When people think of the Los Angeles Rams, there are a few players who come to mind.
Matthew Stafford is playing the best football of his career in the latter stages of his career and is a frontrunner for the Most Valuable Player award. Puka Nacua is among the best players at his respective position. Davante Adams is looking like his old self and led the league in touchdown receptions.
On the defensive side of the ball, EDGE rusher Jared Verse and Byron Young were both named to the Pro Bowl this season — the former was the 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year.
But it’s the players who aren’t in the spotlight who are some of the biggest contributors to the team, leading one NFL analyst to urge LA to retain this player.
Rams Urged To Extend Defensive Back
GettyA player on a cheap deal has been a big contributor to the Los Angeles Rams defense
Former 2020 seventh-round pick Kam Curl was coming off his best season with the Washington Commanders.
Hitting the free agency market for the first time, the safety decided to move from the capital to the City of Angels, signing a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams.
Curl has totaled 201 total tackles in his two seasons with LA, the most in the span of any defender with the Rams. The safety currently has the most tackles in the playoffs at 23 through 2 games.
The defender has been one of LA’s most reliable players on the defensive side of the ball, only missing one game in his time with the Rams.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton calls Curl an “under-the-radar” player who the Rams should extend.
“Kamren Curl can handle a variety of responsibilities in the secondary. He’s a clean tackler in the open field, brings a strong presence out of the box to supplement the run defense and showed reliable coverage ability this past season,” Moton wrote. “In 2025, Curl recorded 122 tackles, leading the team with 79 solo tackles, two sacks, five pass breakups and two interceptions, while allowing one touchdown and an 89.5 passer rating in coverage.”
“The Rams signed Curl to a team-friendly two-year, $9 million contract in 2024 after the Washington Commanders’ incoming regime let him walk in free agency… Though the versatile defensive back will likely command a high-end salary relative to others at his position, he’s earned a pay raise as a game-changing playmaker in Los Angeles’ secondary. The Rams are set to enter the offseason with $46.5 million in cap space, which is more than enough to reward the starting safety.
Curl has the 15th-best overall grade from PFF this season out of 98 qualifying safeties, with a 73.1 grade.
Kam Curl And His Relationship With Sean McVay
GettyLos Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay
Kam Curl mentioned one of the biggest reasons he decided to join the Los Angeles Rams was because of head coach Sean McVay.
“McVay was the only coach to call me honestly, personally. So that really sold me the interest he really had in me,” Curl revealed, via Clutch Points. “We had a real good conversation in the plans they had for me and what they see in me.”
“When I got in the building, I saw the type of coach he is and the coaches he had. The culture is a winning culture. You’re still having fun, but when it’s time to work, it’s definitely time to work… He’s a football genius. You can feed off his energy. It’s infectious.”
If it took a phone call for Curl to end up in LA, maybe an in-person conversation with the defender could play a role in his possible return.
Curl would get a contract he believes he deserves and remains on a team that will likely remain as Super Bowl contenders next season.
Rams Urged To Extend Under-The-Radar Player