Few teams in the NFL boast the talent and star power that the Los Angeles Rams do in the secondary. The group is littered with big names like Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters and Eric Weddle, also boasting an emerging stud in John Johnson.
They’ll need all the cover guys they can get this season with most of the NFL’s best wide receivers spread throughout the Rams’ schedule. In fact, if you were to take the top 10 wideouts in the league right now, the Rams will face at least six of them – and that doesn’t include young up-and-comers who could break out in 2019.
Needless to say, Peters, Talib and the rest of the secondary will have their hands full this year. Here are the best wideouts the Rams will face in the regular season:
- D.J. Moore
- Michael Thomas
- Odell Beckham Jr.
- Mike Evans
- Tyler Lockett
- Julio Jones
- A.J. Green
- JuJu Smith-Schuster
- Allen Robinson
- Larry Fitzgerald
- Amari Cooper
Moore and Robinson would be considered the “easiest” matchups on this list, but even then, they’re difficult assignments for any cornerback. Moore is on the verge of breaking out, while Robinson is a player with a 1,400-yard season on his resume.
The only teams on the Rams’ schedule that would be considered favorable in terms of wide receiver talent are the 49ers and Ravens, but even Baltimore has first-round rookie Marquise Brown on the roster. And let’s not pretend Marquise Goodwin’s speed in San Francisco won’t give corners nightmares.
Of the top 15 wideouts in receiving yards per game last season – excluding Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods – the Rams will face eight of them in 2019, including six of the top 10. Nothing about their schedule will be easy for the Rams’ cornerbacks, whether it’s in the slot with Nickell Robey-Coleman or outside where Peters and Talib will roam.
They’ll be tested from start to finish, which should help the Rams determine how to handle the contract situations of Peters and Talib moving forward; they’ll both be free agents in 2020. Their play could make or break Los Angeles’ season.
