Rams' 25 most important players for 2025 – No. 11: DB Quentin Lake
Lake is entering the final year of his contract, which makes this upcoming season his biggest one yet. After playing just about every snap last year, he's once again going to be a staple in the secondary, someone who can cover the slot, line up in the box or play deep as a traditional safety.
The Rams' Swiss army knife is unquestionably one of Los Angeles' most important players for 2025.
How he got here
The Rams drafted Lake three years ago out of UCLA. He was selected 211th overall in the sixth round but because of injuries, he played just 63 defensive snaps as a rookie.
2024 stats
17 games (16 starts): 111 tackles, 2 sacks, 5 passes defensed, 1 TFL, 2 QB hits, 76 targets, 51 receptions, 571 yards allowed
Projected role
Lake plays all over the field for the Rams, which is part of what makes him so valuable. Just last season, he played 511 snaps in the slot, 398 as a deep safety, 244 in the box and 48 on the line of scrimmage. He's likely to remain the same versatile chess piece in 2025 that he's been the last two years, especially after the Rams opted not to make a meaningful addition at cornerback by acquiring someone like Jalen Ramsey.
Lake was also an ironman on defense, playing every single snap in the first 16 games of last season before getting a rest in Week 18 when the Rams took most of their starters out early. Whether he wears the green dot again or not, he should be on the field on just about every play, whether he's the nickel defender or lined up deep with Kamren Curl.
Why he's important
Every defensive coordinator would love to have a player with Lake's position flexibility. Chris Shula can put Lake in the slot to cover tight ends and quicker receivers, or he can line him up as a split safety to take away deep passes over the top.
Any player who stays on the field for every snap is important, even if the turnovers and game-changing plays don't come in bunches. Lake is still waiting to pick off his first pass and force his first fumble, but his impact and value goes way beyond the box score.
He's a great run defender and a sure tackler in the open field, which is why he's at his best when playing close to the line of scrimmage. It's reasonable to think he'll be even better in 2025 as he continues to improve, setting his ceiling higher than ever before.
Follow Rams Wire on X, Facebook and Threads for more coverage!
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Rams troll Jim Harbaugh over Michigan scandal on social media, 'sign-ing off' after preseason win over Chargers
The past week wasn't a good one for Jim Harbaugh, and the Los Angeles Rams rubbed it in with a trolling social media post. The Los Angeles Chargers head coach had his reputation and integrity, along with Michigan's 2023 national championship season, stained by being named in the NCAA Committee on Infractions report that penalized the football program for an advance scouting scheme in which assistant Connor Stalions recorded play signals from the sideline of upcoming opponents. Then the Chargers lost a preseason game to the Rams on Saturday, 23-22, when, with five seconds remaining, Stetson Bennett IV threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Tru Edwards. The Chargers also lost receiver Quentin Johnston to a concussion during the game. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Following the game, the Rams' social-media team posted a graphic that made at least two references to the sign-stealing scandal that occurred under Harbaugh's watch at Michigan. The post on X said "Sign-ing off" with an image of the Rams' mascot holding up a sign that read "Hail to the Victors," which is a famous tagline at Michigan and the lyrics of the school's fight song. Ouch. Those Rams horns aren't just hard, but also sharp. As part of the sanctions levied against the Michigan program by the NCAA, Harbaugh was issued a 10-year show-cause penalty — on top of a four-year punishment he received in 2024 — which effectively ends any possibility of him returning to coach college football with a virtual ban that lasts until 2038. From Yahoo Sports' Nick Bromberg: "Overall, the show-cause penalties mean that any school that looks to hire Harbaugh over the next 13 years must go in front of the NCAA and justify how his hiring won't lead to any other broken NCAA rules and the governing body has the right to stop the hire." Asked about the NCAA penalties after the Chargers' defeat, Harbaugh told reporters, "I'm not engaging." 'Like I said to you last year, I'm not engaging,' he said. Harbaugh left Michigan after the 2023-24 season and the Wolverines' national championship to take the head-coaching position with the Chargers. He reportedly agreed to a five-year contract paying him an annual salary of $16 million. In his first season with the Chargers, Harbaugh went 11-6, turning the team around from a 5-11 record the previous year.
