Before and after: Rams could have as many as 8 new starters on defense

Between Tre’Davious White in free agency and Jared Verse in the draft, the L.A. Rams are coming back new

After having already replaced the departed Raheem Morris at defensive coordinator with Chris Shula, the Los Angeles Rams went into March free agency with a defensive depth chart that looked something like this, courtesy of OurLads:

If free agency the draft work as planned by Sean McVay and Les Snead, then the Rams will come out of training camp having replaced at least six of those “starters” and perhaps as many as eight. The present depth chart, which hasn’t been good news for some players who had been hanging by a thread, looks more like this:

For a 2023 defensive that was neither horrible nor great, will these changes be enough to overcome the retirement of Aaron Donald and perhaps even make L.A. harder to move the ball against in 2024?

New Defensive Starters

CB – Darious Williams replaces Ahkello Witherspoon

Forgive me and by all means correct me if you think my “replaces” position isn’t accurate enough, I’m just putting two corners here and two corners later, not doing an exact science. Witherspoon led all Rams defensive players in snaps last season with 1,060, but the team has made no known effort to retain him. In fact, he is still a free agent despite PFF doing what they do and trying to convince you during the season that there’s a number for every player that show they’re the best in the league (so that you will retweet them).

The NFL clearly doesn’t think Ahkello is a starting cornerback or he would be signed right now. To be fair, the league didn’t think Ahkello was starter material last year either and he was fine, but the Rams wanted an upgrade and brought back Williams on a three-year contract. That’s a hefty price to pay unless the Rams truly feel Williams is a significant upgrade to Witherspoon.

Williams played 1,035 snaps with the Jaguars last season and is poised to get the most snaps in L.A.’s secondary in 2024.

CB – Tre’Davious White replaces Derion Kendrick/Cobie Durant

Whenever you’re desperately screaming at ESPN during the draft to get the Rams to fill a need in the fourth or fifth or sixth round, just remember that Durant and Kendrick are not only typical results of those picks…they’re actually pretty good picks for the fourth and sixth rounds, respectively.

Durant’s given the Rams three interceptions and 29 games of service. Kendrick has been a boom or bust corner with 32 games, 18 starts, and he’s been eating snaps while L.A. looks for upgrades. As depth, fourth and sixth round picks are working out fine. As starters, not so much.

What the Rams need to worry about is how many starts Kendrick and Durant will still make in 2024 because of White’s injuries.

White has missed 24 games in the past two seasons and his missed six games the year before that. Even if he’s healthy, is he going to be any good anymore? The Rams felt it worth a gamble on a one-year contract and I can understand taking the shot when the competition to start is fourth, sixth round picks and undrafted free agents.

OLB – Jared Verse replaces Michael Hoecht

When I say “replaces”, it’s not to put a lot of pressure on a rookie to come in and start right away, then play 1,000 snaps. Hoecht could start Week 1, if not the entire season. But in Verse, the Rams now have an edge rusher who they are at least driving towards a future with rather than constantly looking for a player to replace Hoecht long-term which is where the team was before the draft.

Hoecht, thank you for your service, but the ideal move here is Jared Verse starting opposite of Byron Young for at least the next three seasons.

SS – Kamren Curl replaces Russ Yeast*

FS – Kamren Kinchens replaces Jordan Fuller?

Russ Yeast is still on the roster and could start at one of the two safety positions. Jordan Fuller and John Johnson are departed. I don’t want to go as far as to say that the Rams will start both Kamren safeties in 2024, but it can’t be ruled out.

(It’s hard to imagine two safeties named “Kam” not both being hard-hitting players in the box.)

As a third round pick, you don’t typically default to holding back a safety as a rookie and Kinchens could have the chops to play deep. It was surprising last year when the Rams had rookies Steve Avila, Kobie Turner, Byron Young, and Puka Nacua all ready to start immediately and hold their own, if not excel. That’s not to be expected to repeat, but Verse, Kinchens, and another name coming up should all be involved in competitions to start out of camp.

Of all the safety snaps to be dispersed in 2023, the ideal outcome here is that the two Kams are ready for the workload together. At least Curl should be an immediately replacement starter.

DE – Braden Fiske takes snaps left by Aaron Donald

I don’t want to incite a riot by saying “replaced” even though, ya know, that’s technically what needs to happen. We could also instead say that Fiske is replacing Jonah Williams and that would be much easier.

The defensive line of Kobie Turner, Bobby Brown III, and Fiske should be a frontline effort for Shula immediately, with sixth round pick Tyler Davis, Larrell Murchison, Desjuan Johnson, and Cory Durden next up. This appears to be a position where more reinforcements could be on the way before the season begins.

Up for re-election: LB Christian Rozeboom

Up for re-election: NB Quentin Lake

Rozeboom had 550 snaps in 2023 and Lake had 453. Either would be competing for jobs in training camp, it’s just a matter of knowing “Who?” There aren’t any obvious linebacker upgrades on the roster yet, while Lake might actually be L.A.’s best option in the slot.

There weren’t any significant additions at either position.

Additional draft picks

EDGE Brennan Jackson, fifth round

DT Tyler Davis, sixth round

Second-year players

EDGE Nick Hampton, fifth round

EDGE Ochaun Mathis, sixth round

S Jason Taylor II, seventh round

CB Tre Tomlinson, sixth round

DT Desjuan Johnson, seventh round

A new starter could be a new player, or it could be a player who was added last season. Maybe Brennan Jackson will actually be the Rams best pick, like Nacua was in 2023, we just don’t know yet. Meanwhile, why give up on last year’s draft picks already? The Rams added a ton of day three picks on defense and though their odds of breaking out are low, so were the odds of John Franklin-Myers after one year.

This could be a year for Hampton or Mathis to win a job opposite of Young, not Verse or Hoecht. Taylor could have a breakout offseason at safety and beat Kinchens.