Tag: Cobie Durant

Jalen Ramsey gave Cobie Durant a shoutout for his awesome game vs. Vikings

Jalen Ramsey was tuned in for the Rams’ win over the Vikings and he loved what he saw from his former teammate Cobie Durant

When you’re in the playoffs, everyone’s watching. And on Monday night, the world got to see the Los Angeles Rams blow out the Minnesota Vikings in a 27-9 victory that was never really close.

Among those watching? Jalen Ramsey. The former Rams cornerback was tuned in to the game and he loved what he saw from former teammate Cobie Durant. He gave the man they call “landshark” a shoutout on X, recognizing the stellar performance he put together against the Vikings.

Durant recorded two tackles, a sack and an interception in the win, allowing only one reception for 7 yards in the victory.

For a player who lost his starting job to Ahkello Witherspoon after suffering a lung injury, this was a fantastic performance by the Rams’ young cornerback. He played a pivotal role in the win over Minnesota, seeing increased snaps and a greater impact as a result.

The Rams are deep at cornerback and Durant’s showing proves just how talented their secondary is when everyone’s healthy.

Rams have a ‘champagne problem’ at cornerback entering the playoffs

Ahkello Witherspoon’s emergence has made Cobie Durant a backup, but Sean McVay says that’s a good problem to have

No position group has undergone more changes for the Los Angeles Rams this season than the cornerback unit. Five different corners have started at least one game for the Rams, and that’s not even including Quentin Lake, who plays safety and nickel.

As of late, Chris Shula and Sean McVay have seemingly found their ideal starting tandem on the outside with Ahkello Witherspoon and Darious Williams. The decision has resulted in Cobie Durant being benched, playing zero snaps in the last two weeks despite being the Rams’ best cornerback at times this season.

That’s largely because of Witherspoon’s impressive play as of late, breaking up six passes in the last three games alone – including the game-saving interception against the Cardinals on Saturday night.

As difficult as the decision to bench Durant was, McVay says it’s a good problem to have three starting cornerbacks on the roster.

“He’s been great and he’s been a pro’s pro,” McVay said of Durant on the “Coach McVay Show” this week. “He was awesome against Buffalo in a lot of situations. Ends up having the lung contusion. (We) ended up kind of riding the hot hand but he couldn’t have been more of a pro in terms of, he knows the confidence we have in him. And then you always have to make decisions for what’s best that week. Like you said, it’s a champagne problem to have three quality starting corners when you look at he, Darious Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon.”

Durant has taken his demotion in stride, and McVay loves that he was the first player off the bench to celebrate Witherspoon’s interception against Arizona. As badly as he wants to be out there, Durant is a complete team player and will wait for his next opportunity, whenever it arises.

Rams Week 17 snap counts: Cobie Durant benched again, Blake Corum not involved

For the second straight week, Cobie Durant didn’t see the field. Blake Corum also saw his fewest snaps since Week 9.

The Los Angeles Rams have had to make countless changes and adjustments this season due to injury, but they’ve also adjusted their personnel out of choice. That’s currently the case in the secondary where the Rams have settled on a new starting tandem at cornerback.

For the second straight week, Cobie Durant was on the bench and didn’t play a single snap. Ahkello Witherspoon remains a starter opposite Darious Williams, playing just about every snap for the second consecutive game. Durant only lost his job after getting injured in Week 14, too.

There weren’t many changes on offense for the Rams in Saturday’s win over the Cardinals but Blake Corum saw his playing time greatly reduced, playing just three snaps in the game.

Offense

Joe Noteboom filled in for the injured Rob Havenstein and played every snap despite struggling mightily against the Cardinals’ pass rush, which isn’t very good to begin with.

Kyren Williams played 54 of a possible 57 snaps, leaving only three plays for Corum as the backup. Corum carried it on all three of those plays but he finished the game with minus-4 yards.

Puka Nacua played all but three snaps, with Cooper Kupp playing 48 of 54 and Demarcus Robinson seeing the field for 45 snaps. Nacua caught 10 passes but Kupp and Robinson combined for just one reception. Jordan Whittington caught a pass for the first time since October but he played just nine snaps, as did Tutu Atwell.

