Feb. 23, 2026, 7:22 a.m. PT

There seems to be one prevailing need for the Los Angeles Rams this offseason: Cornerback.

The majority of mock drafts have the Rams taking at least a cornerback early, many pundits have the Rams signing free-agent cornerbacks and others think the L.A. should trade for a veteran this offseason.

This is a sentiment shared by The Athletic’s Nate Atkins, who wrote that the Rams are “overdue” to invest something in the position.

This Rams offseason will be all about finding aggressive avenues to unlock solutions at outside cornerback. It’s the one clear hole on the roster. The time is overdue for Los Angeles to invest either draft picks, cap space or both to this premium position, especially with starter Cobie Durant headed to free agency. He could come back, but the Rams need more than one investment here as well as a clear upgrade to the top cornerback spot. General manager Les Snead indicated he would be more aggressive in trying to win a Super Bowl if Matthew Stafford returned for an 18th season, so now that he has, the time in Indianapolis will be about cornerback prospects who could fit the Rams at Nos. 13 or 29 overall as well as exploring potential trades and preparing for free agency so as not to put that entire burden on rookies.

As Atkins alluded to, Durant is one of several key cornerbacks set to hit free agency. Akhello Witherspoon and Roger McCreary are the others. This leaves a rather large hole at the position if the Rams don’t keep any of those players. Only Darious Williams, Emmanuel Forbes Jr., Derion Kendrick and Josh Wallace are under contract in 2026, and Williams doesn’t have any guaranteed money left on his contract this year.

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General manager Les Snead has already said cornerback was a position the team planned to “attack” this offseason. Now, he needs to act on that statement and find his solutions. The 2025 unit was solid but broke down at the end of the season without a clear star in the secondary. Finding one could come in the draft, free agency, via a trade — or a combination of all three.

History, though, would indicate this is not a position the Rams look at in the draft: The Rams haven’t selected a cornerback in the first two rounds since Lamarcus Joyner in 2014. They’ve been aggressive at this position in other ways, though, like trading for Jalen Ramsey and Marcus Peters. We’ll see if history repeats itself in 2026.