Kamren Kinchens is Rams' best bet to supply secondary's missing ingredient

The Los Angeles Rams underwent a cornerback overhaul this offseason, bringing in Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson while losing five players of their own, including now-Cowboys corner Cobie Durant. Even with those losses, the group is much-improved with McDuffie giving the Rams defense its first true CB1 since Jalen Ramsey and Watson being about as good a No. 2 as any team could ask for. 

Elsewhere in the secondary, the Rams brought back safeties Quentin Lake and Kam Curl on extensions, before they could test the open market. And then there is 2024 third-round pick Kamren Kinchens, potentially the surprising secret weapon that unlocks the backend of this defense.

There is one thing the secondary could still use, even with the net influx in talent: namely, turnovers. The Rams need someone to wreak havoc back there. As good as McDuffie and Watson are, that's not really their gig. Ditto for Lake and Curl, the veteran enforcers and leaders of the safety corps.

What's more, Durant co-led the team with three interceptions last season. He's gone. The other co-leader, Emmanuel Forbes, will no longer be starting. That creates a potential void that Kinchens, who recorded a team-high four picks as a rookie, could be just the guy to fill.

Kinchens is Rams' ideal agent of chaos

Although Kinchens did not produce quite the same playmaking results in his sophomore season, he still came up with two picks, six passes defensed, a pair of fumble recoveries, and 84 total tackles. When Lake went down with an injury, Kinchens stepped up to fill his place. He did the job, and then some. 

With Lake back healthy, how much playing time Kinchens sees this season will depend on how defensive coordinator Chris Shula schemes the secondary. Does he lean into nickel sets, incorporating five defensive backs and opening an extra safety slot for Kinchens? In a standard 3-4 front with two outside linebackers and two on the inside, that configuration isn't possible.

However the Rams do it, they must find a way to get Kinchens on the field. Those four interceptions he notched as a rookie, including one he returned 103 yards to the house, came in just over 500 defensive snaps - a high concentration of defensive chaos. Last season, he saw 842. His workload this year could fall somewhere in the middle. 

There is reason to believe Rams safeties could have more ballhawking opportunities with McDuffie and Watson holding down the boundaries. Making up for blown coverages doesn't exactly give a free safety like Curl or Kinchens the leeway to play 'free.' That should change this season as Rams DBs pivot from reacting to actively pursuing the ball. 

Kinchens might be the top candidate to pick up any playmaking slack. McDuffie and Watson have six career picks between them in eight seasons, although they have totaled five in the last two. Curl had a pair last season, but it was only the second time in his six-year career, along with his rookie campaign, that he put an integer in the INT column of his stat sheet. Lake secured his first in 2025. 

Nothing wrong with that; they have other responsibilities and contribute at an elite level in other ways. Forbes will be sure to provide aggressive support off the bench. As for Kinchens, his knack for finding out the football makes him the perfect firebrand to complement the others' steady burn.

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