When the Los Angeles Rams traded for a cornerback, Roger McCreary might not have been who many had in mind. While the Rams were never going to get a Sauce Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr., or Denzel Ward level
of cornerback, a cornerback with some size to play on the perimeter such as Cam Taylor-Britt would have been expected.
Instead, the Rams got more of what they already have at the cornerback position in McCreary. It makes sense that the Rams wouldn’t want to shake anything up too much or drastically change what they already have going. At 5-2, this was always the type of low-risk move the Rams were going to make. By swapping day three picks in 2026, they also didn’t mortgage any of their future, trading away valuable draft capital.
At the same time, it’s hard to see the fit here. Again, McCreary is a lot of what the Rams already have at the cornerback position. He’s a sub-six foot cornerback with physical limitations and inside-out versatility. Because of those size limitations, he isn’t necessarily a high-impact player. That’s what the Rams already have in Cobie Durant.
Durant has only played two snaps in the slot this year, but it’s something he’s shown he can do in the first three years of his career. McCreary is the opposite. He’s primarily played in the slot the last two years, with just three snaps outside this season. However, during the first two years of his career, he split between outside cornerback and playing in the slot.
If McCreary is more of a slot defender, that’s also where Quentin Lake has been thriving in the Rams defense in 2025. Lake’s 0.74 yards allowed per snap in the slot ranks ninth in the NFL. Having Lake closer to the ball has benefitted the Rams defense this season. For comparison, McCreary has allowed almost double at 1.45 yards per snap in the slot.
It’s very possible that adding McCreary was more of a move for depth. At the very least, he adds a starting-caliber player to the cornerback room, which is good for the depth. The Rams also like players who are versatile and McCreary fits well with what Chris Shula wants to do on defense.
The addition of McCreary could also allow the Rams to move Lake around even more than they already do. Lake has been the primary slot defender for the Rams this season. However, adding McCreary gives them flexibility to make Lake the dime linebacker in place of Jaylen McCollough in certain packages. They could also play Lake in more of a deep safety role as well, which he hasn’t done a lot this season.
That’s not to say that the Rams should stop utilizing Lake in the slot or completely change his role. However, McCreary may give Shula more flexibility, especially if the Rams see Durant as more of an outside cornerback.
There is also a future element to this move as well. McCreary is just 25 years old and on an expiring contract. This offseason, the Rams have Durant on an expiring contract as well as Lake. The Rams can also cut Darious Williams, taking on just $1.2 million in dead money.
McCreary gives the Rams flexibility in the case that Durant becomes too expensive or they can’t afford Lake given the season that he’s having. This could end up being more than a 10-game rental and instead someone that the Rams bring back next season at a cheap price. Over the last year, Rams general manager Les Snead has added a former first-round pick at cornerback in Emmanuel Forbes for free and just traded for a former second-round pick at cornerback for a day three pick swap, which is basically free. There is some risk involved, hoping those players fit better within your roster.
At the very least, the move shows that the Rams have been actively looking to improve the roster. They weren’t complacent with what they had despite the positive results. Les Snead made a low-risk move without sacrificing the future. That’s exactly the type of move they needed to make at the trade deadline.
