How the Rams Can Unlock Kam Kinchens

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. With Kam Curl set to hit free agency, the Los Angeles Rams have an option to make a bold move at the safety position that could change their defensive operation for the better.

Could Byard's Veteran Presence Unlock Kinchens?

Pro Football Focus' Mason Cameron stated that Kevin Byard's best landing position would be with the Cincinnati Bengals, and for the same reasons Cameron likes Byard's fit with the Bengals, those are the same reasons he's a perfect fit for the Rams.

"Al Golden’s first year as the Bengals’ defensive coordinator was rife with growing pains," stated Cameron. "Among the most glaring was the inability to limit explosive receptions, as Cincinnati was the only team to allow more than 17% of passes go for 15 or more yards."

"Much of that comes down to the personnel not fitting the mold with which Golden aims to model his defense after: a single-high structure that plays sticky man coverage. As defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, Golden finished in the top 12 in Cover-1 usage each season, concluding in a staggering 52.3% rate in 2024 — the highest in the nation. If the Bengals hope to resemble that, it starts with the safety position."

"Byard is a true deep center fielder with natural ball-hawking skills. Over the past three seasons, the veteran safety has produced a 90.4 PFF coverage grade as the deep-free and deep-third defender. That capability allows him to make plays on the ball, having secured an NFL-leading seven interceptions for the Bears this past season. His experience would also provide a veteran voice in the coverage unit, something sorely lacking in Cincinnati this past season."

Why The Rams Should Grab Byard

Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula loves two things. Playing dime and using Cover three. Why? Because both allow Jaylen McCollough to be on the field as much as possible.

So if Shula loves to play McCollough close to the line of scrimmage and he's also clearly comfortable with Kam Kinchens playing close to the box, why not go all in with Byard to create an elite secondary?

Cover one and Cover three both require a single-high safety, which Byard would be, plus Emmanuel Forbes proved he can shut down Jaxon Smith-Njigba when his job is to cover the boundary. Byard would allow Quentin Lake, Kinchens, and McCollough to guard the box, Byard takes away most deep in cutting routes, the Rams' outside corners can handle the boundary, while Nate Landman could blitz more.

Dec 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams safety Kamren Kinchens (26) is seen during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

By having a player like Byard who can diagnose concepts, that would give Landman and Lake a solid line of communication in the secondary, allowing Shula to build defensive back blitzing concepts as well as disguised coverages to take advantage when the opposition tries to employ cover three beaters, especially the deep crosser.

Post snap movements from the defensive backs will limit the ability for the opposition to discover certain keys or tells and the second needed for quarterbacks to figure out the coverage is the second needed for the pass rush to strike.

That's the argument for Byard. Plus, like Kam Curl did, Byard plays every snap on defense. With Byard covering the top, the sure-handed Kinchens will be able to play closer to the ball more often.

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