Tag: Cobie Durant

Cobie Durant was the No. 1 slot CB in this key stat last season

No slot cornerback in the NFL allowed a lower passer rating than Cobie Durant last season, an encouraging sign for 2023

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There are a lot of reasons to be concerned about the Rams defense heading into the 2023 season after they split with all of their stars outside of Aaron Donald. However, Cobie Durant gives fans plenty of reasons to be excited about the defense, too.

Durant didn’t get a lot of playing time as a fourth-round rookie, playing just a third of the defensive snaps, but he absolutely made the most of his opportunities when they came. He picked off three passes, returned them for an NFL-high 151 yards and also had a sack.

He was particularly good in the slot, which is where he’s likely to play in 2023. In fact, there was no slot corner who allowed a lower passer rating in coverage last season than Durant. According to PFF, he ranked No. 1 in that category, allowing a passer rating of just 48.7 on 104 snaps in the slot.

Durant started off his career on the right foot in Los Angeles last season as a rookie. The 2022 fourth-round pick played just 281 snaps on the season, but 258 of those snaps came in the last six weeks. Primarily working from the slot, Durant posted a 74.3 coverage grade.

His best performance was against the Denver Broncos in Week 16, as he finished with a career-high 94.7 PFF grade. Durant played some in the slot as well as on the outside in that outing, in which he allowed just two receptions for 13 yards and also managed to snag two interceptions. With Jalen Ramsey departing to Miami, Durant will have his opportunity to shine in 2023.

Former Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey also made the top 10, coming in at No. 10 on the list with a passer rating of 79.7 allowed on 136 slot snaps last season. It would’ve been fun to see Ramsey and Durant play a full season as starters together, but that unfortunately won’t happen after Los Angeles traded Ramsey to the Dolphins.

Durant is all but locked in as a starter in the secondary but who starts alongside him remains to be seen. Derion Kendrick is having a strong offseason, Robert Rochell could be poised for a bounce-back season, Shaun Jolly is competing for snaps in the slot and rookie Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson – once he returns from his hamstring injury in training camp – will be in the mix, too.

It’s a young, unproven cornerback group, but one that could surprise a lot of people in a positive way.

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Raheem Morris sees Cobie Durant, Shaun Jolly as potential replacements for Jalen Ramsey at ‘star’ position

Raheem Morris believes that Cobie Durant or Shaun Jolly could replace Jalen Ramsey at the ‘star’ position for the Rams in 2023.

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Jalen Ramsey played the “star” position for the Los Angeles Rams since Brandon Staley was the defensive coordinator and Raheem Morris continued to deploy him in that role, lining up Ramsey in the slot fairly often. With the Rams trading Ramsey earlier this offseason, Morris believes that guys like Cobie Durant and Shaun Jolly could fill the All-Pro cornerback’s previous role.

“It’s hard to even mention Jalen, because like he’s the prototype for every position. But when you talk about what it is, it’s really the increased toughness. It’s really the short space quickness, and when you put a guy like Cobie and you put a young Jolly in there, they definitely have those tools and those attributes,” Morris said. “They definitely lack the size that Jalen had, which is kind of unique. But those are the things that we look for. Those are things that you look for in just around the league in general. And those guys that we have right now going out to getting those reps are certainly showing those attributes and being able to do some of those things. Jalen provided sort of a unique ability just with his size, either outside corner or whether you played him inside, I don’t think it really mattered. (He’s) kind of unique in his own right.”

The “star” position allowed Ramsey to be moved around on the defensive side of the ball, primarily putting him in the slot to give him more playmaking opportunities. Not every cornerback is as talented as Ramsey, though, especially with his size, length and physicality.

Replacing Ramsey is easier said than done, but Morris is confident in what he’s seen from Durant and Jolly thus far. Durant, who is 5-foot-11 and around 180 pounds, tallied three interceptions and led all NFL players with 151 interception return yards as a rookie in 2022.

Meanwhile, Jolly is listed at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds as an undrafted free agent entering his second year in the NFL. Jolly was only active in two games for the Rams last season and his six total snaps came on special teams.

Even though there is plenty of time between now and the start of the 2023 season, Morris seemingly views Durant and Jolly as the current frontrunners to replace Ramsey in the “star” role.