At tight end, it was once again a mix of all four players. Colby Parkinson played 23 snaps, followed by Tyler Higbee (17), Hunter Long (13) and Davis Allen. Higbee was the only one to catch a pass, hauling in two for 9 yards.

Defense

Durant had been playing well for the Rams at cornerback, which makes his benching somewhat surprising. Witherspoon played well and had a game-saving interception, so it seems he’s got a strong grip on the starting job. However, even Josh Wallace is getting snaps before Durant as a reserve cornerback.

Quentin Lake was the only defender to play every snap, as he typically does. Kamren Curl played all but two snaps, Kamren Kinchens played 62% of the plays and Jaylen McCollough played 28%.

Chrisitan Rozeboom played 90% of the snaps as the primary inside linebacker, but Omar Speights still got plenty of playing time, seeing the field for 71% of the snaps.

Jared Verse led the edge rushers with an 82% snap share, one play more than Byron Young. Michael Hoecht played 49% of the snaps on defense and made a huge play on special teams by blocking the Cardinals’ PAT.

Braden Fiske and Kobie Turner each played 71% of the snaps to lead the defensive line. Bobby Brown III played 34%, Tyler Davis played 33%, while Neville Gallimore and Desjuan Johnson played 11% each.

Sean McVay explains why Cobie Durant played zero snaps vs. Jets

Ahkello Witherspoon got the start over Cobie Durant despite both players being healthy, and Sean McVay explained the reason for that

Cobie Durant missed the Los Angeles Rams’ Week 15 win over the San Francisco 49ers after suffering a lung contusion in the game prior. Ahkello Witherspoon filled in and played well, helping shut down the 49ers’ receivers in a 12-6 win.

Durant was cleared to play against the New York Jets and was a full participant in the final two days of practice, but he didn’t see the field for a single snap on Sunday. It was Witherspoon who got the start and played every snap opposite Darious Williams, raising some questions about Durant’s status.

Sean McVay was asked Monday about the decision to start Witherspoon over Durant and it doesn’t sound like it was based on Cobie’s health. It was simply a coaching decision to go with Witherspoon over Durant.

“I think he’s played really well over the last couple weeks,” McVay said of Witherspoon. “Cobie is getting back off the lung contusion against Buffalo. He’s a guy that we have tremendous confidence in, but thought Ahkello and Darious had played really well against San Fran. Cobie’s a guy that has played at a high clip this year. It’s a nice luxury to be able to have three guys that we look at as truly starting corners. We have some guys that can be flexible in terms of playing that star position or the safety position.”

Durant has arguably been the Rams’ best and most consistent cornerback all year, which makes this decision somewhat surprising. In 419 coverage snaps, he’s allowed just 338 yards, which is only 23 more yards than Witherspoon has allowed in 255 coverage snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

Witherspoon has made some key plays for the Rams on deep passes and has four total deflections in the last two games, but Durant hasn’t allowed more than 27 yards in any of his last four games. Perhaps he simply wasn’t fully up to speed coming off the injury, so the Rams leaned on Witherspoon instead.

McVay loves what he’s seen from Witherspoon lately and he could continue to utilize the veteran cornerback heavily moving forward despite Durant’s strong season.

“I’ve been really pleased with the Ahkello. I think he’s played really well,” McVay continued. “I think he’s competitive. He has good length and he has the ability to be sticky in coverage, especially on short (and) intermediate (routes). I think he has really played the ball well down the field with some of his look and lean techniques and fundamentals. I’ve thought Ahkello has played really well these last two weeks. He’s had some key and critical stops in some really important down and distances that’ve been huge for our defense both against the Niners and yesterday against the Jets.”

As McVay said, it’s a good problem to have. In the NFL, a team can never have too many cornerbacks and although the Rams don’t really rotate theirs much, depth is going to be valuable down the stretch.

