For the second time in seven months, the Los Angeles Rams acquired a star player in a shocking trade that came out of nowhere. First it was Sammy Watkins, then it was Marcus Peters. Watkins’ future in Los Angeles is unclear, but there’s no doubt about the Rams’ plans for Peters.
He’s a stud cornerback who’s allowed the lowest passer rating among all defenders since he came into the league in 2015. Unless something drastic changes, he’s going to be in L.A. for a long time.
Although the team can’t officially discuss the terms of the deal or the trade itself until March 14 when the new league year begins, Sean McVay spoke out on Peters in general on Saturday night at the 101 Awards in none other than Kansas City.
“Right now, just because of where we’re at in the league year, you can’t make it official, so you have to be careful with some of the tampering,” McVay said, via the Kansas City Star. “But in a quick nugget, he’s a great player.”
That “nugget” is undeniable. No player has more interceptions or passes defensed since 2015 than Peters, who has 19 and 55, respectively. Put simply, he’s the definition of a ball hawk. Peters will presumably replace Trumaine Johnson, who will be a free agent next month, making it easier for the Rams to move on from their top cornerback.
As good as Peters is, however, there are definitely some concerns. He was kicked off the football team at Washington and had several questionable actions in Kansas City, leading to a one-game suspension this past season.
“Baggage” is how many people phrase the questions that come with Peters’ game, but McVay is confident Los Angeles has the structure in place to handle his personality.
“These are grown men, and it starts with the mutual respect that exists, where they know it’s about developing and building relationships,” McVay said. “If we’re going to ask our players to be coachable, we’ve got to be coachable as coaches as well. That displays an ownership and an accountability that we try to all have and makes the players more receptive to the messages we try to implement.”
McVay hasn’t had to manage a player like Peters yet as a head coach, mainly because of the strong culture he and the Rams have already established in one year. The close-knit locker room, which is filled with both young players and experienced veterans, will help keep Peters on track.
“They know exactly what the expectations are, what our standards are, and they know what it is to do it the right way. … “Special players like this have a real good influence, especially when they’re producing,” McVay said, referring to Aaron Donald.
As it stands right now, the Rams don’t have a single starting cornerback healthy and under contract heading into 2018. That’ll change on March 14 when the Peters trade becomes official, but Nickell Robey-Coleman and Johnson are free agents, while Kayvon Webster is recovering from an Achilles injury.
Even as concerning as that is, Peters gives the Rams an added level of comfort, knowing they don’t have to feel pressured to re-sign Johnson.