The Los Angeles Rams have been evaluating their roster for the better part of three months, going all the way back to OTAs and minicamp in the spring. Training camp is when the competition really started to heat up, leading to some tight position battles on both sides of the ball.
One position that still needs some sorting out is cornerback.
What we know is that Tre’Davious White and Darious Williams are projected to be the starters atop the depth chart. Cobie Durant is also sure to make the team as the third corner. Quentin Lake and Russ Yeast can both cover the slot, so that helps with the depth at cornerback, too.
But with Derion Kendrick injured and Jerry Jacobs being waived recently, there are spots up for grabs in the secondary. That makes Saturday’s preseason finale against the Texans so important for Tre Tomlinson, Shaun Jolly, Josh Wallace and Charles Woods.
Those four players could be fighting for one or two spots and they all should get extended playing time against Houston. We don’t know exactly how the coaching staff views that group but they would all seem to be pretty close in this position battle.
“You’re seeing some young guys – you look at Tre Tomlinson, you look at Shaun Jolly, guys that have been here,” McVay said this week. “Josh Wallace and Charles Woods are guys that have really shown well. So, we’ve gotten a lot of reps and then we have safeties that can play some of the nickel corner stuff when you look at Quentin Lake and Russ Yeast. We’re trying to find the best guys for our secondary and it’s starting to come into clarity, but we’ll continue to use these next few days.”
Wallace is a particularly intriguing player. He can play outside, which is where the Rams have a greater need behind White and Williams, and he was a standout corner in college at Michigan. He’s earned an impressive 71.7 coverage grade from PFF this preseason, allowing only one reception on two targets for a total of 12 yards.
Tomlinson has potential as a 2023 sixth-round pick but he’s also struggled with discipline in coverage and draws too many penalties. Jolly is mostly a slot corner, as is Woods. That doesn’t mean the Rams won’t keep one of them, but Wallace may just fill a bigger need.
If Wallace turns in another good performance against the Texans, it could be what he needs to secure a roster spot to open the regular season.