Kamren Kinchens gives Rams defense another boost no one is accounting for

Los Angeles Rams safety Kamren Kinchens stepped up big-time last season when Quentin Lake went down with an injury. With Lake on the sidelines for the final seven games of the regular season, Kinchens, an NFL sophomore, filled his spot in the secondary. He didn't fade, either, when Lake returned in the playoffs, coming up with  13 tackles, a sack, and two stuffs in three games, plus a pass breakup. 

Yet in the Rams' secondary, it's Lake, Kam Curl, and cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson soaking up the spotlight - rightfully so, in that they all deserve their share of attention. But so does Kinchens.

What no one seems to be talking about is that, with Lake back healthy and Kinchens emerging as a young star, the Rams will boast about as deep a safety corps as exists in the NFL.

Kinchens is another anchor in suddenly formidable Rams secondary

His production speaks for itself. Making eight starts in 17 games, Kinchens finished second among Rams defensive backs with 84 total tackles and third on the team with 56 solo takedowns. He picked off two passes, both in that Week 11 win over Seattle, the game Lake got hurt, which helped seal a 21-19 victory. An opportunistic playmaker, Kinchens put himself in the right place, at the right time to recover a pair of fumbles. 

By Pro Football Focus grade, Kinchens ranked right behind Curl and Lake with an overall mark of 72.9, 18th among 98 qualified safeties. In coverage, he ranked 12th with a grade of 75.0. He can certainly improve as a tackler (12 missed tackles, per PFF, though he also made 19 stops), as well as tighten up his already-solid coverage. 

Kinchens' 103.8 passer rating allowed was only slightly above average, but his 8.5 yards allowed per catch ranked 10th-best, according to PFF. When he gets his hands on a pick, watch out; as a rookie, he returned one 103 yards to the house. For Kinchens, already an explosive playmaker, taking the next step is more about disrupting a few more would-be completions. 

He is more than just a high-quality backup. He is a starting-caliber player - and a good starter at that - who shouldered a workload of 842 snaps last season, a massive jump over his rookie year. 

With Kinchens, Lake, and Curl all in the mix, plus Watson and the versatile McDuffie at corner, the Rams have five outstanding DBs that will allow defensive coordinator Chris Shula to run out nickel and dime packages with a high degree of confidence. 

Don't forget about Emmanuel Forbes or Josh Wallace, either. As far as backups go, those are two solid pieces. If there is an unfortunate injury - and the NFL has a habit of doling them out regularly - L.A.'s defense should be able to withstand the storm a bit better than last season, even with room for another rotational cornerback. 

Kinchens, a former 99th overall pick out of Miami, is the group's most underrated member.

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