It only took one practice for Rams veteran to lay claim to a new role on defense

When it comes to the Rams' secondary, there are many questions about the quality and depth of the Los Angeles Rams roster at the cornerback and safety positions. After getting plenty of playing time in a versatile role in 2024, the team seems to be focusing on placing veteran safety Quentin Lake in a more traditional safety role this season. That creates an opening for an additional defensive back in nickel and dime packages.

And that creates new opportunities for second-year defensive back Jaylen McCollough to make plays.

The Rams' safety position was bursting with talent at this time last year. Not only did the team welcome back Quentin Lake and Russ Yeast, but the team signed veteran John Johnson III and Kamren Curl, drafted rookie Kamren Kinchens, and signed UDFA Jaylen McCollough after the draft.

Defying incredible odds, Jaylen McCollough somehow managed to sneak into the secondary's rotation for 335 defensive snaps. From that, he was able to record 43 tackles, four pass deflections, one quarterback hit, four interceptions, and even had one pick-six. He tied the team's interception total with rookie Kam Kinchens to lead the team in that category.

He even held opposing receivers to a catch rate of just 64.0 percent. That's not bad considering he was an undrafted rookie safety.

On to bigger and better roles in 2025

One of the most challenging aspects of the Rams secondary last season was distributing snaps to so many worthy defensive backs. Using tools provided by Lineups.com, it is a relatively simple task to generate a data table showing the snap counts of the Rams' defensive players. Now armed with that information, it's easy to distinguish the difficulty of getting four safeties onto the football field. And that does not include players who are no longer with the team.

But Jaylen McCollough is here, and hungry. He needs more snaps if he is to help the secondary improve over last season. As a result, mad scientist DC Chris Shula is trying a new experiment, this time with his ball-hawking defensive back. And the first indications of a new role for McCollough are that he is already getting trialed at various positions at training camp:

Of course, how the team deploys McCollough depends on who starts at linebacker. If the Rams pair up Nate Landman with Omar Speights, then subbing in McCollough on passing downs makes a lot of sense. But if the team settles on either Pooh Paul Jr. or Shaun Dolace as the partner for Landman, that could change the defensive strategy.

I love reports of the Rams trying new angles to get McCollough on the football field. Not only is he a solid tackler who excels in pass coverage, but he is a true ball-hawking defensive back who can change the momentum of a game with one play.

Jaylen McCollough is just one of multiple veterans in line for larger roles with the team this season. But with the team already experimenting to get him more playing time, he is in a position to make a positive impact this year.

As always, thanks for reading.

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