Everyone knows the Rams have a shutdown cornerback in Jalen Ramsey, but Darious Williams isn’t a name that typically gets mentioned among the league’s best corners. He’s been a starter for just one season, but in that one year, Williams emerged as a lockdown defender capable of making quarterbacks pay whenever a pass is thrown his way.
Mark Schofield of Touchdown Wire knows all about Williams and ranked him among the NFL’s best outside cornerbacks. He put Williams 10th, nine spots behind the top-ranked Ramsey.
We turn now to the start of our second tandem of cornerbacks, with Darious Williams of the Los Angeles Rams. In his third season in the league Williams took a huge step forward in 2020, playing over 900 snaps and locking down one of the cornerback spots for Brandon Staley’s defense. He was impressive in coverage, allowing a completion of just 48.7% when targeted, and an opposing passer rating of a mere 55.4 when quarterbacks threw in his direction. His 11 pass breakups were a career-high mark.
Williams primarily played outside with Troy Hill and Ramsey rotating in the slot, and he found himself matched up with No. 2 receivers often. He stepped up in a big way as the starter opposite Ramsey and will look to continue that stellar play in 2021 as the No. 2 cornerback once again.
This season will be a big one for him as he’s set to play on the restricted free-agent tender. After this season, his contract will expire and he’ll become an unrestricted free agent, at which point he could cash in with a multi-year deal for the first time.