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Browns HC Kevin Stefanski Makes Major Announcement on Starting QB
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Cleveland Browns are still one of the only teams that have a four-way quarterback battle going on, and the days are running out regarding who will be named the starter. In fact, it would be believed that head coach Kevin Stefanski should be picking the starter before the third and final preseason game. More news: Ben Roethlisberger Predicts Steelers Will Cut Surprising Preseason Star The usual case for the third preseason game is to act as the "dress rehearsal," meaning all starters will play at least one quarter. Stefanski has been taking his time, and rightfully so. Rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel both performed well in their starts, and Keny Pickett remains injured. Considering Joe Flacco is the only quarterback who has not played in preseason, he might be a lock for the starting job. Either way, Stefanski has finally offered a major update on the current quarterback battle and starter conversation. Asked Browns coach Kevin Stefanski who would start at QB for the dress rehearsal game/preseason finale vs. the Rams and the timeline for naming a Week 1 starter. 'I want to get through the next couple days but that's something that we're gonna do here sooner than later … i need… — Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) August 17, 2025 Browns reporter asked Stefanski about the progress on naming a starter, and the head coach offered a major development. "Asked Browns coach Kevin Stefanski who would start at QB for the dress rehearsal game/preseason finale vs. the Rams and the timeline for naming a Week 1 starter. 'I want to get through the next couple days but that's something that we're gonna do here sooner than later ... i need to get the football team in here, talk to the players ... we're working towards Week 1. That's part of what this week is about, getting our football team ready. So, we'll make all those determinations in the next couple days.'" Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns reacts after a first down during the first half of an NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on August 08, 2025... Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns reacts after a first down during the first half of an NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on August 08, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. MoreApparently, Stefanski will take the next couple of days to decide, but it sounds as though he will discuss the starter with the team, and that starter should be named before the final preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams. Again, Flacco has been the frontrunner, so it would not be shocking if he were to take most of the first-team reps heading into the Rams game. Still, Sanders and Gabriel showed enough to be in the conversation as well. Sanders played in the first preseason game, logging 14-for-23 attempts, 138 yards, two touchdowns, and four carries for 19 yards. Read more: Did Dillon Gabriel Do Better Than Shedeur Sanders in Browns Debut? Gabriel logged 13-for-18 attempts, 143 yards, and one interception. He also secured one yard on two carries. Gabriel threw a costly pick-six and lost a fumble on a botched carry. While mistakes like this happen in preseason, it might affect his position once the regular season comes around. The Browns' first two depth charts had Flacco as QB1, Pickett as QB2, Gabriel as QB3, and Sanders as QB4. It would be believed that if Flacco lands QB1, the backup spot would go to Sanders or Gabriel. Pickett might be the odd man out at this point. Stefanski is close to naming a starter, but now the backup and third emergency quarterback slots will get very interesting. For more on the Browns, head to Newsweek Sports.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rams troll Jim Harbaugh on social media, 'sign-ing off' after preseason win over Chargers
The past week wasn't a good one for Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Rams rubbed it in with a trolling social media post. The Los Angeles Chargers coach had his reputation and integrity, along with Michigan's 2024 national championship, stained by being named in the NCAA Committee on Infractions report that penalized the football program for an advance scouting scheme in which assistant Connor Stallions recorded play signals from the sidelines of upcoming opponents. Then the Chargers lost a preseason game to the Rams on Saturday, 23-22, with five seconds remaining when Stetson Bennett threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Tru Edwards. The team also lost receiver Quentin Johnston to a concussion during the game.) [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Following the game, the Rams' social media team posted a graphic that made at least two references to the sign-stealing scandal that occurred under Harbaugh's watch at Michigan. The post on X said "Sign-ing off" with an image of the Rams' mascot holding up a sign that read "Hail to the Victors." Ouch. Those Rams horns aren't just hard, but also sharp. As part of the sanctions levied against the Michigan program by the NCAA, Harbaugh was issued a 10-year show-cause penalty — on top of a four-year punishment he received in 2024 — which effectively ends any possibility of him returning to coach college football with a virtual ban that lasts until 2038. From Yahoo Sports' Nick Bromberg: "Overall, the show-cause penalties mean that any school that looks to hire Harbaugh over the next 13 years must go in front of the NCAA and justify how his hiring won't lead to any other broken NCAA rules and the governing body has the right to stop the hire." Asked about the NCAA penalties after the Chargers' defeat, Harbaugh told reporters, "I'm not engaging." 'Like I said to you last year, I'm not engaging,' he said. Harbaugh left Michigan after the 2023-24 season and the Wolverines' national championship to take the head coaching position with the Chargers. He reportedly agreed to a five-year contract paying him an annual salary of $16 million. In his first season with the Chargers, Harbaugh went 11-6, turning the team around from a 5-11 record the previous year.
