Getty Images The Los Angeles Rams declined their team option for CB Nickell Robey-Coleman on March 17.
Nickell Robey-Coleman has had this game circled since the schedule came out in May. It’s still highlighted in bright marker.
The former Rams cornerback spent three years in Los Angeles before they unceremoniously declined his option last March and let him hit free agency. It was a hard financial decision for them to make and even if Robey-Coleman understands the NFL is a business — a phrase he repeated many times during Wednesday’s Zoom call with reporters — it still stings him to the core.
The 28-year-old is arguably the best slot corner in football, a fact he plans to “re-showcase” to Sean McVay, Jared Goff, Cooper Kupp and anyone else who gets in his way. That Sept. 20 date couldn’t come soon enough and now it’s finally here. Let’s go.
“Yes, that was the first game I circled on the schedule. I still got it circled now,” Robey-Coleman told reporters. “When I saw the schedule, I was like, ‘yes I got the Rams’ and I was just like, ‘yes, let’s go, let’s do it’ — and it’s going to be fun. I’m looking forward to it”
But not in a malicious or vengeful way. No, Robey-Coleman understood it was a business decision — the Rams created $5 million in salary-cap space by moving on — and he looks fondly on his time on the West Coast. He went to a Super Bowl with the Rams in 2018 while being involved in the most controversial missed pass-interference call in NFL history. It’s “all love,” according to the Florida native, and he couldn’t be happier to be a Philadelphia Eagle. He took less money to do it.
“I was kind of surprised but it’s a business, and that’s the way things are in this league,” Robey-Coleman said. “That’s the type of things that happen in this league, and I still feel blessed. I feel blessed to accept what happened. I’m grateful at the end of the day, I got memories with that team and we did some great things together. When they decided to decline my option, it definitely gave me a whole another level of motivation to get out there and really re-showcase myself.”
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Robey-Coleman Giving Tips on Rams Secrets
One other advantage of having a former Rams player on the roster: he plays football and he knows things. Robey-Coleman couldn’t help but smile when talking about the tips he’s been sharing with his new teammates in Philly. He has clued them into all of McVay’s dirty little secrets, aka “window dressing,” especially how he disguises those jet motion shifts.
“It’s all window dressing,” Robey-Coleman said. “He does it over the course of four quarters and everything starts to look alike, and so you just have to stay focused on your keys and pay attention to your guy … all the motions and all the movement and everything, you can kind of get through that after a while, and that’s about it. He keeps everything real aligned, as far as first down, second down, third down … everything kind of looks alike.”
Nickell Robey Coleman says he is telling everyone on Eagles everything that he can about his former team the Rams
He is telling Darius Slay and Rodney McLeod as much as he can about Sean McVay’s offense
Until the Rams get into longer down and distance, like a third-and-10 or first-and-20. Either way, the Eagles are prepared for all those scenarios. Robey-Coleman also gave a huge tip to Miles Sanders on what to expect from All-Pro Aaron Donald. His advice? Be ready.
“I was telling Boobie, man, just be ready,” Robey-Coleman said. “Be ready because Aaron is coming to play, his mind is right, he’s the type of a guy — he’s a real man — he’s the type of guy, he goes about his business, every single day, day in day out. Be ready.”
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