Rams S Kam Curl: No. 15 Player Key to Defensive Flexibility

Rams On SI is counting down the Los Angeles Rams’ top 25 players for the 2026 season. This series continues with our No. 15 player, Kam Curl

Since being signed as a free agent in 2024, Kam Curl has been one of the most important players in the Los Angeles Rams secondary. While his first year didn’t go as planned, Curl really came into his own in 2025 and played a key role on defense. It was his interception in the NFC Divisional Round that allowed the Rams to beat the Chicago Bears.

The Rams typically haven’t been a team to invest heavily in the safety position, but they gave Curl a new contract this past offseason. As Curl heads into his third year in the defense, his role will be critical for a Rams defense looking to take the next step.

Why is Kam Curl So Important?

Curl’s versatility and physical presence in the secondary allow Chris Shula to do more with the players around him. He gives Shula the freedom to move Quentin Lake around the defense because Curl is able to make up for it elsewhere. Curl played 58.6 percent of his snaps at free safety, 26.3 percent of his snaps in the box, and 10.3 percent of his snaps in the slot. His ability to play deep, rotate in the box, and match routes underneath helps keep the defense unpredictable.

However, Curl’s value is his physicality. He’s consistently been one of their more reliable tacklers on the back end of the defense. His 122 tackles last season trailed only Nate Landman on the team. Curl had 32 stops via PFF which ranked fifth among safeties. The Rams rely on Curl to make tackles in space because he can fit the run at the third level and has the range to make tackles on the perimeter.

The Depth Behind Curl

The Rams don’t have another player who could fill Curl’s role. While they have Jaylen McCollough, he’s more comfortable playing in the box and can be limited in coverage. Tanner Ingle brings a physical presence, but is best suited on special teams.

If the Rams were forced to be without Curl, Quentin Lake’s role would be limited and Shula couldn’t be as creative with how he uses the safeties in the defense. The Rams are able to operate out of dime because they have players like Curl who can be effective in a lighter formation. His ability to tackle in space against the run while remaining effective in coverage gives Shula that flexibility.

What Happens if Things Go Wrong

Safeties have become an important part of Shula’s defense and Curl plays an important role in how all of that comes together. Curl allows the Rams to maximize Quentin Lake and play out of dime on early downs to get three safeties on the field. The Rams lack talent at linebacker and Curl allows the Rams to make up for that deficit and protect players like Nate Landman and Omar Speights in coverage.

Curl’s versatility and physical presence allows the Rams defense to hit its ceiling in the secondary. Without that, the Rams become more vulnerable to the explosive, back-breaking plays that hurt them in 2024 and the back-half of 2025.

Why We Ranked Curl Here

While the 2024 season may not have met expectations for Curl, he became a valuable piece of the secondary last season. The Rams want to operate out of nickel and dime sub-packages and Curl makes a lot of that possible. He can play deep, but also come down into the box and cover some of the limitations that the Rams have at linebacker. He’s physical enough to reliably make tackles in space and good enough in coverage to match up with tight ends.

Curl may not be as important as someone like Quentin Lake in the secondary, but he is one of Shula’s more important chess pieces in the secondary. He helps bridge the gap between the second and third levels, which gives the defense flexibility to do more.

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