What is Rams’ plan at CB with Peters gone, Talib out?

What is the Rams' plan at CB with Marcus Peters gone, Aqib Talib out?

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Cameron DaSilva

In a matter of days, the Los Angeles Rams went from having two former Pro Bowlers at cornerback to having none at the position. Aqib Talib is being placed on injured reserve for the second straight season with a rib injury, and on Tuesday, the Rams sent Marcus Peters to the Ravens in an unexpected trade.

That leaves Nickell Robey-Coleman as a starter in the slot, but the rest of the depth chart gets questionable from there. Troy Hill started in place of Talib on Sunday and played relatively well, and behind him are Darious Williams and David Long Jr. – neither of whom have played a single snap on defense this season.

Surely, the Rams can’t go into Week 7 against the Atlanta Falcons with a combination of Hill and Williams or Long starting outside at cornerback, right? It’s certainly possible, based on the way things are looking right now.

The team obviously has a lot of confidence in Hill after re-signing him to a two-year contract this year. He’s not a proven starter in the NFL, but he has shown flashes of being a very capable cover man; in the playoffs two seasons ago, he shined against the Falcons.

But, it’s dangerous for the Rams to bet on him in such a big way by making him a full-time starter moving forward. For as many times as he’s looked good at cornerback, he’s had more instances of being burned in coverage by opposing receivers.

It’s a completely different story with Williams and Long. Long has been inactive every week so far as a rookie, which is discouraging for a third-round pick. Williams has four career snaps on defense in his career, which came in Week 17 last year.

Their lack of experience is concerning, which makes the prospect of them starting troublesome for Los Angeles. But what if the team doesn’t plan to start either player in the near future?

There’s a possibility the trade of Peters is just the first domino to fall. There are three big-name cornerbacks seemingly available for trade: Patrick Peterson, Chris Harris Jr. and Jalen Ramsey. The Rams haven’t been linked to any of them, and there’s no indication a trade is on the horizon, but it absolutely can’t be ruled out.

The Rams freed up nearly $5 million in cap space in the two trades they made on Tuesday, which tuned-in fans noticed. That gives them about $7.5 million to spend this year, which with some more maneuvering would be enough to land any of the players mentioned above.

Moving Peters and acquiring any of the three would be viewed as a win for the Rams, upgrading the cornerback position by parting ways with a player who was set to be a free agent after this season anyway. That doesn’t account for the draft picks required to trade for Harris, Peterson or Ramsey, but on paper, they would all be upgrades.

The Rams are arguably the most aggressive team in the NFL when it comes to trades, both in-season and during the offseason. Les Snead has shown in the past that he’s willing to make any move necessary, and none of these should be ruled out.

The Rams clearly need help at cornerback and can’t go the rest of the season with Williams or Long starting at one of the two spots. Something bigger could be on the horizon, so don’t hit the panic button on any potential tanking going on in L.A. just yet.