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Kevin Peterson capped off his career at Oklahoma State with two very productive seasons in 2014 and 2015, though his final game saw him struggle against Ole Miss WR Laquon Treadwell.
Passing through the 2016 NFL Draft as an undrafted free agent, Peterson landed with the Chicago Bears. Unable to stick past cuts, the Los Angeles Rams picked him up at the end of last season on a Reserve/Future deal.
Could Peterson wide the defensive transition wave under new Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips?
Roster Battle
In the wake of the failure of 2016’s “Priority A”, the Rams have almost entirely remade their secondary.
As such, the cornerback depth chart is a huge unknown right now. At the top, you’ve got the NFL’s highest-paid corner in Trumaine Johnson. The Rams have two new free agents who are sure to factor in Kayvon Webster and Nickell Robey-Coleman. Lamarcus Joyner is a lock for the roster, though his role remains in flux with some work at safety a possibility. E.J. Gaines is in the mix for playing time, though there’s no certainty the new staff will favor him the way the previous one did with his 2014 rookie season a distant memory. Then you’ve got a huge group fighting for position depth and special teams contributions: Troy Hill, Blake Countess, Mike Jordan, 2017 UDFAs Aarion Penton and Dominique Hatfield, and Peterson.
Expectations
Perhaps the Big XII contingent of Rams fans will remember his time at OSU well with strong performances against former TCU Horned Frogs and current Washington Professional Football Group WR Josh Doctson and former Baylor Bears and current Cleveland Browns WR Corey Coleman. Otherwise, Peterson enjoys the benefit of coming in well under the radar and having little pressure to bear.
Chances of Making Final Roster (0.5/10)
The Rams carried just five cornerbacks on the roster last season on the initial 53-man roster. There’s just not a ton of space at the position with two free agent additions from this offseason. Peterson is in that six-man group fighting for a roster spot that ultimately might not even exist.
The odds are long here, but I doubt Peterson will care all that much. He’ll be fighting for his NFL career in camp and through the preseason. I’ll guess that much becomes apparent early on.