The Los Angeles Rams continued their defensive overhaul yesterday by agreeing to terms with the Denver Broncos to trade for Pro Bowl cornerback Aqib Talib. Talib will join former Chiefs corner Marcus Peters in a brand new secondary for the Rams. The Rams also signed Sam Shields yesterday morning who will add depth to the secondary. These moves all but guarantee that Trumaine Johnson will finally hit the free agent market after playing the last two seasons under the franchise tag. These new additions come along with two big departures. Robert Quinn was sent to Kansas City in the Peters trade and Alec Olgetree was sent to the Giants. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips must be excited. Adding big time talent like this to his secondary will allow his defensive schemes to blossom. Phillips has always loved bringing the heat on opposing quarterbacks with the blitz and now he’ll have the man coverage corners he needs to send the house. The Rams can now focus on filling holes at inside linebacker and offensive line in the draft. The secondary has been an issue for the Rams for a long time but now they are slotted to have one of the best in the league.
The biggest side effect of these moves has to be the addition of big time attitudes to this defense. Both Peters and Talib are known for their big time personalities. Both players have served multiple suspensions in their careers and are not shy about getting in opposing players’ faces. If they can keep it in relative check then I think it could be a great addition to the team. A healthy amount of attitude is a major part of any successful defense and these two bring more than enough of that to the table. Look for a lot of interceptions, a lot of huge hits, and a lot of trash talking and shoving out of the Rams secondary this season.