The Rams Have Two Extra Superstars Hiding in Their Secondary

The Los Angeles Rams are putting together a unit that could be the best in the league

Jun 3, 2025; Woodland Hills, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula at press conference during organized team activities at Rams Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. The Los Angeles Rams poured over $200 million into their secondary this offseason but it's two players who were already in place that will greatly benefit from recent additions.

Safeties Kam Kinchens and Tank McCollough were welcomed additions from the 2024 draft class and after working through a rough start that season, both played big roles for the franchise moving forward.

They were at their best this season but the secondary as a whole appeared to fall apart after the Rams' victory over Tampa Bay. Here's why Kinchens and McCollough will star this season.

Kam Kinchens

Cerebral and athletic. Kinchens is everything you'd want in a safety and then some. Coming from the University of Miami, Kinchens had a reputation to uphold from his beloved alma mater. He has done so, becoming a versatile defender who can play the run and the pass.

His ball tracking skills are much improved with Kinchens continously taking smart angles while dissecting route patterns with efficiency. What's special about his game is that while he excels as a centerfielder, his true skills come when he plays closer to the line of scrimmage. His explosiveness creates tight windows, especially with his ability to lay a hit.

Jan 18, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Los Angeles Rams safety Kam Curl (3) celebrates with safety Kamren Kinchens (26) after intercepting a pass intended for Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (not pictured) during overtime of an NFC Divisional Round game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Even so, Kinchens is able to be switched out with Kam Curl for various situations, giving the Rams a strong partnership up top. The reason why Kinchens is set to breakout this season is due to everything around him. With Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson covering the boundary, Kam Curl will be able to cover the top.

That means the ball is going inside and if I'm envisioning Chris Shula's plan correctly, he's going to use defensive back pressure to induce hot throws and Shula is going to use Kinchens to predict where the ball is going and to make a play on it.

Tank McCollough

This is where McCollough steps up. He's a player that Shula loves. He's essentially Shula's version of Derwin James and he loves when McCollough attacks. McCollough put a hurting on Jalen Hurts, displaying his vicious hitting power and McCollough is set to be the tip of the spear that is the defensive secondary.

Dec 7, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Rams safety Jaylen McCollough (2) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Shula loves to squeeze quarterbacks with exterior pressure to either force the quarterback to step up and make a difficult throw, to set up into interior pressure, or to force an outside throw that is difficult to execute. Shula didn't have the height and speed on the outside to run man coverage, forcing McCollough to be a coverage defender last season. Now, Shula will unleash his ultimate weapon.