Rams Week 16 snap counts: Tyler Higbee limited in return, Cobie Durant held out again

Tyler Higbee’s snaps may have been limited but his impact on the field Sunday certainly was not

Tyler Higbee made his long-awaited return to the field on Sunday after missing the first 14 games of the season and fittingly, he found the end zone in his 2024 debut. He was expected to play a limited role in his first game back and though he didn’t have a normal workload, his impact on the offense was certainly felt.

On defense, it was much of the same for the Rams in terms of playing time and positional rotations, but Cobie Durant was noticeably absent despite being cleared to play after bruising his lung two weeks ago.

Here’s a look at the full snap counts on each side of the ball from the Rams’ Week 16 win over the Jets on Sunday.

Offense

Every time it seems like Blake Corum is carving out a role for himself, Kyren Williams gets the lion’s share of carries and snaps. Williams played 43 of a possible 52 snaps, with Corum playing just nine snaps in the win.

At wide receiver, Puka Nacua led the way with an 81% snap share, followed by Cooper Kupp (77%) and Demarcus Robinson (73%). Sean McVay has been reluctant to get anyone else involved, giving Jordan Whittington only 12 snaps and Tutu Atwell 11.

Higbee got the start in his return, playing the first snaps with the offense, but he was technically third on the depth chart in playing time. He saw just 14 snaps in his return, fewer than Hunter Long (19) and Colby Parkinson (17). Davis Allen played 12 snaps, too, so it was a collective group effort from that position group.

Defense

For the second straight week, Ahkello Witherspoon got the start and played every snap. Durant was active after missing Week 15 but he never got on the field, likely because of the lingering effects from his lung contusion – an injury that doesn’t mix well with frigid conditions. Darious Williams was the other starting cornerback once again, with Quentin Lake and Kamren Curl playing every snap, too.

Kamren Kinchens played 72% of the snaps as the second safety alongside Curl, with Jaylen McCollough playing 45%. McCollough had a career-high nine tackles in only 31 snaps. No other defensive backs got on the field.

Christian Rozeboom played 96% of the defensive snaps as the top inside linebacker, with Omar Speights playing 55% next to him. The Rams were in nickel and dime packages often to match the Jets’ personnel.

Jared Verse led the edge rushers with an 80% snap share, higher than usual for him. Byron Young played 71%, with Michael Hoecht playing 54% of the snaps. No other edge rushers got on the field.

Along the defensive line, Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske played 50 and 49 snaps, respectively. Bobby Brown III saw a much lower snap share with only 14 plays, fewer than even Tyler Davis (20) and Neville Gallimore (17). Desjuan Johnson played seven total snaps.

Sean McVay shares positive injury update on Cobie Durant for Week 16

Cobie Durant missed the Rams’ Week 15 win over the 49ers but he could return this weekend against the Jets

The Los Angeles Rams were forced to face the San Francisco 49ers without their top cornerback in Week 15, losing Cobie Durant to a chest injury the week prior against the Buffalo Bills.

Durant has been outstanding in coverage all year so his absence hurt the secondary, but Ahkello Witherspoon stepped up and played well opposite Darious Williams.

Sean McVay provided an update on Durant’s status for Week 16, telling reporters on Monday that he’s trending in the right direction ahead of the Rams’ game against the Jets this weekend. It sounds like he has a real shot to play against New York, which is big for the Rams considering how talented the Jets’ receiving corps is with Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson.

Assuming Durant returns against the Jets, he’ll be the starter on one side with Williams likely manning the other cornerback spot. Witherspoon played well enough against the 49ers to earn more playing time, but Los Angeles doesn’t exactly have a void in the secondary for him to fill.

Cobie Durant has been the NFL’s best 3rd-down CB based on this key stat

Don’t try Cobie Durant on third down because the Rams CB has allowed a passer rating of 0.0 this season

By no means has it been a perfect season for any of the Los Angeles Rams’ cornerbacks, but Cobie Durant has certainly had his moments of solid play in the secondary. He’s allowed a completion rate of only 61.4%, the second-lowest on the team, and he’s broken up more passes (3) than he’s allowed touchdowns (1).

His best play has come on third down, too, which has helped the Rams defense get off the field. According to Next Gen Stats, Durant has allowed a passer rating of 0.0 on third down this season, the lowest of any cornerback in the NFL this season.

