Countdown to Camp is a series breaking down the Rams roster by position group heading into the team's first open training camp practice. The fifth installment examines the defensive backs.
Next to offensive line, the position that got the most attention from the Rams during free agency was defensive back.
There was bringing back former Rams and Jaguars cornerback Darious Williams by signing him to a 3-year deal. Shortly thereafter, the Rams signed former Commanders safety Kam Curl to a 2-year deal. Former Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White was signed to a 1-year deal.
John Johnson III re-signed on July 8, but obviously is not a new addition.
Los Angeles' young secondary last season benefitted from having a veteran presence, but former defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon was primarily brought in to add length the cornerback room didn't have. This time around, the emphasis was on veteran experience, at least with the first two signings. White (82 career games played, all starts) and Williams' (80 career games played, 55 starts) combined experience exceeds the rest of the cornerbacks on the roster collectively, providing stability for the secondary.
The most intriguing piece to the starting secondary is Kamren Curl because of his versatility. Per Pro Football Focus, out of 1,088 total snaps in 2023, Curl played 428 of them in the box, 422 at free safety and 166 at slot corner, so he'll be a player to watch closely in training camp based on the ways defensive coordinator Chris Shula and assistant head coach/defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant choose to deploy him.
Along those lines, safety will be worth watching as well. Jordan Fuller is gone, but Johnson, Russ Yeast and Quentin Lake all saw playing time there last season. Johnson started the final 7 regular season games and the wild card playoff game after Yeast started the first 9.
