Cobie Durant might advance in year three and benefit the Rams.
Rams’ plan A is to start Darious Williams and Tre White, but it’d help LA if Cobie Durant earned role in 2024
The defensive depth chart is far from set in stone for the 2024 Los Angeles Rams. Still, based on their moves in free agency and the draft we have an idea about their intentions heading into the regular season.
At cornerback the Rams’ Plan A is to start veterans Darious Williams and Tre White on the outside. While Quentin Lake primarily played in the slot role most of last season, it seems the team spent minicamp auditioning Derion Kendrick and Russ Yeast for the “star” position.
While it’s certainly still early in the offseason, White sat out LA’s minicamp and Cobie Durant started in his place. 2024 marks Durant’s third season in the NFL, and last year he entered the season as the team’s initial slot corner before ceding playing time to Lake. At this point it’s fair to assume that Durant is better suited to play on the perimeter of the defense, and he’ll be an important piece in the Rams’ secondary this year—especially if White is unable to return to both health and form.
Signing White as a free agent from the Buffalo Bills was a low-risk, high-reward gamble for the Rams. At his best, White was an aggressive zone corner with good ball skills. He recorded a career-high six interceptions in 2019 and had 12 pass breakups as a rookie in 2017. However, due to multiple significant injuries, it’s been a while since we’ve seen White play at a high level. 2021 was the last time he played for most of the season, and he was on the field for just 307 and 182 for the following two seasons, respectively.
There’s a good chance LA’s gamble on White doesn’t work out, but their bet is somewhat hedged on Durant taking a step forward in year three.
What do the Rams have in Cobie Durant?
I wrote last offseason that Durant was one of the most important players on LA’s defense heading into 2023. He impressed with his coverage skills as a rookie and opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of just 76.3 when throwing his direction. While there was some room to grow as a tackler, it seemed that he was primed to become a breakout star for the Rams.
But with a position change from the outside to the slot, Durant took a step back instead of a breakout.
Could a return to the perimeter of the defense be all it takes for Durant to pick up where he left off as a rookie? While on paper there doesn’t seem to be much opportunity for him in 2024, he could prove to be very valuable as insurance to White and perhaps his replacement as some point this season.
Can the Rams count on Cobie Durant to be a starter in 2024 and beyond?