Why LA Rams latest FA signing is very positive news

While the LA Rams roster continues to hold open slots, the Rams front office is making decisive and deliberate steps to fill the remaining vacancies with proven NFL veteran players. Even as the team is inundated with youthful energy, we have to be honest with ourselves. There is a comfortable level of rookies on any NFL roster, a limit to that number, a breaking point where the number of rookies is really more than the coaching staff can handle, and then where the LA Rams find themselves.

Coaching is more than verbal dictation, and it is far far more than Xs and Os drawn on a whiteboard. To optimize coaching, an NFL team needs an ample supply of headsy veterans who can break down coachspeak for all of the newbies. Unfortunately, the LA Rams do not have that ample supply of veterans, particularly when you take a look at the secondary.

Of the 19 players (Tre Tomlinson included, although not yet signed), nine are true rookies, while another seven players are entering their second or fewer NFL season. It's impossible to stick to any normal training schedule with so many blank faces among the players, and no matter how effective or patient the Rams coaching staff may be, that is bound to create problems

Rams free agency locks in veteran DB

And so, it was only a matter of time until the LA Rams free agency search found and signed a veteran defensive back. And the player added to the Rams roster is veteran defensive back, Ahkello Witherspoon. So what do we know about him?

For starters (pun intended), Ahkello Witherspoon is a 6-foot-2 195-pound defensive back whose career held chapters with both the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has seen action in 60 games over his six-year NFL career and started 40 of those games. Until 2022, he was very effective in coverage, allowing no better than 59.4 percent of passes targeting his receiver to find their mark. However, he regressed last season, playing in just four games but allowing a 75.9 completion rate.

Witherspoon is not a tackling machine, but he can create turnovers. In fact, he generated three interceptions on just 368 defensive snaps for the Pittsburgh Steeler in 2021. Unfortunately, he missed 28.6 percent of his tackles that year. (Yikes!) So why is this positive news?

Silver lining III: More competition for the secondary

Whether or not you are comfortable reading this, the LA Rams secondary is very raw and untested. That is not some vitriol. It's just being realistic. And the number of young players in the Rams secondary leaves a wide range of outcomes in any given game, and on any given play.

Veteran quarterbacks, along with their offensive coordinators and receivers, are keen on testing young defensive backs to determine what will work in that game and in the future. The problem is, young DBs will be faced with plays and gametime scenarios for the first time, and that means sometimes they will guess correctly, and sometimes they won't.

To hedge the Rams learning curve for so many rookies and young DBs, it makes complete sense to graft an NFL starter onto the secondary. That allows the Rams to start the season with one more experienced veteran, while allowing for rookies to earn playing time and even a starting role on their schedule.

Silver lining II: Witherspoon has NFL starting experience

One of the areas I like to see when looking over Weatherspoon's career is the fact that, with the exception of 2022, he provided top notch pass coverage. Combine that with a height of 6-foot-2 and the LA Rams may have rummaged through the NFL thrifting section of free agency, and landed a vintage contributor.

Some things cannot be coached. A player's size and genetic related physical dimensions. A player's heart, how determined are they to overcome adversity and obstacles. And a player's experience. Some things can be taught, but to truly be instantly effective on the football field, NFL veterans clearly have an edge over younger players. And you can bet that DB Coach Aubrey Pleasant will leverage Witherspoon's experience throughout training camp.

Silver lining I: Witherspoon has played for physical defenses

While Ahkello Witherspoon has yet to find a home to compete for the rest of his NFL playing days, he certainly has appeared on the roster of some pretty physical defenses. Not just appeared, but started, for those teams. Much like trying to change professions, an NFL defense that wants to change its outlook and reputation is wise to sign players who have that mindset and ferocity baked in.

No, Witherspoon's arrival does not suddenly upgrade the LA Rams defense. Truth be told, he may not even end up as the starter at the beginning of the 2023 NFL season, and is even less likely to be the team's starter at the end of the season. But he is a player who has seen his share of NFL offenses, knows NFL quarterbacks, and has played multiple years on teams that have had success preparing for and competing in the NFL.

That all has to count for something.

Don't discount the value of a mentor

Witherspoon, even as he arrives and learns the Rams' defensive playbook, coaches, and teammates, instantly becomes one more veteran mentor who can share his wisdom and perspective with younger Rams. When it comes to defensive backs, the Rams have safety Jordan Fuller (entering his fourth season) and cornerback Robert Rochell (entering his third season). Add their NFL experience together and that equals the experience of Witherspoon.

And lastly, added as an afterthought, I don't know how much of a difference Witherspoon can make in terms of improving the Rams chances of success this season. Will his ball-hawking skills show up on game day, and deliver a crushing blow to the Rams opponent? Or is he merely a sage veteran, added to facilitate getting the timeline of the Rams training camp back on track to a required pace? I don't have the answer to that question.

If Witherspoon pans out (and I think he will), the Rams will have a veteran who will help them bridge the gap of the 2023 NFL season, setting the stage for a more prepared Rams roster for 2024 and beyond.

Sometimes, it's not just what the guy puts on the football field, but what he adds to the locker room. I believe that the Rams will get more than their money's worth out of Ahkello Witherspoon. How do you feel about his signing?