LA Rams Quentin Lake: The dubious future of a defensive back

The LA Rams loved the chance to add former UCLA defensive back Quentin Lake to their secondary. The Rams drafted him in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft, with the 239th overall pick of the event. While that is not a typical spot in the draft to find secondary support, this was not a typical selection.

Lake is a promising young defensive back. Standing 6-foot-1 and weighing a robust 201-pounds, he is a powerful secondary player who uses a superior football IQ rather than fleet-footed speed to make plays.  You could say that he is a rookie football player who knows the sport genetically.  What’s that?

Quentin Lake is the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Darnell Lake. A young man who knows his way around an NFL locker room, an NFL football field, and what it takes to earn a roster spot.

Pick 211: SS Quentin Lake

He was impressive at OTAs. So impressive that he appeared on the Pivot Podcast, a rather unique opportunity for a young NFL rookie. He appeared on the show with cornerback Decobie Durant. If you have the time, this is a video that is definitely worth a watch.

In it, you can almost envision what a miraculous opportunity both young men have experienced to have the opportunity to make the LA Rams roster.

But something happened along the way. He suffered a knee injury, which compelled the team to assign him to the Physically Unable to Perform roster (PUP)

More than a month later, there is no new news about the young defensive back’s knee. Lake is still on the PUP.

But that is both a curse and a blessing. With Lake on the reserve/PUP list, he won’t count against the team’s 53-man roster. He must remain on the list for the first four weeks of the season, but that is a small price to pay for a young man who the LA Rams wish to continue to develop, but are unwilling to subject to the risk of being claimed by another team at some misguided attempt to slide him onto the team’s practice squad.

The LA Rams remain silent so far regarding their roster cuts. Will the team report them in small batches? Or will the team report all 27 names of released players simultaneously? However the news is reported, we will remain vigilant. We are less than 22 hours or less now.