LA Rams: Five most underrated moves of the 2021 offseason

Re-signing defensive back Darious Williams

There is no question that the LA Rams defense benefits tremendously from the play of All-Pro defensive back Jalen Ramsey. But Ramsey is simply so good, that NFL quarterbacks typically elect to throw at other receivers. So the effectiveness of Ramsey is simply to take a receiver offline for the opposing offense.  The Rams need the right offset, a second defensive back who can handle the heavier than average workload.

Enter defensive back Darious Williams.  In a recent article by Touchdown Wires Mark Schofield, Williams earned a Top-10 ranking among NFL cornerbacks, and Jalen Ramsey earned the Top-Spot. Williams is more than just a good cornerback, he literally dominated Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in 2020.

Williams is one of the highest-graded defensive backs in Pro Football Focus history since 2019, and that is on top of his work covering receivers who are targetted more frequently due to Jalen Ramsey’s coverage of the primary receiver.  Darious Williams was more than just the ‘other guy’ in the Rams secondary. He is the perfect complement to Ramsey, as he excels as an outside cornerback.

Per Pro Football Focus, Williams has not allowed a receiver to gain 70+ yards in a single game his entire NFL career. And he has nearly matched Ramsey in coverage snaps per reception. I could go on and on, but the point is this. Darious Williams is very young, but he is already holding his own in the Rams defensive secondary when playing opposite one of the best cover cornerbacks in the NFL.