Throwing the ball against the Los Angeles Rams should be challenging in 2019, and not just because of Aaron Donald’s unrelenting pressure on quarterbacks. Their secondary is loaded with talent and has the potential to be one of the best in football.
With names such as Aqib Talib and Eric Weddle in the defensive backfield, interceptions and pass breakups should come in bunches. Sure, there are concerns about Weddle being past his prime, Marcus Peters’ struggles last season and Talib’s injury history, but there’s plenty of potential in L.A.’s secondary.
Pro Football Focus ranked every secondary in the NFL and put the Rams in the top 10 at No. 7.
There are two words that should give Rams fans everywhere reason to be optimistic: contract year. Marcus Peters was lit up for the majority of last season, giving up over 100 yards on four separate occasions. He’ll have to get back to his Kansas City form to earn a big-money second contract.
Peters was inconsistent last season, struggling mightily without Talib on the other side. Yet, when Talib was healthy, Peters looked like a completely different defender. If he can play the way he did at the end of 2018 and into the playoffs, the Rams will be in great shape.
However, if he gives up big play after big play like he did in the middle of the season, quarterbacks will begin to target him.
John Johnson and Nickell Robey-Coleman are the other two cogs in the secondary, yet they seem to come with the fewest worries. Johnson is an elite safety, while Robey-Coleman has developed into an outstanding nickel corner.
If everyone stays healthy and plays up to expectations, the Rams secondary will be much-improved from last season.
