Where LA Rams starting safety is concerned, that’s a Rapp

Who will start next to LA Rams veteran safety Johnson? That’s a Rapp

The LA Rams knew the depth at safety needed to be reinforced in the 2019 NFL Draft. While the Rams had two starting-caliber safeties in veteran John Johnson and newly signed veteran Eric Weddle, the depth behind those two players was fairly shallow.  And the Rams persuaded Weddle out of retirement to come to play for their defense and for defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

So the team knew that despite a two-year contract, it was about a 50/50 shot at getting him to return for the second season. So the team wisely selected the University of Washington safety Taylor Rapp. Rapp not only had a solid draft profile, but he learned from one of the best NCAA defensive backs coaches, Jimmy Lake.

JJ down

Curiously, 2019 found the Rams in need of rookie Taylor Rapp’s services. But it wasn’t due to Eric Weddle, but rather an untimely injury to John Johnson which called Rapp to active duty in just his first season with the team. While he did not dominate the NFL, he certainly played quite well for the Rams and earned the right to compete for a starting role in 2020.

With Johnson returning from injury in 2020, Weddle likely saw that his role would likely be that of backup to the two younger players, and opted to retire instead. But is Taylor Rapp ready to earn the designation of starting NFL safety?

He delivered in the clutch for the Rams when they needed him to do exactly that.