in meetings, how serious he was, how serious he took it. He never changed his demeanor from all throughout OTAs, all throughout training camp."
Other than 11 defensive snaps in Week 3 against the 49ers, most of his initial playing time came on special teams. Once the secondary was reconfigured, McCollough consistently saw more defensive snaps as part of that rotation.
Besides the interceptions, what displayed additional testament to his playmaking was the different ways Shula used him. According to Next Gen Stats, McCollough saw snaps both at free safety (79), in the slot (70) and as a dime linebacker (152), which likely helped with the 43 total tackles and four passes defensed he produced in addition to those picks.
Let's not forget he also nearly had a blocked punt against the Eagles in Week 12.
"My role, man, I just do what they tell me to do – line up, try to make the most of my opportunities and make plays," McCollough said on Rams Revealed with J.B. Long last season. "As far as my game, I like to think I'm very versatile. I have the ability to play in the box or play in the deep half or the deep post. An area I'm really trying to improve in is my slot coverage, being in the slot, being stickier in man coverage. So just being versatile, just being physical, just being out there and being a playmaker."
"He's been awesome," head coach Sean McVay said on Nov. 9. "Jaylen has really done a great job. He's just one of those guys that just kind of gets it. He's in the right place at the right time. He's got position flex. He's mentally and physically tough. I've been really pleased with 'Tank'. He's done a great job. Whether it's (safeties coach) Chris Beake or (inside linebackers coach) Greg Williams, these defensive coaches have him ready to go in a variety of spots."
At one point, McCollough had three interceptions across 33 defensive snaps – his playing time across Week 5 against the Packers and Week 7 against the Raiders.
"Just doing what you're supposed to do. Doing everything you can control," McCollough said on that same Rams Revealed episode. "Letting everything else just fall into place. Preparation – mental, physical, emotional – just really being present in everything that I'm doing."
