L. A. Rams position outlook 2021: Defensive backs

The Los Angeles Rams have two impact players they would like to keep in the fold hitting free agency in safety John Johnson III and slot defender Troy Hill. Along with those two, cornerback Darious Williams will be restricted free agent, and likely will be retained. The Rams had one of the most talented defensive backfields in the league last year. They have perhaps the best cornerback in the NFL in Jalen Ramsey and are deep at safety, even if they lose Johnson to another team in free agency.

Locks: Jalen Ramsey, Taylor Rapp, Jordan Fuller,
On the bubble: Nick Scott, Terrell Burgess, JuJu Hughes, Jake Gervase, J.R. Reed, Tyrique McGhee, David Long Jr., Dont’e Deayon.

Free agents: John Johnson III, Troy Hill, Darious Williams

The good: Ramsey had his best season as a pro in 2020. Under the direction of former defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, Ramsey moved all over the field, finishing with 42 tackles, nine pass breakups and an interception. Ramsey, 26, also showed he’s one of the best lockdown corners in the NFL, shutting down the likes of Pro Bowl receivers in DeAndre Hopkins, DK Metcalf and Mike Evans last season. For his effort, Ramsey earned first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. Hill had an impressive season, totaling 74 combined tackles, 10 pass breakups and three interceptions. Hill finished with an interception and fumble recovery returned for scores. Williams led the Rams with five interceptions and 16 pass breakups, including a 42-yard interception returned for a score in the NFL Wild Card round against the Seattle Seahawks. Johnson led the team with 105 combined tackles. He also had nine pass breakups and an interception. The Rams led the league in passing yardage allowed (191 yards per game) and passing touchdowns allowed (17).

The bad: Not a lot went wrong for L.A’s secondary last season, but according to Next Generation Stats, the Rams allowed 4.4 yards of average target separation against play action passes this season (worst in NFL). The Rams gave up 296 passing yards and two touchdown passes to Aaron Rodgers in a loss to Green Bay Packers in NFC Divisional playoff game with limited pass rush due to Aaron Donald’s rib injury.

The money: The Rams have a lot of quality, young depth on inexpensive deals for the upcoming season. Rapp ($919,882), Burgess ($814,518), Fuller ($780,000), Scott ($850,000), Hughes ($780,000), Reed ($780,000) and Gervase ($850,000) are all scheduled to make less than a million in base salary in 2021 if they make the final roster Week 1.

Draft priority: Johnson deservingly should get paid on the open market as one of the best, young safeties in the NFL. The Rams probably will be priced out of the market for Johnson. However, Rapp, Burgess and Scott should fill the void. Hughes, Reed and Gervase all showed they could contribute either in training camp or during the regular season. The Rams should look to fill in depth with undrafted rookies, and have done a nice job of finding back-end-of-roster players that have the traits to fit their scheme. Unless a talented player jumps off their board and falls to them during the draft when it’s time to make their pick, selecting a safety likely is not a priority.