Following the injuries to cornerbacks Derion Kendrick and Darious Williams, the Los Angeles Rams have signed former Detroit Lions defensive back Jerry Jacobs according to Jordan Schultz.
After losing Kendrick to a torn ACL for the season and a hamstring injury to Williams, the Rams needed some experienced cornerback depth. That doesn’t mention the injury history and limited workload that Tre White will have throughout training camp as the team gets him up to speed.
Some might be surprised that the Rams didn’t sign Ahkello Witherspoon after he spent the year with the team in 2023. This was after head coach Sean McVay said on Thursday about the possibility Witherspoon,
“I would never eliminate it. I thought he did a really good job. I loved working with Akhello last year and that’s definitely something that you wouldn’t eliminate.”
However, after signing Jacobs, it would be a surprise now if the Rams also signed Witherspoon.
It’s worth noting that Jacobs has a familiarity and history with Rams defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant. Pleasant coached Jacobs in Detroit in 2021 and 2022 before he was let go. Jacobs is very similar to Kendrick in the sense that he can play a little “grabby” at times. The former Lions cornerback had nine penalties last year which was just two fewer than Kendrick.
With that said, Jacobs had a career high of three interceptions and may be a better fit than Witherspoon for what the Rams are looking for. A common theme in some of the experienced defensive backs have been their ability to tackle. In coverage last season, Jacobs had two fewer missed tackles and also had a better missed tackle percentage. According to Pro Football Focus, Jacobs also had a higher tackling grade than Witherspoon.
At the very least, Jacobs will give the Rams some experienced depth that they can trust. While players like Josh Wallace have some upside, he is also an undrafted free agent. Someone like Tre Tomlinson also lacks size. If Williams is healthy, the expectation should still be that he starts across from Tre White. Jacobs will at least give the Rams some experienced depth that Pleasant is familiar with.
