It’s easy to understand why the Rams are bringing in Ahkello Witherspoon. They didn’t have a single cornerback with more than two years of NFL experience on their roster, so his veteran presence and six years of work as a pro give Los Angeles a bit of a safety net in a very young cornerback group.
He shouldn’t affect Cobie Durant’s standing as the presumed No. 1 cornerback on the team, particularly considering he doesn’t play in the slot like Durant. But he very well could impact Robert Rochell’s future in Los Angeles.
Like Rochell, Witherspoon is 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds and almost exclusively plays on the outside instead of the slot. According to PFF, Rochell played 214 snaps as a wide corner in 2021 and only two in the slot. That same year, Witherspoon played 339 snaps out wide and only five in the slot.
Durant will presumably be the Rams’ primary slot corner, which means they need two outside corners when they’re in nickel packages. Derion Kendrick should be one of them, but the other is very much up for grabs. Rochell was viewed as the front-runner because of his size and athletic profile, but that’s now in question because of the Witherspoon signing.
It’s probably no coincidence that the Rams signed a bigger cornerback with the same measurables as Rochell. They didn’t go out and sign a smaller corner who can play the slot. They wanted an outside presence to work alongside Durant and Kendrick.
Rochell is on the hot seat as a result of this move, a sign of the team’s lack of confidence in him as a starter. That was evident last season when Rochell rode the bench through all of the Rams’ cornerback injuries. He played just 26 defensive snaps despite being healthy enough to play all 17 games.
Rochell came into the NFL as a raw prospect from small-school Central Arkansas but his athleticism and high ceiling got him drafted in the fourth round. He hasn’t panned out up to this point, making just five starts in two seasons, so the Rams wanted a player with a similar skill set – just with more experience and a higher floor.
It’s not out of the question for the Rams to cut Rochell this offseason, though given their cornerback questions, they should probably keep him around, especially since he’s only entering his third season. But now with Witherspoon, the Rams have a solid corner who has played 60 games and started 40 of them.
The battle between Witherspoon and Rochell will certainly be one to watch during training camp and throughout the preseason because the loser of that competition will be left on the bench.
