Jan 19, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Rams safety Quentin Lake (37) before action against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

What the Latest Quentin Lake Update Means For Rams

Originally posted on Los Angeles Rams on SI
By Brock Vierra | Last updated Nov 19, 2025 3:46 PM ET

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. Los Angeles Rams defender Quentin Lake suffered an elbow injury on Sunday and we've learned that Lake's injury is confirmed to keep him out of action for an extended period of time.

Lake's Injury Update

"Rams S Quentin Lake had successful surgery yesterday to repair an elbow injury, per me and
@MikeGarafolo
, though there is a good chance for Lake to return later this season in the playoffs," reported NFL Insider Ian Rapoport.

"A key part of a top defense, Lake’s return would be important."

It's unknown at this time if the Rams are placing Lake on injured reserve.

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.

Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

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."

"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.”

Options Available

As mentioned, McCreary, McCollough, and Wallace are instant substitutions. Another option is to move Cobie Durant into the slot, while keeping Darious Williams and Emmanuel Forbes on the outside, using McCreary as the rotation man for outside corner.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Long-term, Ahkello Witherspoon is expected to return at some point this season, which could help Durant establish a long-term responsibility on the inside. The Rams could also drop Kam Curl or Kamren Kinchens into the box, but I doubt that they're looking at them as a permanent solution due to their current roles.

The Rams also signed Tre Brown earlier this season, and while they did release him, he could come back.

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

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