In an offseason of upheaval in the Los Angeles Rams’ secondary, cornerback Jalen Ramsey remains the constant. The group’s best player, sure, but also the team’s most vocal and enthusiastic recruiter.
Which is why it was no surprise to see Ramsey take to Twitter during the NFL draft encouraging Rams fans to “blow up” the mentions of then free-agent safety Tyrann Mathieu. Alas, Ramsey’s pursuit of Mathieu didn’t go far, as he signed with the New Orleans Saints.
Absent that one big move, the Rams weren’t shy about making plenty of other additions to a secondary that lost cornerback Darious Williams to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency.
Headlining the list was a trade that made Ramsey quite happy, as the Rams sent a 2023 fifth-round selection to the Cleveland Browns to re-acquire cornerback Troy Hill. Yes, the same Hill who played for the Rams from 2016-20 before signing a two-year, $9 million deal with Cleveland last offseason is back in the fold after the Rams struggled to replace him last season.
Armed with seven picks on Day 3 of the draft, the Rams spent four of those choices on defensive backs, adding South Carolina State cornerback Decobie Durant in the fourth round, UCLA safety Quentin Lake (sixth round), Georgia cornerback Derion Kendrick (sixth round) and Kansas State safety Russ Yeast (seventh round).
Prior to playing for the Browns last season, Troy Hill spent five seasons with the Rams, including a 2020 campaign in which he scored three defensive touchdowns. Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY Sports
“DB was definitely something we were going to strategically target,” Rams general manager Les Snead said. “There was a moment where players that we liked were still on the board and let’s double down, triple down.”
If nothing else, Hill’s return gives the Rams needed stability and versatility to complement Ramsey as the Rams sort through other options that include the aforementioned rookies and the likes of David Long Jr., Robert Rochell, Grant Haley and Tyler…
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