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Nov 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs the ball against Los Angeles Rams safety Quentin Lake (37) during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

How the Rams Plan to Replace Quentin Lake

Originally posted on Los Angeles Rams on SI
By Brock Vierra | Last updated Nov 19, 2025 9:00 AM ET

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. While Sean McVay is expected to provide a full update on Wednesday, it appears star defender Quentin Lake will miss some time for the Los Angeles Rams, after suffering an elbow injury on Sunday.

“He got his elbow," stated McVay. "It looked like his elbow was caught in a weird spot. He’ll get an MRI and see what that says. I think because of how tough he is, the feelings are that it might be some time and not great for our captain and leader. I’m bummed out for him.”

Replacing Lake

When Lake went out with injury, Josh Wallace was pulled into action. While it's likely Wallace and McCollough will continue to help replace Lake, Roger McCreary has been playing slot corner for most of his NFL career and considering he's been with the organization for multiple weeks, he should be mentally ready to contribute.

McCreary did not play any defensive snaps against Seattle. Wallace played 27 and McCollough played 30. McVay spoke about replacing Lake.

“We'll discuss that," stated McVay. "I was just with the defense talking about if that's the case, what are those possibilities? But I did think [Cornerback] Josh Wallace deserves a ton of credit for stepping up and doing an excellent job. [Safety Kamren] Kinchens ended up playing more snaps than he typically would've and did a phenomenal job. Even [Cornerback] Cobie Durant slid inside at the end and did a great job at the nickel position. There are lot of different things."

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"We talked about how we've added [Cornerback Roger] McCreary and we'll see what that looks like. I was really proud of Josh Wallace, ‘Kam’ Kinchens and Cobie for wearing multiple hats, being able to play outside and inside. Those guys did an outstanding job. It's a tremendous credit to [Assistant Head Coach/ Pass Game Coordinator] Aubrey [Pleasant] and [Safeties] Coach [Chris] Beake for what they were able to do.”

Crisis of Leadership

Not only was Lake a top player, he's also a captain. McVay spoke on how the Rams look to replace his abilities as a leader, especially since he handles most communication with Nate Landman, with both of them relaying signals up and down every level of the defense.

“No, you don't replace it," stated McVay. "Here’s the thing, you have to be able to figure out how to put guys in successful situations. You don't replace a Quentin Lake. He's so valuable for so many reasons with what he can do, with who he is as a human, with the way that he elevates and leads. He's a glue guy for us."

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

"If he is out, that's obviously a big loss and we love him but we'll have to figure out what is the next best thing for us to be able to do. I think it would be insincere to think that you're going to ask somebody to do the things that he's capable of. It's what makes him so special. I do have a lot of confidence in the other guys and what we'll be able to figure out to try to ultimately have our defense continue to play at a high level if he is going to miss some time.”

With that being said, McVay did speak on some of the influential members of the Rams' secondary.

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

“I think [Safety] Kam Curl is a great leader as well," stated McVay. "He does a great job with the vocal communication. I thought a couple guys did an excellent job stepping up. Kam Kinchens played more snaps. Josh Wallace did an excellent job coming in and playing almost 30 snaps. Cobie Durant can play outside and inside. We'll figure out what it looks like if we do have to replace him, but we have a bunch of guys that do a great job communicating, staying connected. If he’s going to miss some time, we love ‘Q’ [Safety Quentin Lake] but that's a big void for sure.”

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Rams on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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