Brandon Staley will deploy a new-look defense in his first year as the Rams’ defensive coordinator, and there’s one aspect of his scheme that should be close to a no-brainer. He and the Rams would be wise to utilize man coverage often this season, given the strengths of their cornerbacks.
Jalen Ramsey, in particular, is excellent in man coverage – and has been since he came into the NFL. Last season, he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 10th-best cornerback in man coverage with a mark of 68.7.
He was the only Rams corner to make PFF’s list, though Troy Hill also seemed to thrive when the Rams went to their man-heavy defense toward the second half of the season. Here’s what PFF wrote about Ramsey and his man-coverage abilities.
An interesting component of this with Ramsey is that the Rams bumped their man usage significantly once he joined the team. From Weeks 1 through 6, the Rams utilized man coverage on 19% of their coverage snaps (30th in NFL). That number rose to 34% over the remainder of the season (18th). His PFF grading may fall under the good-not-great category bar an outstanding showing in 2017, but that doesn’t mean you should mistake Ramsey for merely being good. He remains one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL.
Wade Phillips used zone coverage a lot early in the season with Marcus Peters, but after Peters was dealt to the Ravens, things changed. Ramsey’s arrival and Hill’s emergence caused the Rams to use more man coverage, which worked well.
Staley would be smart to continue this trend with a similar group of cornerbacks led by Ramsey and Hill. In college, David Long was one of the best corners in man coverage, and even Darious Williams showed flashes of potential when given chances at the end of last season.
Sean McVay wants the defense to be more “multiple” and able to adapt by week, so the scheme will likely depend on the opponent, too. If there’s a clear No. 1 cornerback, expect the Rams to stick Ramsey on him in man coverage. If a quarterback succeeds more against man than zone, then Staley could opt for more zone calls.
But the Rams should certainly be in man coverage more than they were in the beginning of last season.