The Los Angeles Rams defense has had a disappointing start to the 2024 season. They currently rank near the bottom in points allowed (31st), total yards (31st), and rushing yards (32nd) through four games. Not only are opposing offenses running down their throats but also effectively passing the ball, as they have allowed the 12th-most passing yards, the 4th-most passing touchdowns, and the 9th-fewest interceptions.
A reason for their pass-defense troubles is their best cornerback hasn’t played.
The Los Angeles Rams CB1 started the season on IR
The Rams placed Darious Williams on injured reserve after aggravating his hamstring the week of their first regular season game. As a result, he missed their first four games but is eligible to return this week. There was speculation that Williams might not return right away, given the Rams’ conservative approach to handling injuries and how they prefer that the player returns to peak performance rather than returning to play because they need them.
The Los Angeles Rams opened his practice window
According to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic, the Rams have designated Darious Williams for return on Wednesday. As Rodrigue points out, Williams participated in yesterday’s practice as a limited participant and has fulfilled the requirements to return to the active roster, and they can activate him.
Darious Williams and Larrell Murchison returned to practice today. They had both been on injured reserve.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) October 2, 2024
It’s still early in the week to tell if Williams will play since the Rams won’t release their final injury report until Friday. There is a chance they activate him before Sunday, and he makes his season debut this week. If he doesn’t play, the Rams have a much-needed BYE in Week 6. Worst-case scenario, he returns in Week 7.
How will the Los Angeles Rams handle their secondary if he plays this week?
As Cameron DaSilva of the Rams Wire points out, if Darious Williams plays in Week 5, the Rams effectively have three options. They can either bench Pro Bowler Tre’Davious White, bench Cobie Durant or move Durant in the slot and move Quentin Lake to safety. We will review each option.
The first option is to bench Tre’Davious White. White hasn’t been the same player since suffering two season-ending injuries in his last three seasons as a member of the Buffalo Bills. He has allowed 12 receptions on 18 targets for 178 yards, four touchdowns, and a 138.4 passer rating in coverage per Pro Football Reference. Although he hasn’t played his best football, he is a little rusty since he hasn’t played much over the past few seasons, and could get better down the stretch.
The second option is to bench Cobie Durant. Despite being undersized and having the worst coverage grade on the team, Durant hasn’t allowed that many yards or touchdowns compared to White. He has given up ten receptions on 17 targets for 101 yards, zero touchdowns, and a 75.9 passer rating in coverage (h/t Pro Football Reference).
The last option is to move Cobie Durant to the slot and Quentin Lake to safety. As DaSilva points out, this would benefit Durant since he’s on the smaller side and doesn’t have to line up against bigger receivers, and Lake would replace a struggling Kamren Kinchens at safety. However, the issue with moving Lake to safety could negatively impact their run defense since he would be further away from the football.
The Rams have a difficult decision to make. Which route will they choose?