Rams’ $9 million problem is already becoming impossible to ignore

The Los Angeles Rams did not enter 2025 with many believers in their secondary. But after one week of play, the team seems to be getting some stubborn NFL analysts to soften their stance. At least, the wise ones are doing so. After all, this secondary pretty much had its way with the Houston Texans offense and a very good young quarterback in CJ Stroud. Perhaps they bought into the skepticism surrounding their opponents. Whatever the cause, LA claimed a hard-fought victory by the score of 14-9.

But for a passing offense that finished 21st in the NFL with an average of 207.5 passing yards last season, the last thing it wanted to do was open the 2025 NFL season with just 151.0 passing yards, a mark that debuts at 24th among passing offenses. And it came at the hands of a secondary that nobody considered very good. Live and learn, I suppose.

But this was not an all-hands-on-deck effort. Last season’s starting cornerback, Darious Williams, did not play a single snap. The team clarified after the game that it decided to go with a three-man rotation for Week 1, and Williams was the odd man out. Now, his absence is enough to generate whispers of a potential trade before the 2025 NFL Trade Deadline.

Rams secondary and Darious Williams are latest focus of NFL rumors

A former starting cornerback did not see a single snap in Week 1. With GM Les Snead always looking for ways to free up salary cap dollars to pay other players, it won’t be long before more and more NFL analysts pick up on the fact that Williams is costing this team $9.1 million to warm the bench. That is a serious overpay, and one that will be corrected at some point.

That also means the cornerbacks who did play were Ahkello Witherspoon ($1.26 million), Emmanuel Forbes ($1.35 million), and Cobie Durant ($3.4 million). They were on the football field throughout the game, and their combined cap hits only add up to two-thirds of Williams’. And they were superb in this one.

DC Chris Shula loves to generate turnovers, and he had to be pleased with the performance of Cobie Durant. Durant literally picked off a pass that was all but caught by rookie wide receiver Jayden Higgins at the Rams’ 41-yard line. Had the pass resulted in a reception, it would have been a first down after second-and-23 from the Texans’ 34-yard line.

If this secondary was dominating without Darious Williams in Week 1, is a potential trade in the works? Keep in mind the team carried four cornerbacks in 2024 and five cornerbacks so far in 2025. They did not play young cornerback Josh Wallace in Week 1 either. However, the Rams have two more cornerbacks on the practice squad in AJ Green and Cam Lampkin.

Remember, Williams is 5-foot-9, 192 pounds, and is a 32-year-old defensive back coming off a hamstring injury in 2024. This season, he is now competing with Emmanuel Forbes Jr. (6-foot-0, 180 pounds, 24 years old) and Ahkello Witherspoon (6-foot-2, 195 pounds, 30 years old) for a starting role.

Don’t look for any immediate moves. Not only will the team want to ensure a full complement of defensive backs early in the season, but time is on Les Snead’s side. The longer this team has ample depth, the longer young cornerbacks gain vital experience. And it’s never a bad idea to delay bolstering the roster of potential opponents.

Nothing may come of this, but it’s something worth keeping on your radar. The team traded away CB Tre’Davious White in midseason last year. That opens the door to moving on from Darious Williams in 2025.

As always, thanks for reading.

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