Quentin Lake has become an incredibly valuable player on defense for the Los Angeles Rams. He’s gone from a sixth-round pick in 2022 to playing a major role in the secondary in just his third year, whether he’s covering the slot, lining up as a deep safety or playing in the box.
What makes him particularly valuable is his durability. Lake missed time in each of his first two seasons but he’s played and started all 16 games so far this year. Not only that, but he has yet to miss a single snap on defense.
The Rams are thankful that he’s been able to stay healthy because when Troy Reeder went down, Lake stepped in as the defensive signal caller, which essentially requires him to be on the field for every play.
Lake is expected to have a lighter workload in Week 18 so he won’t play the full game, but entering the final week of the season, he’s one of just three players who have played 100% of their team’s defensive snaps.
“For him to stay healthy and to stay available is such a credit to his preparation, what he’s put into this season, the impact and being voted a captain,” Sean McVay said Friday. “He’s one of (three) players in this league that play 100% percent of their defensive snaps. I know that’s something that he’s proud of, as he should be, but I also think it provides an opportunity to get him to play in some situational-type of roles and then be ready to roll for that playoff home opener.”
According to Lineups.com, the only other players to play every defensive snap this season are Panthers safety Xavier Woods and Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin. Alex Singleton also played every snap when he was healthy, but he was limited to just three games and Colts safety Nick Cross missed one of 1,087 snaps for Indianapolis, so he’s not at 100%, either.
Lake will continue to play every snap in the postseason and lead the Rams’ defense as a captain, making him one of the most important players on the entire roster.
