DC Chris Shula's safety skullduggery is Step 1 to a revitalized Rams secondary

In 2017, the Los Angeles Rams secondary boasted safeties John Johnson III and Lamarcus Joyner. They were solid fits for a Rams defense that was the brainchild of then-Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips. Phillips was masterful at blending veterans with rookies, and the combination of rookie John Johnson III with veteran Lamarcus Joyner was a prime exhibit of that chemistry at work.

When Joyner moved on in free agency, the team happily added veteran Eric Weddle to replace him, as well as drafting rookie safety Taylor Rapp. JJIII was injured that season, forcing the team to promote rookie Rapp to a starting role. As long as he was able to play alongside veteran Weddle, Rapp was adequate enough to fill a hard-hitting defensive back role in the defense.

Problems began to develop after that 2019 NFL season with the team's secondary. The presence of All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey allowed the team to field less pass defender-capable safeties. The team added Ramsey towards the end of 2019, and he certainly gave the secondary a newfound swagger for 2020. But the team shrewdly promoted rookie safety Jordan Fuller to a starting role after an injury to Taylor Rapp. The combination of Fuller and Johnson was superb, as Fuller was the shrewd cagey pass defender who picked off three passes, while Johnson was the veteran enforcer recorded 105 tackles while breaking up eight passes.

Rapp era was more about Weddle coming out of retirement

The Rams front office had developed a pattern of adding rookie defensive backs each year, and letting other teams lure them away with lucrative contracts. When the Cleveland Browns signed John Johnson away at the end of the 2020 NFL season, the Rams opted to start Taylor Rapp and Jordan Fuller at the two safety positions.

While Rapp replaced John Johnson III's enforcer role on defense, the Rams got better defense from second-year safety Jordan Fuller. While the Rams defense was good enough to carry the team to and through the NFL Playoffs, it was not due to the heroics of Rapp. A deeper dive into the numbers in 2021 reveals that Jordan Fuller allowed just 66.7 percent of passes targeting his receiver to find their targets. He allowed just two touchdowns, picked off one pass, and broke up four passes that season.

It was a different tale for Rapp shows that he allowed 74.1 percent of passes thrown his way to be completed. He did break up six passes, picked off four passes, but allowed a disappointing four touchdown passes. Worst of all, he missed 10.5 percent of his tackles, frequently making hard contact with a teammate who left the game for a play or two after being shaken up.

The Rams secondary got a new lease on life when DC Raheem Morris lured former safety Eric Weddle out of a two-year retirement to compete for the Rams in time for the playoffs. It was the combination of Weddle and seldom-used but hard-hitting safety Nick Scott that turned the tide for the Rams defense.

Scott was particularly effective, lowering the boom on opposing receivers. The highlight play of the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers was a tackle by Scott on 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel that knocked the football loose and shook Samuel up so violently that he was a non-factor for the remainder of the game.