LA Rams newness in the secondary can be their undoing in the 2024 season

The Los Angeles Rams secondary was not all that great in 2023. Could all of the new bodies added to the unit actually be their undoing in 2024? The secondary allowed 24 touchdown passes, nearly 250 yards per game, an 88 passer rating and nearly 4,200 yards in the 2023 NFL Season.

Their defense ranked just 19th in scoring, all while their offense ranked 8th. It's clear that the offense was not the issue for the Rams in 2023. Shoring up the defense was a huge priority for GM Les Snead heading into the 2024 NFL Offseason, and the retirement of Aaron Donald definitely complicated things.

Snead added Braden Fiske and Jared Verse to the defensive line in the 2024 NFL Draft. Building through the trenches like this is a winning formula. However, he took a bit of a different approach for the secondary, adding guys like Tre White, Darious Williams, Kamren Curl, and bringing back John Johnson III in free agency.

It's an overhaul on paper, as most of these players are going to start a ton of games for the Rams in 2024. But the huge risk that they run here is twofold:

Firstly, are White, Williams, and Johnson III all past their prime? How much do they have left in the tank? And the second issue is also what I have alluded to before, which is the overall chemistry of the group taking a ton of time to develop.

Tre White is 29 years old and has played in just 21 games over the last three seasons. Darious Williams is 31 years old and may not be what he formerly was during his first stint with the Rams. John Johnson III was once among the best safeties in the NFL during his first stint with the LA Rams, but the player saw a career-low in defensive snaps in 2023, playing just 46% of them.

Les Snead was definitely not afraid to make some additions here, which also included rookie Kamren Kinchens from the 2024 NFL Draft. Oddly enough, the Rams have two safeties who spell their name "Kamren."

Anyway, the Rams defense feels pretty stout up front, and I personally have little concern about the offense, but the re-made secondary may just be this team's undoing in the 2024 NFL Season, and if this ends up holding the team back, it'll be a brutal blow to their chances.