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The Los Angeles Rams will have two new starters at safety this season after letting Taylor Rapp and Nick Scott walk in free agency. We know Jordan Fuller is most likely going to be one of them, but the other spot seems to be wide open.
Unless it isn’t.
During an interview with J.B. Long, McVay talked about three second-year defensive backs who have really stood out this offseason and will be counted on to be key members of the defense. He unsurprisingly mentioned Cobie Durant and Derion Kendrick, two projected starters at cornerback, but he then named Russ Yeast.
He’s not committing to Yeast as the starter next to Fuller, but it’s still a strong statement to say he’ll be a big part of the defense – especially because he didn’t mention another second-year safety, Quentin Lake.
Yeast and Lake are projected to be the top competitors for the second safety spot and Yeast might have an edge in that battle right now.
“I think guys that have really stood out, when you start on the back end: Decobie Durant, Derion Kendrick, Russ Yeast,” McVay said. “Those are three guys that are gonna have – we’re counting on them to be big parts of what we’re doing. And gosh, they’ve taken great steps in the right direction. Aubrey Pleasant does such a great job with that group. Chris Beake, Mike Harris, they’ve got a competitive swag about themselves. Love what they’ve done.”
Yeast was active for 15 games and made one start, but he mostly played special teams as a rookie before eventually getting a shot at safety late in the year. He had 10 tackles in his final three games, including one tackle for a loss.
He’s an aggressive defender and big hitter, which makes him a nice complement to Fuller at safety. Both Yeast and Fuller are primarily free safeties – Yeast played 103 of his 113 snaps there in 2022 and Fuller played 63% of his at free safety in 2021, according to PFF – but the Rams should be able to use them interchangeably in the box and back deep.
Yeast could replace Scott in a more traditional free safety role and as the enforcer in the secondary, which is a valuable type of player for a young defense to have. Yeast certainly seems like a player to watch this summer leading into the 2023 season.
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