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The Los Angeles Rams’ secondary might be the most complete unit in the NFL. That doesn’t bode well for the depth players looking to crack the starting lineup, but it does mean that good football players might not see the field as much as they’d like to.
DB Blake Countess is one of those players. As you can see, the positional designation I gave Countess was “DB” as opposed to “CB” or “S”, as he’s capable of playing multiple spots on the backend.
Countess was originally a sixth-round selection out of Auburn in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, though he was cut shortly after and the Rams scooped up his services. Since then, Countess has spent some time on the Rams practice squad, though he ultimately was brought up to the active roster.
Roster battle
As stated above, unless something drastic such as injury happens, Countess likely wont receive a ton of playing time on the defense. As he was last season, he will likely be a special teams contributor though.
The starters at S are entrenched as Lamarcus Joyner and John Johnson III. That might be one of the best duos in the league. Behind them reside Countess, Marqui Christian, and Isaiah Johnson, all of which spent some time on the 53-man active roster last season. Christian is a more physical player whereas Countess offers more coverage ability.
They’ll also be competing with UDFA’s Afolabi Laguda, Steven Parker, Nate Holley, and Ramon Richards.
Expectations
I fully expect Countess to make the active roster once again, as he proved to be a valuable contributor on both special teams as well as a depth piece that has versatility at both Safety spots as well as Nickel CB. Countess recorded 25 tackles last season, one interception, and even a blocked punt (Eagles game). Oh yeah, he also did this:
(Google AMP and Apple News readers can see the video here)
Chances of Making Final Roster (7.5/10)
As I mentioned before, I do expect Countess to make the roster. His positional versatility - both within the defense and special teams - as well as his experience with the system give him a big leg up on the competition.
Look for Countess to continue to make plays when given the chance.