The Denver Broncos just showed the football world how big a dominant defense plays in a Super Bowl championship chase.
In a word, the Broncos defense was spectacular in beating the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers to secure Super Bowl 50. The common theme being the way they controlled three of the best quarterbacks in the National Football League in Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady and Cam Newton.
And while much of the praise goes to the Broncos dominant defensive line, which put constant pressure on Roethlisberger, Brady and Newton, a good deal of credit also goes to their secondary.
Which brings us to the Los Angeles Rams, whose defense is climbing to Broncos-type levels but faces a number of critical decisions on soon-to-be free agents.
Specifically the defensive backfield, where four starters are set to become unrestricted free agents this offseason.
Cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson and safeties Rodney McLeod and Mark Barron all have expiring contracts, and while the Rams will have a significant amount of cap space available – enough to afford all four – the chances they do so remains uncertain.
On the surface, Jenkins and Johnson appear to be the highest priorities given the importance of young, dependable, productive cornerbacks.
Jenkins evolved from the big-play/big-mistake corner he’d been over his first three seasons into a much more consistent player in 2015 and finished with three interceptions and 64 tackles. In doing so, he forced teams to look away from him and toward Johnson in the passing game, and Johnson responded with seven picks and 12 pass breakups.
That’s solid production from your two starting cornerbacks, and there is every reason to believe they can build on their 2015 seasons and be even better moving forward.
For a Rams defense looking to make the leap from very good to championship elite, keeping both Johnson and Jenkins would appear to be of the highest priority.
But two things to consider: For the very reasons we just outlined, the market for both should be healthy which means both are set up for big paydays. For financially practical purposes, the Rams might have to decide between keeping one or the other.
Secondly, the Rams have done a good job the last two years developing young cornerbacks Lamarcus Joyner, Marcus Roberson, and E.J. Gaines, so in-house replacements for either Johnson or Jenkins are possible.
Just as importantly, with the emergence of McLeod as a highly dependable presence on the back end of the Rams defense, the Rams may deep McLeod the bigger priority.
Barron was a revelation as a hybrid safety/linebacker and led the Rams with 135 tackles and four forced fumbles. The Rams desperately want him back.
There are cases to be made for doing everything possible to bring all four back. But considering the talent level, the production and the potential markets they’ll create for themselves, that might be easier said than done.
