The Latest on Rams Cornerback Darious Williams

The Latest

On Monday, Sean McVay stated it was a tactical decision not to play Williams and that Williams has been a true professional about everything.

“Darious has done a great job. We felt like the approach was going to be with those three corners. I've always told you guys, I look at it as we've got four guys that have been excellent. We felt like the three-man rotation was going to be what was best for our group as it related to approaching that game. Darious handled it like a total stud. He was ready to go if need be. I was really proud of him and how he's practiced, how he's responded, but that was the thought process there.”

McVay would go on to say that they'll take things a week at a time, and he hasn't made a decision on whether Williams will play this week.

Earlier in the Week

Last Monday, six days before the Rams' season-opener, I asked McVay for his thoughts on Williams.

“He’s a stud. I’ve mentioned it before, we’ve got four guys that we feel really good about at the outside corner spot. Darious [Williams] is a guy that's played a lot of football. He's got a great concept trigger, really good short space quickness and lateral agility. If he gets his hands on the football, he's catching it. I love everything Darious is about as a human being, most importantly. It’s been great reconnecting with him."

"He obviously had the hamstring injury last year that forced him to miss a lot of time early on and have to start from behind when he ended up getting his hamstring. It was a real hamstring pull early on. I think it was the first day of training camp. He’s healthier. I think [Assistant Head Coach/Pass Game Coordinator] Aubrey [Pleasant], [Safeties] Coach [Chris] Beake, [Defensive Assistant] Mike Harris, [Defensive Coordinator] Coach [Chris] Shula, they do such a great job with that backend as a whole. I love what Darious is for our football team.”

The Analysis

It says a lot for McVay to not play Williams. Ahkello Witherspoon missed practice during the week due to a knee issue, and for Emmanuel Forbes to play as much as he did, despite limited playing time last season.

Williams is a $9.1 million cap hit this season and an $8.6 million hit next season.

Barring new information, Williams' future with the franchise appears to be in jeopardy.