The Los Angeles Rams may have an ideal solution to their perceived need at cornerback readily available to them in veteran free agent Stephon Gilmore.
Gilmore is heading into his 14th NFL season.
Gilmore, the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year, is also a five-time Pro Bowler, two-time First Team All-Pro, and one-time Super Bowl champion. After spending 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings, Gilmore is back on the free agent market, searching for the “right situation.”
“I want to play this year. It’s just got to be the right situation. You know what I’m saying? So, it’s got to be the right situation for me. So, I’m not just going to sign anywhere,” Gilmore said on “The Money Down Podcast” on July 3. “It’s got to be the right situation. I still love the game, I still can contribute, and it’s just got to be the right place.”
Former Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Warren Herring, a host on the show with Gilmore’s former New England Patriots teammate James White, urged Gilmore to “come to LA.”
“Come over to LA. We like you in the blue and gold. You did it to us once. Now, get us one. You owe us one. Come on, dawg,” Herring told Gilmore, referring to the Patriots’ Super Bowl victory over the Rams following the 2018 season.
“We need some veteran presence in the room. We’d love to have you.”
Stephon Gilmore Could Address Rams’ ‘Lingering Question’
GettyMinnesota Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore #2 warms up before a game against the Houston Texans.
Herring’s assertion rings true for the Rams beyond leadership, with their general depth also a question heading into training camp.
The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue listed whether or not Rams had “enough firepower” at the position as their “one lingering question” heading into the next phase of the NFL calendar, which starts on July 22 for LA’s rookies and veterans alike.
“Since 2023, when the Rams gutted most of their defense and set about rebuilding, especially the pass rush, via the draft, they’ve focused on adding young draft picks on rookie contracts to their defensive line, plus a key veteran or two (such as defensive tackle Poona Ford this offseason). Meanwhile, they’ve stayed relatively low-cost and very veteran at outside cornerback,” Rodrigue wrote in June.
“The Rams are well-rounded at safety, but didn’t draft at cornerback in April.”
At the time, former Rams star Jalen Ramsey remained an admitted possibility. However, the Miami Dolphins ultimately traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That leaves the Rams in the same spot, but without Ramsey to cling to as a hope. Gilmore could help the Rams without requiring a significant long-term investment. He is coming off a one-year, $7 million contract with the Vikings and has earned $115.4 million in his career.
Rams HC Sean McVay Gets Honest About CB Depth
GettyLos Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay speaks with quarterback Matthew Stafford during organized team activities.
Despite the questions about LA’s depth at cornerback, and his open affinity for Ramsey and the idea of a trade to reunite with the Pro Bowler, Rams head coach Sean McVay expressed confidence in his current players.
“I thought that Cobie Durant took amazing strides last year. Obviously, Ahkello Witherspoon played great. I think him being here in the offseason is a big deal. Darious Williams has been an excellent player for us. I don’t think anybody can minimize that hamstring injury that he had to work through in the early parts of the year,” McVay told reporters in May. “It was great to see Derion Kendrick out here, and Emmanuel Forbes made a play.
“There’s a handful of guys. … So, I do feel really good about the development of that group.”
That could mean Gilmore, or anyone else, may be a long shot to land with the Rams, perhaps barring an injury.
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