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PFF names Cobie Durant a breakout candidate for Rams in 2023

PFF sees Cobie Durant as a breakout candidate for the Rams as he enters Year 2 in the NFL

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The Los Angeles Rams are going to be relying heavily on their younger players in 2023, including a host of second-year pros from the 2022 draft. They’ll need at least a few of them to step up and become above-average starters, helping make up for the losses suffered this offseason – which include Jalen Ramsey, Leonard Floyd and Bobby Wagner.

One potential breakout candidate: Cobie Durant, a fourth-round pick out of South Carolina State in 2022.

Pro Football Focus named one breakout candidate for every team in the NFL and for the Rams, Durant was the pick. After a rookie season that included a pick-six and three total interceptions in just 281 snaps played on defense, Durant could be in for a big second season in L.A.

Durant didn’t play much until late in his rookie season, but he will be thrust into a starting position with the departure of Jalen Ramsey.

The former fourth-round pick did flash potential when he got onto the field, and he ended the season with a 75.2 PFF grade that ranked 18th among cornerbacks. He was especially good in a nationally televised Christmas Day game against the Broncos, where he picked off two passes and returned one for a touchdown.

On paper, Durant is the Rams’ top corner right now. He’s ahead of Derion Kendrick and Robert Rochell, who could be the other two starters at the position for Los Angeles. Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, a rookie sixth-rounder, could also factor into the mix.

If the Rams are going to stay afloat on defense without the stars they lost this offseason, Durant will need to be a big part of it.

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Cobie Durant: ‘All positions’ in Rams secondary are open for competition

Cobie Durant sees a lot of open position battles in the Rams’ secondary, locking no one in as a starter

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Jalen Ramsey, David Long Jr., Taylor Rapp and Nick Scott are all gone from the Rams secondary. All four were starters last season, along with Troy Hill, who remains a free agent.

With those players gone, the Rams’ secondary is in rebuild mode, similar to the rest of the roster. It’s hard to lock in any single player as a starter right now, aside from maybe Jordan Fuller, but eventually, the starting corners and safeties will begin to separate from the pack.

Cobie Durant is one player worth watching closely this year because he has perhaps the highest ceiling of any defensive back on the Rams’ roster. His goal is to earn a starting spot, but he says that’s the case for everyone in the secondary and that all spots are up for grabs.

“Yeah, it’s a goal for everybody on the backend,” Durant said this week. “I feel like all positions is open and they’re gonna play the best. Going through OTAs and walk into a training camp, wherever the coaches want us to play, we’ll play. Everybody knows every position, so it’s good.”

On paper, Durant, Derion Kendrick and Robert Rochell look like they’ll be the three starters at cornerback initially. Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson and Shaun Jolly will try to grab one of those top three spots, too, as will a host of undrafted rookies.

The safety position is equally up for grabs with Russ Yeast, Quentin Lake, Jason Taylor II and others competing to presumably start alongside Fuller. However, even Fuller will have to earn his spot in this wide-open secondary.

Competition is good on the football field and the Rams hope it will bring out the best in their players.

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Cobie Durant shares his first impressions of Rams DBs coach Aubrey Pleasant

Cobie Durant shared his initial thoughts on Aubrey Pleasant, the DBs coach and passing game coordinator of the Rams.

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Besides having a new-look roster, the Los Angeles Rams shook things up with their coaching staff this offseason, including bringing back Aubrey Pleasant to coach the defensive backs. Entering his second year in the NFL, Cobie Durant spoke about his initial thoughts of Pleasant joining the coaching staff.

“He’s a great guy, man. I love how he coaches. It’s only my second year, it’s my first time ever really going through coaches,” Durant said Wednesday. “I went through a lot of coaches in college though but that’s kind of a different level. But just picking up back where we left off from last year and you know just really polishing up a little bit of the stuff that you know I had bad going on with my technique and things like that. But he’s a great coach, and holds accountability to us and to himself, too. So, you know, it’s great having him a part of this team.”

As a rookie in 2022, Durant got an opportunity to work with Jonathan Cooley, who was the defensive backs coach for the Rams. Cooley spent three years with the Rams before becoming the defensive backs coach of the Carolina Panthers earlier this offseason.

Despite Pleasant having to coach a group of young defensive backs, this isn’t his first time on Sean McVay’s staff. Pleasant was the Rams’ cornerbacks coach from 2017 to 2020 before spending time with the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers in the past two seasons.

