Don’t look now, but LA Rams DB Robert Rochell wants to start

The LA Rams‘ secondary appeared, at times, to be held together by rubber bands and bubble gum in the 2021 NFL season. Over the course of the season, the Rams used 14 different players to defend the pass behind the front seven. To make matters a bit more complicated, two of the primary defensive backs: Donte Deayon and Darious Williams; are no longer on the roster this year. Four other defensive backs, who played cameo roles, have not returned this year.

So to say that the LA Rams are eager for someone to step up in the secondary might even be a bit of an understatement. But there could be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Second-year defensive back Robert Rochell has already been mentioned by head coach Sean McVay, and that’s a pretty good start to the team’s training camp.

But it’s really not a surprise. After all, he played 234 defensive snaps as a rookie. After all, he was brought in to eventually start, and I believe that he makes a strong push to do so in training camp this year.

Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 195-pounds, the young cornerback out of Central Arkansas is incredibly athletic, so much so that he has been compared to LA Rams All-Pro DE Jalen Ramsey on more than one occasion.

Because the Rams’ secondary was so battered, Rochell played in 11 games and started five before his rib injury ended his season early. He managed to put up 14 tackles, broke up four passes, and intercepted one pass.

Should Rochell manage to win the other outside cornerback role, that would allow Troy Hill to slide over to the slot and put the Rams secondary into a very strong position for the 2022 NFL season. I believe that he has a good chance of doing exactly that.

And with his being noticed by Coach McVay, I suspect that he is thinking the same thing.