Rams silence over 2 free agent veterans' departures is deafening to hopeful fans

The Los Angeles Rams acted swiftly to secure an upgraded pair of cornerbacks to ensure a more formidable secondary in 2026. But fans are left wondering whether general manager Les Snead was caught napping in the aftermath. Veteran cornerback Cobie Durant, a solid rotational cornerback, just signed a one-year prove-it deal with the Dallas Cowboys.

And now, veteran cornerback Roger McCreary is off on a one-year deal to play for the Detroit Lions.

It's difficult not to expect Durant to play well in Dallas. After all, the Landshark earned his spot as a fan favorite as a feisty ball-hawking cornerback who was the most dependable defensive back on the team all season. But after being demoted by a free agency period that found general manager Les Snead grafting Kansas City Chiefs starters into LA's secondary, Durant read the writing on the wall.

To earn a starting role, he had to find a new team.

While McCreary may not have been a starter, he was a player whom Snead invested a valuable pick to acquire. And his arrival ignited hopes that he might become a long-term starter. But an injury immediately benched him, plunging him to no more than a failed short-term rental.

With an expired contract at season's end, both player and team have simply chalked it up to a failed experiment and are moving on.

Rams fans hoped Les Snead might extend a cornerback for depth

While nobody is playing backseat driver, many LA Rams fans truly hoped that GM Les Snead might find a way to retain either Cobie Durant or Roger McCreary. Durant signed with the Cowboys on a one-year deal worth up to $5.5 million. McCreary may come in a bit cheaper. And that's where fans will get stuck, both players are inexpensive options.

And the team could always benefit from experienced cornerbacks on the depth chart.

But that is not to be. After trading a fifth-round pick for Roger McCreary and a sixth-round pick, Los Angeles is willing to let him walk away. It seems that he was not to be in Horns for 2026.

Still, LA may view the cornerback position as a work-in-progress. If so, the draft could be an excellent source of young, talented cornerbacks. And that would align with the opportunity to ease into playing time in this secondary. But it does come in a year in which the organization is trying to optimize Matthew Stafford's 2026 season.

It falls to reason in many fans' minds that a fine option would be to retain McCreary for one more year. But Snead seems to think otherwise.

As always, thanks for reading.