Getty Former Rams CB Marcus Peters
The Los Angeles Rams secondary is beginning to dwindle away. Some by no choice of their own, and others by their own doing. Just one day removed from news breaking that cornerback Aqib Talib would be placed on IR, the team has followed it up by losing another former pro-bowler from within their once-fierce secondary.
Ravens Acquire Cornerback Marcus Peters
Just one-plus season after acquiring the services of cornerback Marcus Peters from the Kansas City Chiefs, the Los Angeles Rams have seemingly seen enough of the defensive back roaming their secondary. The team decided to cut ties with their former starting cornerback on Tuesday afternoon, shipping him to Baltimore.
Rams are trading Marcus Peters for LB Kenny Young @NFLONFOX
In return, the Rams will receive linebacker Kenny Young and a 2020 5th-round draft pick. Young was drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft. The linebacker registered 51 tackles in spot duty as a rookie. Young took on a larger role early on this season, collecting 13 tackles in three starts.
Los Angeles has been in search of a player to man the middle ever since projected starting linebacker Micah Kiser tore a pectoral in the preseason. Young has a chance to slide into a starting role next to Cory Littleton in the middle of their defense.
The Ravens Secondary is Scary Good
While the Rams as a team have seen their struggles this season, that doesn’t mean Peters has. In fact, Peters had been performing so admirably that Pro Football Focus ranked him as one of the top 10 cornerbacks of the 2019 season thus far. Peters came in ranked seventh overall, and the second-highest graded outside corner of the entire group.
Joining Peters on that list are now two current teammates, Marlon Humphries and Brandon Carr. Humphries is one of the best young corners in all football. Since 2017, only two other corners league-wide have allowed a lower passer rating to quarterbacks when targeted than Humphries.
If the tandem of Peters and Humphries wasn’t enough to get Baltimore Ravens fans’ mouths watering, the duo will be joined by the likes of all-pro safety Earl Thomas in the now-feared secondary.
On the surface, it may seem as if the addition of Peters is more of an abundance of riches, rather than a pressing need for a Baltimore team sitting in first place in their division. However, a closer look shows that the defense, despite the abundance of talent flowing through their unit, is ranked just 13th in total defense.
The defense has allowed an alarming average of 355 passing yards in three of their past five games. The addition of Peters will certainly help put a clamp on any leakage that has occurred on the backend of the Ravens defense.
Peters’ arrival in Baltimore could not have come at a better time, as the Ravens are set to face off with the Seattle Seahawks and the odds-on favorite for league MVP Russell Wilson this Sunday. Wilson has tossed 14 touchdowns this season to zero interceptions. Maybe Peters could be the first defender to get his hand on an errant Wilson pass this season. Since entering the league in 2014, no defender has more interceptions than Peters’ 24.