Getty Darious Williams tries to bring down Amari Cooper of the Dallas Cowboys during the 2020 season opener at SoFi Stadium.
The Los Angeles Rams have no shortage of star power with a roster flooded with multiple pro bowlers and All-Pro selections.
However, even some standout Rams don’t receive the national praise they should be getting – all leading to two current Rams and an ex-Ram to earn their spot on this team by Pro Football Focus: The All-Underrated Team.
Anthony Treash of PFF compiled the list for the Thursday, September 2, article. The list features a veteran Ram, a breakout defender on last year’s Rams defense and a beloved former Ram. Here’s who made the cut:
Andrew Whitworth, Left Tackle
While it may be considered an odd choice to list Whitworth as “underrated” considering his body of work in protecting the quarterback for 15 seasons, PFF cites his age and production in “Whit’s” mid-30’s as the reasoning behind becoming the analytic site’s top underrated left tackle. Here’s what Treash wrote:
Whitworth was once widely considered as one of the NFL’s best tackles. Now, he is viewed as a 39-year-old at the tail end of decline. However, Whitworth has still performed at an extraordinarily high level relative to his counterparts: He was one of the five highest-graded tackles in the NFL through the first 10 weeks of the 2020 season, allowing just six total hurries and no sacks or hits in nine games. That year was interrupted by a torn MCL, but he rallied and made the return for the postseason a few months later. Last year ended up being his 12th straight season in which he produced a top-10 pass-blocking grade among tackles.
Whitworth only surrendered one sack last season: In the divisional playoff round against the Green Bay Packers. And, according to PFF, Whitworth has only allowed one sack in his last 25 regular season starts.
Darious Williams, Cornerback
The Rams have the league’s best shutdown cornerback by national pundits in Jalen Ramsey. Williams, however, led the team in interceptions last season. Treash pointed out Williams has made a trajectory from playing sparingly in 2019:
Williams shined on a small sample in 2019 before etching out a starting role in Brandon Staley’s defense a year later. He finished 2020 with the fourth-best PFF grade among all cornerbacks, including the postseason, racking up 16 combined interceptions and pass breakups in the process. Williams is a perfect fit for the Staley system, which won’t change much under new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.
Along with snatching picks, Williams proved his worth as a coverage defender. Per PFF, the 5-foot-9, 187-pound Williams surrendered zero to one reception in six games including playoffs. He surrendered an average of two receptions per game.
Williams also thrived with a safety who has moved on to the “Dawg Pound.”
John Johnson III, Safety
Even though Johnson has moved on from the Rams, he still holds value for his time in L.A. and was credited for being a leadership example in the league’s No. 1 rated defense from 2020. Treash wrote:
Johnson is capable of playing any role in any scheme. He called the plays for Brandon Staley’s No. 1-ranked Los Angeles Rams defense in 2020 when he was the fifth-most valuable defensive player in the NFL, according to PFF WAR (Wins Above Replacement). That success has been a common theme for him when healthy. Johnson has recorded PFF grades above 80.0 in three of his four seasons, all of which ranked 11th or higher at the position. The season he didn’t was in 2019, when he was limited to only six games due to injury.
Johnson was targeted on 73 total passes, per PFF, but allowed 55 catches (three per game).