He’s only given up two receptions on nine targets on third down, totaling 18 yards with one interception. He and Derek Stingley of the Texans are the only two cornerbacks in the NFL who have allowed a passer rating below 15.0 on third down.

Durant has mostly been an outside cornerback this season, which is where he’s been at his best. Of his 672 snaps played, 469 have been as an outside corner, according to Pro Football Focus.

When lined up in the slot, he’s allowed 182 yards on only 16 targets compared to the 130 yards he’s given up on 28 targets as an outside corner. The Rams have been forced to play him inside out of necessity but the more they can keep him on the boundary, the better off they’ll be.

After a down year in 2023, Durant has bounced back nicely this season.

We have yet another Player of the Week come out of matchup with Raiders

Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson is the latest to earn Player of the Week honors from teeing off on the Raiders.

It seems like an almost weekly occurrence now. Player who face the Raiders this season having their best games and being named Player of the Week because of it. The latest is this week’s AFC Defensive Player of the Week Trey Hendrickson.

Hendrickson put up a career-high four sacks along with a pass breakup and forced fumble in the Bengals’ 41-24 win over the Raiders on Sunday. He took full advantage of the Raiders’ injury issues at left tackle, getting his first sack while facing primary backup Andrus Peat and the other three while lining up across from third stringer Thayer Munford.

A couple of Hendrickson’s rushes again Munford made the rounds on social media. One in which he was run around flat footed and the other where he was knocked onto his back.

This is the third time in the past five weeks a Player of the Week came out of a matchup with the Raiders.

The first time was Week 5 AFC Defensive Player of the Week CB Patrick Surtain who had two interceptions, including a pick six in the Broncos’ 34-18 win over the Raiders.

The other time was  Week 7 NFC Defensive Player of the Week Cobie Durant who had and interception, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble that was returned for a touchdown in a 20-15 win over the Raiders.

This is getting to be a real theme for the Raiders this season. They’ve often been called the cure for what ails you, but lately they’ve been the gift that keeps on giving.

Raiders help another opponent win Defensive Player of the Week award

For the second time in three games, we have a Defensive Player of the Week winner after facing the Raiders. This time Rams CB Cobie Durant.

It’s long been said that facing the Raiders is the cure for what ails you. In some cases this season, it has led to awards. We are now at two times in the past three weeks it has happened.

This week’s NFC Defensive Player of the Week is Rams CB Cobie Durant.

Two weeks ago it was Broncos’ Pat Surtain who won it after he had two interceptions against the Raiders including a 100-yard pick six.

Just like Surtain, Durant was either responsible or the recipient on two of the Raiders turnovers in Sunday’s loss. On leading to a defensive touchdown.

Durant’s first play was breaking up a pass for Brock Bowers to end the Raiders first scoring drive and they settled for a field goal.

Later in the second quarter, he made the first interception of the game, giving the Rams the ball at the Vegas 47 and leading to the first touchdown.

Not four minutes later, he shot up the middle unblocked on the blitz and hit Gardner Minshew as he attempted to throw, knocking the ball out. It was then picked up by Kam Curl and returned for the second touchdown of the game.

And suddenly what was a 3-0 Raiders lead, was not a 14-3 Rams lead.

Cobie Durant wins NFC Defensive Player of the Week for dominant game vs. Raiders

Cobie Durant had one of his best games ever and was recognized by the NFL for it, earning a weekly award

Cobie Durant only played about half the game on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, but the third-year cornerback made the most of his opportunities. In the Los Angeles Rams’ 20-15 win, Durant made two tackles, had one sack, forced a fumble, intercepted a pass and had another deflection, stuffing the stat sheet in Week 7.

The NFL recognized his performance and awarded him NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. It’s the first time he’s won the award and he certainly deserved it this week for the dominance he showed on Sunday afternoon.

Durant’s interception led to a Rams touchdown on the very next possession, and his forced fumble on a blitz off the edge led to a fumble and a recovery by Kam Curl, who returned it 33 yards for a touchdown. Those two plays were the difference in the game, as the Rams may not have won if not for Durant creating the turnovers that he did.