Rams' Cornerback Room is Devoid of Top-Level Talent

While the position group will be one of the big focus of training camp, they have continued to come under siege by the media for a perceived lack of talent as CBS Sports' Josh Edwards named the Rams' cornerback room as the biggest remaining need for the team.

"The efforts to solve the short- and long-term cornerback situation have been mixed," wrote Edwards. "Darious Williams was solid for them, but they will have to replace him in the coming years. There were involved in Jalen Ramsey trade talks before he was dealt to Pittsburgh. The group, as a whole, is bereft of top shelf talent."

Edwards is right about the cornerback room being the biggest need but I'm not so quick to agree the room is bereft of top shelf talent. I know what I saw in OTAs and it looks like Emmanuel Forbes Jr is finally living up to his first round hype.

"Forbes has done a great job thus far. We were really excited about him in the middle of the year—kind of similar to ‘B Jack’ [Brennan Jackson]—where, you know, you’re trying to incorporate him in all the stuff, but it’s really such an accelerated process now," stated Rams DC Chris Shula during OTAs. "It’s nice to see how smart he is, see him communicate, and he does a really nice job."

While the players were in jerseys and shorts, Forbes continuously put himself in position to make plays and when the ball was loose, he put his hands on it. I also believe we're going to see a much more refined Cobie Durant this fall.

The added element is that for the first time in three seasons, Ahkello Witherspoon isn't joining the team as a random call-up from the practice squad.

"It’s everything. He has always kind of been a leader in that room and a great communicator—especially at the cornerback position—and you know it’s been huge," stated Shula regarding Witherspoon participating in the Rams' offseason. "Some of the little details, some of the little things that you might kind of miss when you add him midseason like we did last year. So that was exactly what we’re doing right now. It’s great to have him around, and you know we love having him."

Say what you want about Ahkello Witherspoon but the Rams signed him off his couch to replace Jalen Ramsey and he did a great job, helping the team make the playoffs in 2023.

Then, the Rams did the same thing in 2024, with Witherspoon having to learn Shula's defense on the fly and yet the production didn't drop.

All I'm going to say is that it is way too early to be overtly critical on the defensive backs the Rams are taking into training camp. There's something there.