LA Rams Troy Hill is no island, but he’s among top CBs

LA Rams defensive back Troy Hill is no specialist in man coverage but in the zone? He among the top cornerbacks in the NFL today

The LA Rams starting defensive backs may vary on any given play. Of course, the team will have All-Pro defensive back, Jalen Ramsey, on the field whenever possible. And the team will have two safeties on the field in Taylor Rapp and John Johnson III.  Look for the appearance of Darious Williams, Terrell Burgess, Jordan Fuller, and David Long at various times during the game as well. But who will take the lion’s share of defensive snaps opposite Ramsey? None other than Rams cornerback Troy Hill.

Hill is a 5-foot-11 183-pound defensive back who started nine games for the Rams last season. While that is more than half of the games, he saw action on 49 percent of the defensive snaps.  While that was not an 80 percent usage, it was good enough for a very respectable grade of 76.4 from Pro Football Focus, a grade that has risen dramatically over the past four seasons. He was the highest-rated cornerback on the team from 2019, coming in as the 20th best CB and just behind former Rams CB Nickell Robey-Coleman who has since signed on with the Philadelphia Eagles.

That Hill is a tough climb

We have talked at length about the Rams plans to move Ramsey all over the defensive backfield.  That strategy only works if the Rams have strong cornerbacks who can play their assignments as well. With Hill and Williams, they have two solid coverage cornerbacks. In fact, per Touchdownwire from USAToday.com, Hill is the eighth-ranked cornerback in zone coverage from the entire NFL. Some readers have commented that they are “not sold” on Hill’s ability to remain strong in coverage for a 16 game season.

While that may be proven to be the case if Hill slips over time, he’s performed at a very good to borderline level since taking over for the injured Aqib Talib. He’s never looked back and prompted the Rams to move on from both Talib and Marcus Peters mid-season. His performance places him well matched among the Rams starting four defensive backs and will give new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley a great deal of flexibility to mix up coverages and defensive assignments. The Rams’ defensive line is stronger than ever.  The defensive backs appear to be among the best group in the NFL. While the linebackers are fairly young, the defense is ready to make a statement this year. Troy Hill is ready. Let’s play some football!