Given the current state of the secondary, Durant is — by default — one of the veterans at cornerback right now. When getting a chance to speak about his new coach, it’s clear that Durant is excited to work with Pleasant during the offseason and upcoming season.

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PFF lists Cobie Durant as Rams’ early breakout candidate for 2023

PFF listed Cobie Durant as an early breakout candidate for the Rams in 2023.

It was a massively disappointing season for the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, but there were a few positives to come out of this season, including the emergence of rookie Cobie Durant. Following a productive rookie campaign, PFF listed Durant as a potential early breakout candidate for the Rams in 2023.

It was a rough season for the Rams, with injuries taking out almost every player of consequence, but rookie fourth-rounder Cobie Durant flashed some potential in limited snaps. Durant had three interceptions and two pass breakups from 25 targets, allowing a 76.3 passer rating into his coverage.

The fourth-round rookie out of South Carolina State suffered an injury early in the season that prevented him from earning a larger role in the secondary sooner. Despite playing 40 percent or more of the defensive snaps in only six games this season, Durant finished with three interceptions, five pass breakups, a defensive touchdown, and a league-high 151 interception yards.

After a stellar rookie season, Durant could see an expanded role in 2023 with Troy Hill and David Long Jr. set to hit free agency this offseason. Even though it was a forgettable season for the reigning Super Bowl champions, they may have found a long-term starter in Durant in last year’s draft.

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5 reasons for hope for the Rams in 2023

After a forgettable 2022 campaign for the Rams, here are 5 reasons why fans should be optimistic for next season.

After winning the Super Bowl a season ago, everything seemed to go awry for the Los Angeles Rams in 2022. Injuries, inconsistent performances, and other factors led to the Rams finishing the regular season with a 5-12 record.

Following a disappointing season, many believe that the Rams are trending downward in the coming years. Rather than taking a negative approach like many are, let’s take a glass-half-full approach for the Rams.

With that in mind, here are five reasons for hope for the Rams in 2023.

Grading every rookie from Rams’ 2022 draft class

We handed out grades for each rookie from the Rams’ 2022 draft class.

With the Los Angeles Rams taking an aggressive approach to acquire star players in exchange for early-round picks, the draft becomes even more important when it comes to finding depth and potential starters. The Rams made eight selections in the 2022 NFL draft at a variety of positions and they didn’t make their first pick until No. 104 overall.

After going 5-12 in the regular season in 2022, ESPN ranked the Rams’ draft class from a year ago as the second-least productive group of rookies in the NFL. The 2022 class for Los Angeles was comprised of Logan Bruss, Cobie Durant, Kyren Williams, Quentin Lake, Derion Kendrick, Daniel Hardy, Russ Yeast, and AJ Arcuri.

After getting a chance to watch the first-year players this season, here are our grades for each rookie in the Rams’ 2022 draft class.

5 players who could have bigger roles for Rams in 2023

Rams fans could see these 5 players take on larger roles with the team in 2023.

The NFL playoffs are underway, but the offseason is right around the corner. The Los Angeles Rams are among the teams that didn’t advance to the postseason in 2022 after securing an impressive Super Bowl victory in 2021.

Even though the Rams endured a bevy of injuries and they won only five games this season, it allowed them to get a decent look at some of their younger players. With the reigning Super Bowl champions looking to reconfigure their roster this offseason, some players could be asked to take on more next season.

Ahead of an offseason where the Rams will need to make some crucial decisions at multiple spots, here are five players who could have bigger roles with the team in 2023.

Rams 2022 season awards: MVP, Rookie of the Year, Breakout Player, and more

Following a disappointing season for the Rams, we handed out our own awards for the 2022 campaign.

The Los Angeles Rams had a rollercoaster season in 2022 following an impressive Super Bowl victory in 2021. After an overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 18, the Rams finished with 12 losses this season, which is the most in NFL history for a team that is coming off a Super Bowl win.

Injuries and other issues caused the Rams to trend downward this season, leading some to believe that Sean McVay could step away from coaching in the offseason. But before an undoubtedly active offseason begins for Los Angeles, there were some positives this season and some players deserve awards for their efforts.

While the NFL announces their official awards at a later date, we’ll be discussing who deserves the MVP, the Rookie of the Year, Breakout Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year awards for the Rams in 2022.