Rams could target this high-profile CB during 2026 free agency
The are of main concern going into the year is the secondary, and a few major players are heading into final year of their contracts as well: safeties Quentin Lake and Kamren Curl, cornerbacks Ahkello Witherspoon, Cobie Durant and Derion Kendrick.
So, it stands to reason that the Rams will likely target that position in the 2026 draft and/or free agency. Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine writes that one big-named cornerback option could be on the table for L.A in DaRond Bland of the Dallas Cowboys.
The Rams were expected to be in on the Jalen Ramsey trade market. Unfortunately, only having $19.5 million in cap space this season would have made it hard to take on his contract.
The good news is the Rams have the fourth-highest projected cap space for 2026 right now, which means they could get aggressive in landing help at a premium position next season.
Thus far, the Cowboys haven't locked up DaRon Bland on an extension. With Trevon Diggs already on the books and Micah Parsons requesting a trade, there's a decent chance he hits the market.
Bland has been phenomenal in his three NFL seasons. He tallied 14 interceptions in his first 32 games, including an NFL-leading nine in 2023. He also returned five for touchdowns that season and made the Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro squad. Bland sustained a stress fracture in his foot before the 2024 season, though, and missed the first 10 games of the season. He finished without an interception but defended five passes, forced one fumble and recovered a fumble.
The price for Bland could be high — Sauce Gardner and Derek Stingley signed deals worth $30 million a year recently. But if the Rams want stardom in the secondary, they may need to break the bank for Bland if they don't want to use one of their two first-round draft picks on a cornerback.
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