CB Marcus Peters: 10/10
CB Aqib Talib: 10/10
CB Nickell Robey-Coleman: 9.5/10
CB Sam Shields: 7.5/10
CB Troy Hill: 8/10
CB Kevin Peterson: 4.5/10
CB Dominique Hatfield: 2/10
CB Taurean Nixon: 0.1/10
CB Curtis Mikell: 2.5/10
S Lamarcus Joyner: 10/10
S John Johnson III: 9.8743526/10
S Blake Countess: 7.5/10
S Marqui Christian: 5/10
S Isaiah Johnson: 3/10
S Ramon Richards: 1.5/10
S Afolabi Laguda: 6/10:
S Steven Parker: 4.5/10
Every team ever assembled must have a strongest unit, and for the 2018 Los Angeles Rams that could very well be the secondary.
When you trade for two Pro Bowl cornerbacks in Talib and Peters that have a combined seven pro bowls, re-sign one of the most effective nickel cornerbacks in the league in Robey-Coleman, franchise tag a safety that put forth arguably the best season at his position in the league last year in Joyner, and have a rapidly improving second-year stud safety in Johnson, you know you’ve got a strong unit to work with.
Not only are the starters incredibly good, but the depth available at the positions makes the units something to truly salivate over.
And when the unit is lead by Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips, that’s reason to go change your underwear.
Roster Battle
Obviously, there’s going to be a large battle at both cornerback and safety. At corner, I believe Peters, Talib, Robey-Coleman, Shields and Hill are locks to make the roster. The remainder will fight for either a sixth spot on the cornerback depth chart, or a spot (or two) on the practice squad.
The safety position probably holds four guaranteed spots in Joyner, Johnson, Countess and Christian. I wouldn’t be shocked if Johnson worked his way onto the roster, but he could also land on the practice squad again after spending majority of 2017 there. Richards has stood out in special teams practices as well.
Expectations
In general, I’m expecting a massive season from the secondary. Not only are they arguably the best unit on the team, they could be the best secondary in the entire league. When you combine the strength of the starters, the true depth of the unit, and the coaching of a legend in Phillips, it’s the perfect storm to create an unstoppable unit.