Los Angeles Rams safety Kamren Kinchens is trending towards earning All-Pro honors in what could be a breakout 2026 campaign.
Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus tabbed the third-year defender as one of 10 players who could become first-time All-Pros this season:
“What would enable Kinchens to become a true star is more balanced work vs. the run, although he took a step in the right direction with a 6.4% run stop rate last season. Working alongside new top-tier cornerback duo Trent McDuffie and Jaylen
Watson — and bringing Kam Curl back into the fold — could spark the former third-round pick to blossom even more in Chris Shula’s defense, which might better its 10th-place finish in EPA per play.”
A breakout campaign is very possible for Kinchens, as he’s shown growth throughout his first two seasons in the league, and he’s only going to continue improving.
He has played in all 39 of the Rams’ games, including the playoffs, since getting drafted in 2024. Kinchens has seen his snap count increase each year, going from 514 snaps (46%) in his rookie season to 842 snaps (75%) last season. PFF even gave the Miami product an 81.9 coverage grade, which was the sixth-highest among his positional counterparts. He was also a thorn in the Seahawks’ side, always a bonus.
At first glance, the high coverage grade is surprising if you’re only looking at the raw numbers. Kinchens has allowed four touchdowns in coverage in each of his first two years, and even gave up a 79.1 completion percentage and a 111.8 passer rating in coverage during the 2025 campaign, per Pro Football Reference.
Numbers never lie, yet they don’t always tell the full story, as indicated by the following.
Two stats that factor into a potential Kinchens breakout are yards after catch (YAC) and missed tackle percentage. According to Pro Football Reference, his YAC allowed dropped from 150 to 82, while his missed tackle percentage went from 9.5% to 6.7%. Those numbers show that despite earning more time on the field in 2025, Kinchens improved his tackling from Year 1 to Year 2, limiting the damage of opposing offenses through the air and on the ground.
After starting just 15 of those 39 games mentioned above, Kinchens is due to match or surpass that total this upcoming season. The Rams have heavily invested in the secondary this offseason, including re-signing fellow safety Kam Curl, which should position him for more playing time. Considering the rest of the unit has improved around him, particularly at cornerback, Kinchens will be asked to do more in Chris Shula’s defense, and his gradual improvement proves he can handle it.
Related: Don’t forget about Kamren Kinchens
Given L.A.’s significant investments in the secondary and bringing back a familiar face in Curl this offseason, Kinchens might wind up being the biggest beneficiary. Assuming his development continues on the upward track, All-Pro honors for a coveted young playmaker like Kinchens will quickly become an expectation.
