Cobie Durant and Derion Kendrick have both had some rough patches this season. Should the Rams consider switching things up a little?
The Los Angeles Rams came into this season with high expectations for both Derion Kendrick and Cobie Durant. Following the departures of Jalen Ramsey, David Long Jr. and Troy Hill, Kendrick and Durant were thrust into much larger roles as starters.
Unfortunately, it’s been mostly a mixed bad for the Rams’ two young corners. Kendrick has had some really positive moments and has allowed just 10 catches on 22 targets, but he’s also committed five penalties, which are the second-most by any cornerback in the NFL this season. And if you saw those penalties, you know they were costly. Three of them were defensive pass interference, two were horse collar tackles and one was a facemask, so we’re not talking about illegal contact or defensive holding for 5 yards.
As for Durant, he’s been much less consistent. He has a PFF grade of just 39.7 this season and has allowed 200 yards in coverage (15 receptions, 22 targets). Durant does have two pass breakups, but he’s also been called for two fouls, though neither of them went for very many yards: one pass interference and one holding.
Kendrick had a particularly tough time on Sunday against A.J. Brown, who caught two passes for 48 yards and two first downs against the Rams corner. Durant missed two tackles on crucial third-down plays, as well, allowing the Eagles to move the chains at inopportune times for the Rams.
On Monday, Sean McVay was asked for his evaluation of Kendrick and Durant thus far. He didn’t sound overly positive or encouraged, seeing plenty of room for them to learn and grow.
“I think a lot of learning. I thought DK, I thought the third-down-and-2 where they threw out the bubble screen and the possession before where he knocked that back. If they gain a yard right there, they’re running their patented sneak, which is a very difficult play to stop. So I thought that was a key and critical stop to force them to a field goal when they ended up going up 10-7. And then there are just some opportunities for learning. I think we can make sure that in that third down and one that they ended up hitting the explosive to A.J. Brown, you say, ‘OK, maybe we want to play it a little bit different technique wise.’ He wasn’t trying to horse collar him when he brought him down. He was just trying to bring him down by any means necessary and then there’s certain things, whether it be where we can help out with or the techniques and fundamentals when there’s seven seconds left in the half. Even though they had a timeout, you know the ball is probably got to go to the end zone and we just got to be smart and we got to be able to help him out. But he’s a resilient guy. I think he’s learned a lot. I think he’s done a lot of really good things and like anything else, you better have a short memory as a DB. He is mentally tough, and I think a lot of the same applies to Cobie Durant.”
By no means did McVay call out Kendrick or Durant, but he didn’t give them a ringing endorsement, either. Might it be time for the Rams to switch things up a little bit at cornerback and give some other guys opportunities.
The first player that comes to mind is Duke Shelley, who broke up a pass in the end zone during the second half on Sunday after Ahkello Witherspoon left due to cramping. The Rams signed Shelley just before the season began and have barely utilized him thus far, but he’s someone who can play in the slot or outside, having done both for the Vikings and Bears the last two years.
“I think there’s a good opportunity for guys to be able to earn some more snaps,” McVay said. “I’ve been pleased with those guys that have played a lot of snaps but been really pleased with Duke. I thought he did a nice job. He came in just a few weeks ago. I like the presence that he’s made on special teams. He’s a competitor. He’s played a lot of football. The game makes sense to him. He’s kind of one of us, if you will, in terms of just the way that he competes, the way that he goes about his business. And I was really pleased with the way that he played in those nine snaps, as you mentioned. And so, yeah, I think guys get what they earn. Exactly what the game plan looks like against Arizona, I’d be better equipped.”
Tre Tomlinson is another cornerback who fans have been clamoring to see after his standout preseason performance. He’s undersized like Shelley, but he showed in the preseason that he can hold up outside and cover bigger receivers.
I’m not saying the Rams should bench Kendrick entirely or give Durant no snaps moving forward, but it might be worth seeing what Shelley can do to help improve the coverage on the back end. Right now, they’re almost exclusively playing just three cornerbacks: Witherspoon, Durant and Kendrick. No other corner has played more than nine snaps this season.
You want your best players on the field and Witherspoon is one of them, but Kendrick and Durant have been a tad inconsistent.
