One of the underrated aspects of the Los Angeles Rams’ divisional round playoff win over the Chicago Bears was how they adjusted at corner and forced three interceptions on Caleb Williams.
Corner has been the Achilles heel of the Rams team for the 2025 season. Bigger receivers—AJ Brown, Michael Wilson, and others—have abused this secondary for very productive outings. It has swayed the outcomes of games and almost cost them an opening postseason victory against the Carolina Panthers.
But credit to the Rams for adapting and finding a solution to win against the Bears. Let’s take a deeper dive into what changes they made, how the depth chart could shake out moving forward, and what the plan could be for 2026.
LA’s adjustments versus Bears
The Rams started the game with Cobie Durant and Roger McCreary on the outside. This forced usual starter Emmanuel Forbes to the bench. Darious Williams, who was inactive in recent weeks, opened as a backup.
Forbes played some in the first half but (1) suffered a shoulder injury that limited him and (2) did not play well over his four snaps. The former first round pick was targeted on half of his reps and allowed two catches for 32 yards. Not great.
Durant was on the field for 54 of 81 (67%) defensive snaps. He received the team’s highest Pro Football Focus (PFF) coverage grade out of the corner group at 71.4. Durant also caught two of the team’s three interceptions. His playing time was more sparce in the second half, though he did pick off Williams in the third quarter.
McCreary was involved in 42 plays (52%) for his largest role so far with the Rams. Williams played 62 snaps which is good for the highest snap ratio at 77%.
For the second half the Rams opened with Darious Williams and McCreary on the outside. McCreary performed well, though I’m still not sure whether Williams is a better option than Durant. Here’s how the group fared in coverage overall:
- Durant: 3/8 for 25 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT’s, 1 PBU
- McCreary: Wasn’t targeted
- Williams: 3/5 for 33 yards
Who should start moving forward?
It’s clear that McCreary has earned the opportunity to start the next game. The bigger question is who should play opposite of him.
Durant’s interception production so far into the playoffs—three through two games—shows that his ball skills are valuable even if he is bested by bigger receivers. Williams may be more steady on a down-to-down basis; however, the turnover battle decides outcomes in the postseason and it’s difficult to make too convincing of a case against Durant.
I’d like to see the Rams roll with McCreary and Durant on the outside and then mix in Williams situationally.
The plan for 2026
The only corners under contract for 2026 are Quentin Lake (if you count him), Josh Wallace, Emmanuel Forbes, and Darious Williams. Williams isn’t likely to be back as he’s nearing the end of his career. The Rams can save nearly 7.5M against the salary cap by moving on.
Wallace proved his worth as a backup to Lake and is worth keeping around. He also plays a role on special teams.
Could the Rams give up on Forbes after spending the last year and a half investing in his development? Their patience has paid dividends, though there have been more low moments than highs.
Los Angeles should also consider retaining Durant and/or McCreary with an extension. While Durant is undersized for an outside corner and isn’t a favorable matchup against bigger targets, the Rams could do worse if they move on. Durant has impressive ball skills that date back to his college production. McCreary still remains an unknown but could be playing his way into a new deal by performing well in the most important games.
If you haven’t read Venie Randy Soares’ preview of the 2026 NFL Draft for corners, it’s very apt to this conversation. Even if Lake, Wallace, Forbes, and/or Durant/McCreary return, the Rams must future proof this position or add younger talent.
Even if the Rams are improving at corner from where they started the postseason, the group is almost certain to look a lot different into 2026.
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