Will this corner breakout in contract year?

Can Cobie Durant put it all together for Rams in year four?

One of the biggest question marks on the Los Angeles Rams’ roster heading into the 2025 season is the cornerback position. Out of Darious Williams, Cobie Durant, Ahkello Witherspoon, Derion Kendrick, and Emmanuel Forbes, who will emerge as LA’s starters? While on the surface the Rams are seemingly attempting to solve the position with a volume approach, it’s also fair to wonder whether this group is good enough for the team to meet their lofty expectations. A trade for Jalen Ramsey may be on the horizon; however, that still may not be enough to cement LA’s status as contenders in the NFC conference.

In my view the player to keep an eye on is Durant, who enters his fourth season with the team and the final year of his rookie contract. Durant is the individual with the most potential staying power out of the position group. A successful 2025 season could bring him a sizeable payday and long-term job security. His production over his first three seasons was inconsistent at best, but at his heights you see someone deserves to start at outside corner.

Season grades from Pro Football Focus (PFF):

2022: 281 snaps; 73.3 DEF, 43.4 tackle, 74.3 coverage

2023: 683 snaps; 57.0 DEF, 52.5 tackle, 54.7 coverage

2024: 843 snaps; 64.9 DEF; 33.7 tackle, 61.5 coverage

It’s hard to gauge exactly what sort of player Durant is. He had an encouraging rookie season that suggested the best was yet to come after hauling in three interceptions and limiting opposing passers to a passer rating of just 76.3. The Rams traded Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins ahead of Durant’s sophomore season and it seemed he deserved a chance to start in the star’s absence.

The good news is that the sophomore slump wasn’t as bad as it seems at first glance. The PFF season grades indicate a steep drop in performance; however, it can truly be chalked up to a slow start to the year and then recovering in line with his career performance over the back half of the season. These were Durant’s game grades for the first five weeks of 2023:

Week 1 at Seattle Seahawks: 62.9 DEF, 72.8 tackle, 58.1 coverage

Week 2 vs San Francisco 49ers: 29.5 DEF, 35.6 tackle, 30.0 coverage

Week 3 at Cincinnati Bengals: 47.3 DEF, 65.0 tackle, 47.3 coverage

Week 4 at Indianapolis Colts: 45.9 DEF, 80.2 tackle, 44.8 coverage

Week 5 vs Philadelphia Eagles: 52.8 DEF, 28.5 tackle, 49.2 coverage

Compare that to his final five games of the season and you can start to see the makings of a return to form:

Week 15 vs Washington Commanders: 69.0 DEF, 69.2 coverage

Week 16 vs New Orleans Saints: 61.9 DEF, 29.5 tackle, 58.6 coverage

Week 17 at New York Giants: 64.3 DEF, 72.5 tackle, 63.7 coverage

Week 18 at San Francisco 49ers: 65.7 DEF, 75.1 tackle, 63.7 coverage

Wildcard at Detroit Lions: 59.2 DEF, 44.9 tackle, 57.6 coverage

The 2024 season brought the same inconsistency for Durant. He posted what were maybe three of his best games as a professional in Week 1 at Detroit (83.3 DEF), Week 7 vs the Las Vegas Raiders (94.6 DEF) and in the wildcard round against the Minnesota Vikings (86.7 DEF). There were also four games where he individually notched a defensive grade of 45.0 including the division round game against the Eagles.

Will Durant’s career be hall marked by this variance in production, or is year four the time he puts it all together and holds onto a starting role ahead of Williams and Witherspoon? One key area where he can make up significant ground is in the tackling department.

Durant must improve as a tackler

I’ve been pointing out Durant’s tackling woes since 2023. How bad has it been over his career?

Well, despite playing a limited number of snaps over three seasons, he’s already accumulated 21 missed tackles comprising 17.5% of his total attempts. Considering he’s made just 80 tackles, that is a staggering number.

But the fact is corners don’t make their living by tackling and helping in the run game, though that can certainly be an important determinant in a player gaining the edge from “good” to “great”. There simply will always be limitations with a slight-framed player at 5-11, 180 lbs. His most impactful contributions will come in coverage and in two of three seasons he’s held opposing passers to a rating below 77.0 according to PFF data. If he can make even marginal improvement in terms of bringing down the ball carrier, then that would go a long way in helping build his resume as a long-term starter.