[ramsman34]

As we saw with Akers, the recovery time for White will be dependent upon the severity of the injury.

Typically an Achilles tear injury time line for a young athlete is about 7-8 months. White suffered his injury at the end of September. He should be fine to start this season. I'd be surprised if he didn't participate in TC.

Lake played SCB because he was all they had last year. Shelley was injured and Tomlinson too raw. Kendricks was playing outside but he lacks the speed to play outside or SCB. I think in their base Lake and Curl will be their starting safeties.

When they play nickel they could move Williams to SCB where he played originally as a Ram and play Durant at boundary CB. IMO that would make more sense. They are probably going to take a CB with one of their first 4 picks so he would likely be in the mix as well. Tomlinson lacks the length to play boundary so I wouldn't be surprised to see him being coached up to play SCB.

Maybe. I think they like Lake closer to the LOS. And Yeast is not bad in deep half/deep third coverage. I think you are spot on with Tomlinson - slot only. I think Taylor is going to surprise people he was a very good safety in college. Durant can play the star, inside and out. Kendrick is a boundary corner, regardless of his speed. I think he’s the odd man out. Williams can play in or out but I think he’s actually better on the boundary. They will be playing a ton of match zone which should play to all the strengths of the secondary as a whole.

Re: TD White. Recovery might be 7-8 months but return to performance is certainly longer. I don’t expect him to be full go until week 2 at the earliest.

JMO

[PARAM]

Maybe. I think they like Lake closer to the LOS. And Yeast is not bad in deep half/deep third coverage. I think you are spot on with Tomlinson - slot only. I think Taylor is going to surprise people he was a very good safety in college. Durant can play the star, inside and out. Kendrick is a boundary corner, regardless of his speed. I think he’s the odd man out. Williams can play in or out but I think he’s actually better on the boundary. They will be playing a ton of match zone which should play to all the strengths of the secondary as a whole.

Re: TD White. Recovery might be 7-8 months but return to performance is certainly longer. I don’t expect him to be full go until week 2 at the earliest.

JMO

They seem to have a lot of versatility in the secondary. That's a good thing. And they may add another CB in the draft (although they've only drafted 5 out of 67 selections from 2017-2023).

[ramsww]

Did I hear this right? Tre’D White blew out his left achilles, came back, blew out an ACL and came back and blew out another achilles…last year? As much as I dig the skills this guy had and may still have, I’d have to count Witherspoon ahead of him on the depth chart if we’re lucky enough to sign him back…and I was one willing to let him walk. I guess it’s in that OBJ category. Hope it’s not more like our Marcus Dupree signing.

[snackdaddy]

I agree they still need to add corners. Draft? Probably. I would sign Witherspoon closer to training camp if he is still available. I don’t think he will be.

His contract is still very high for a player coming off 2 major injuries and limited games played over the past few seasons. Moderate risk/high reward?? I guess Reggie and the med staff are very comfortable with his health, rehab, and forecasting of his ability to return to performance sooner rather than later. He’s on a 1 year deal but likely won’t play a full season as he won’t be ready at the start of it. This is still a head scratcher for me.

I'm just not sure what we can expect from him. An injury like that takes close to a year to return to the field. For some it takes another year to get back to where he was if he does at all. So if he's less than 100 percent and on a one year deal, what he can provide is unknown right now. That is why I think its still a position of need. On a good note, I think we're in good shape at the safety positions with Kurl and Lake.

[PARAM]

I'm just not sure what we can expect from him. An injury like that takes close to a year to return to the field. For some it takes another year to get back to where he was if he does at all. So if he's less than 100 percent and on a one year deal, what he can provide is unknown right now. That is why I think its still a position of need. On a good note, I think we're in good shape at the safety positions with Kurl and Lake.

The same questions arose when Noteboom blew out his achilles.

'He can't be ready for the season!!'
'He won't be ready for camp!!'
Etc.

He was in camp and started week 1

Now it's not the same demands as CB but it's also 100 lbs less stress on the tendon.

It certainly bears monitoring.

[actionjack]

Lake will play the slot

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2024/0 ... y-players/

The Los Angeles Rams went from fielding star-studded defenses year after year to now deploying a unit filled with young, up-and-coming players. Gone are the days of Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner, Leonard Floyd, Marcus Peters and now Aaron Donald.

Now, the Rams are leaning on players such as Kobie Turner, Ernest Jones and Byron Young. In addition to those three standout defenders, Quentin Lake is a player fans should know heading into the 2024 season. He’s expected to play a significant role next season after emerging as the team’s top slot defender last year, recently earning some recognition from Sean McVay.

During an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio, McVay mentioned Lake as a young player the Rams can build around.

“Chris Shula’s going to do a great job leading our defensive unit,” McVay said. “We’ve got some young guys that we can really build around. Love what Kobie Turner did last year. Aaron really poured into him. Love the emergence of Byron Young. Ernest Jones is a special leader in the middle of our defense. I think Quentin Lake is a really special, emerging player. And then being able to add quality players on the back end like a Kam Curl, bringing Darious Williams back home. So we’re excited. We’re going to try to add some good players through this draft and we’ll see where we’re at.”

Lake joined the Rams as a sixth-round pick in 2022, primarily being viewed as a safety. Injuries limited him to only nine games as a rookie but he took his game to another level last season when the Rams moved him into the slot.

He excelled in that role, both as a run defender and in coverage. He earned a 71.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, helped by an impressive 84.6 tackling grade thanks to his missed tackle rate of only 3.8%.

With Williams and Tre’Davious White expected to be the starting cornerbacks on the outside, Lake has a golden opportunity to maintain his role as the primary slot defender.

He may not be a household name but Lake is in position to have a very good third season in the NFL.

[snackdaddy]

The same questions arose when Noteboom blew out his achilles.

'He can't be ready for the season!!'
'He won't be ready for camp!!'
Etc.

He was in camp and started week 1

Now it's not the same demands as CB but it's also 100 lbs less stress on the tendon.

It certainly bears monitoring.

At this point we have no idea how White will be when he can play. I certainly would not put all my eggs in his basket and assume its no longer an area we need to address. If its something they plan to address in the draft his addition should not change that.

[PARAM]

At this point we have no idea how White will be when he can play. I certainly would not put all my eggs in his basket and assume its no longer an area we need to address. If its something they plan to address in the draft his addition should not change that.

100%

[azramsfan93]

Absolutely agree. I think DL and CB picks in the first 100 are coming in the draft.

Does anyone think the Rams will take Penix at 19 if he is there?

At this point we have no idea how White will be when he can play. I certainly would not put all my eggs in his basket and assume its no longer an area we need to address. If its something they plan to address in the draft his addition should not change that.

[snackdaddy]

Absolutely agree. I think DL and CB picks in the first 100 are coming in the draft.

Does anyone think the Rams will take Penix at 19 if he is there?

I would be very surprised. I think making the Hall of Fame is important to Stafford. Right now he's on the fringe. He could make it but probably years later. If he sticks around long enough to finish his contract it would certainly move him up from fringe to likely.