It's not even training camp, but Rams defense already disproving 3 critics

No way, say the naysayers

To get noticed on social media, you need to tap into emotions. Whether rage or euphoria, the secret to attracting readers and listeners to articles or podcasts is to take the most outlandish position and then find the evidence to support that extreme opinion. But in doing so, we lose our objectivity and taint readers with the idea that there is only one truth, one correct opinion.

What do I mean? I have assembled three of the worst hot takes about the Rams defense made public this offseason. And before you delve into seeing what they have to say, keep in mind that their arguments are not intended to win a debate. They are merely trying to attract attention. So with that in mind, let's dive right in:

Exhibit 1

Oh no, here we go again. The sky is falling over the Rams' defense, and there is a flock of Chicken Littles out there willing to share their dismal outlook with anyone willing to check out what they have to say. The Athletic Show's host Derick Klassen pulled no punches when he lit into the Rams' defense with this diatribe:

"This defense still sucks. Like it’s not good. And maybe if they get Jalen Ramsey, I do think that that will shift my mind a little bit...I wanted more at defensive back. Even with Jalen Ramsey, I would have wanted maybe an earlier pick at defensive back. I would have wanted maybe another competition signing at Defensive Back. Like there were plenty of those mid tier corners that they could have signed. And I know that that’s not something they love to do.

This is a team that very much either likes to have a star at corner or they just don’t give a shit and they’ll throw anybody out there...This was one of the worst secondaries in the league last year. And even if they get Ramsey, I expect that to continue to be the case...the secondary unit as an individual unit is one of the worst in the league. Player by player, it’s one of the worst...

When you’re shooting for passable, I just feel like you leave yourself open for a lot of things to go wrong potentially. For the most part, this Rams defense was like the 24th best team in the league. And that was even true over just the second half of the year when these guys started to ramp up.”"

Derrik Klausen

No stats. No evidence. Simply an argument about how he feels about the Rams.

Exhibit 2

However, the topic of how horrible the Rams' 2025 NFL season will be for the Rams' secondary was touched on by Rams beat reporter JB Scott, who proclaims that the secondary is not good enough. This has been a recurring theme that addresses optics rather than substance in this defense. What does Scott use to justify his dismal outlook? He cites Pro Football Focus tackling rankings:

"Of 128 corners to play at least 242 defensive snaps last year, these are how Williams, Witherspoon, and Durant ranked in Pro Football Focus (PFF)’s tackling metrics:

Williams: 76th; 14.0% missed tackle rate
Witherspoon: 73rd; 15.0% missed tackle rate
Durant: 116th; 17.6% missed tackle rate"

JB Scott

Defensive backs are most effective by offering up pass coverages. How well did the Rams' defensive backs defend the pass? Let's do a quick peek at those advanced defensive stats via Pro Football Reference:

• Cobie Durant | 54.2% comp | 1 INT | 71.2 QB rating | 8 PDs | 3 MTkls
• Darious Williams | 64.4% comp | 101.7 QB rating | 7 PDs | 5 MTkls
• Ahkello Witherspoon | 65.2% comp | 96.9 QB rating | 9 PDs | 5 MTkls
• Kam Curl | 55.6% comp | 112.2 QB rating | 9 PDs | 10 MTkls
• Kam Kinchens | 73.2% comp | 4 INTs | 91.9 QB rating | 6 PDs | 6 MTkls
• Jaylen McCollough | 64.0% comp | 4 INTs | 68.5 QB rating | 4 PDs | 1 MTkl
• Quentin Lake | 65.1% comp | 107.8 QB rating | 5 PDs | 10 MTkls

Sure, you can cherry-pick bad tackling and use that lone statistic to present how horrific this secondary might be. But the secondary's primary function is to create turnovers and cover receivers. Some defensive backs have room to improve, but I don't see horrible anywhere among this bunch.

Exhibit 3

Athlon Sports' Taylor Hartman washes his hands of decrying the Rams' defense. Rather than citing his first-hand research, he points to how PFN’s Defense+ metric projects the Rams to be the 24th-ranked defense in 2025. But digging deeper into PFN's analysis, their justification is the retirement of All-Pro Aaron Donald, and just one draft selection among the first four rounds to declare the Rams defense dead on arrival.

This is a common error. One author simply acts like an echo chamber to the original author, and nobody dares to investigate. So let's help out this duo with additional facts that need to be shared.

As far as the 2025 NFL Draft, the Rams selected OLB Josaiah Stewart, ILB Pooh Paul Jr., and DT Ty Hamilton. The were three of just six rookie selections in the draft. Paul and Hamilton were selected in Round 5, an area of the draft where the Rams front office is particularly adept at uncovering diamonds-in-the-rough. That's why the PFN article stopped considering draft selections after Round 4.

No, the Rams will not get Aaron Donald back. He retired before the 2024 NFL season. But why ignore the fact that OLB Jared Verse was the 2024 NFL DROY? Or why ignore the facts that DT Kobie Turner, OLB Byron Young, and DT Braden Fiske were all finalists in the NFL DROY voting in the past two seasons? Hmmm.

It's tough to sell doom and gloom if you point to the sun rising on the horizon, I suppose.