It's not even training camp, but this Rams unit seems poised for a rebound

When it comes to the Los Angeles Rams' track record over the past two seasons, this team has been marked with early adversity that ultimately gave way to a focused and passionate team's efforts to make the NFL Playoffs with unprecedented success in the latter stage of the season. In both cases, early-season injuries derailed the team's ability to optimize off-season preparation, which bled into early-season struggles.

The Rams fall into the 'if it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all,' category sometimes.

While Pro Football Focus author John Kosko does not give the Rams an overwhelmingly glowing review in his latest NFL secondary rankings, he gets two thumbs up from me simply because he looked past the 2024 gross statistics and cited information that is both relevant and impactful.

While an 18th-ranked secondary, it's far better and worlds apart from some of the assessments NFL analysts have used to decry the Rams' defense. What I mean by his analysis having evidence of looking beyond the numbers is that he attributes the Rams' secondary struggles in 2024 to some players experiencing a down season.

"Most players in the Rams secondary had down years in 2024 after strong performances in 2023. Darious Williams, who posted one of the best seasons by any cornerback in 2023, struggled in his return to Los Angeles.

Quentin Lake has graded well in PFFs advanced coverage metrics over the past two seasons, while rookie Kamren Kinchens was the only player to earn an overall grade above 70.0 in 2024. If Williams bounces back and Cobie Durant and Kamren Curl show improvement, the Rams secondary could shape up to be a solid unit in 2025."

PFF author John Kosco

So, let me fill in the rest of the story. What happened in 2024 that won't occur in 2025? There are three main factors:

III - Rams early season injuries

Can you name all of the projected starters and significant contributors who suffered injuries in the Rams secondary before the team made it out of September 2024 last season? The Rams lost DB Derion Kendrick for the season to an ACL injury before Week 1. The team lost projected starting CB Darious Williams to a nagging hamstring injury. And the team lost veteran S John Johnson III before the end of Week 2.

While that number of injuries will always have an adverse impact on any NFL secondary, the injuries were particularly harmful to the Rams' secondary because it was trying to coordinate and communicate how to implement DC Chris Shula's new coverages and strategies. Losing veterans who, on paper, were intended to lead the way and swapping in players who were either not experienced or not fully healthy became problematic.

Worst of all, the Rams gambled on a recovering veteran who never reclaimed his former All-Pro level of play.