Cooper Kupp, Demarcus Robinson playing for rivals forces Rams to upgrade secondary

As soon as the Los Angeles Rams released veteran WR Cooper Kupp, it was always going to be a short matter of time before Kupp landed on a new team. In terms of which team will he sign with, the Los Angeles Chargers make the most sense as Kupp's landing spot. But we were able to identify six other teams that make a lot of sense as well. NFL Insider Dan Orlovsky, who has proven to be solid with his takes about the LA Rams, shared more NFL teams that should pursue Kupp.

Ultimately, the Seattle Seahawks saw more in Cooper Kupp than any other NFL team, and so they were willing to exceed his demands of $12-13 million APY. He landed a three-year contract worth $45 million. And at the same time, he is returning to Washington. His family is from Yakima Washington, after all.

Meanwhile, the Rams face another threat from a division rival. Scrappy veteran wide receiver Demarcus Robinson was frustrated by a lack of interest from the team, so he got his revenge by agreeing to terms with division rival San Francisco 49ers.

While some may view either Cooper Kupp or Demarcus Robinson as lesser threats to the Rams defense, it would be foolish to discount some facts. The Rams will face both Kupp and Robinson twice a year now. And both Kupp and Robinson have been the Rams best scoring receivers in the past two seasons. Perhaps most of all, they faced the Rams secondary in training camp and practices all season. The Rams have the same defensive philosophy. They will be playing in new offenses.

While I love the Rams safeties: Quentin Lake, Kamren Curl, Kamren Kinchens, Jaylen McCollough, and a chance to re-sign John Johnson III, the cornerback position is a bit suspect. The Rams return starters Cobie Durant and Darious Williams, and hope for a healthy return of Derion Kendrick and a shocking contribution from former Washington Commanders CB Emmanuel Forbes. But the team has yet to make an offer to perhaps their best veteran cornerback of the past two seasons: Ahkello Witherspoon.

And even if the Rams re-sign him today, the entire group was not a strong suit of the defense.

Now the cornerbacks will be forced to shut down former teammates, and I just do not have the confidence that they can do so. The Rams have nine cornerbacks on the roster right now. But it all seems to be a matter of quantity over quality. They are:

• Cobie Durant
• Emmanuel Forbes
• A.J. Green
• Shaun Jolly
• Derion Kendrick
• Cam Lampkin
• Josh Wallace
• Darious Williams
• Charles Woods

And as they are likely to show up on the Rams depth chart:

• Outside CB - Cobie Durant | Emmanuel Forbes | A.J. Green
• Outside CB - Darious Williams | Derion Kendrick | Cam Lampkin
• Nickel Back - Quentin Lake (safety) | Josh Wallace | Charles Woods | Shaun Jolly

There can always be surprises in a new season. Perhaps it all clicks for a young player, and they make significant progress from a year ago. Perhaps a veteran was battling aches and pains, and those bruises have since healed up.

The team had already released Tre Tomlinson, and seems unwilling to bring back Ahkello Witherspoon. Before Rams wide receivers signed with division rivals, I was concerned about the quality of the cornerback room. Now, and after the first wave of free agency with no help, my concern is that much stronger.

The Rams need to address the cornerback position. And to tell you the truth, I am a bit surprised that the team had not done so already. Are the Rams planning to upgrade the position in the 2025 NFL Draft? If that is the plan, it would be a bona fide shock to me, and perhaps to many NFL Draft analysts and Rams fans as well.

As always, thanks for reading.

Here are more Rams offseason articles that you may enjoy