According to Jordan Schultz, the Los Angeles Rams have signed former Detroit Lions defensive back Jerry Jacobs in response to the injuries sustained by cornerbacks Derion Kendrick and Darious Williams.

Sources: Free agent CB Jerry Jacobs is signing with the #Rams.

Jacobs had a career-best 3 INTs and 8 PBUs for the #Lions last season. Physical corner who will upgrade LA’s secondary after helping change the culture in Detroit. pic.twitter.com/Z5Ltwq87u0

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) July 26, 2024

The Rams needed some veteran cornerback depth after Williams suffered a hamstring injury and Kendrick lost the season due to a broken ACL. Not to mention Tre White’s history of injuries and the minimal workload he will have during training camp while the team brings him up to speed.

After spending the 2023 season with the team, some may be shocked that Ahkello Witherspoon was not signed by the Rams. This came after Sean McVay, the head coach, mentioned on Thursday that Witherspoon,

“I never would get rid of it. He did a pretty decent job, in my opinion. I had a great time working with Akhello last year, and you wouldn’t do away with that.

It would be surprising, though, if the Rams signed Witherspoon after adding Jacobs.

It’s important to note that Jacobs knows Rams defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant from the past. Before being fired, Pleasant coached Jacobs in Detroit in 2021 and 2022. Jacobs and Kendrick are quite similar in that Jacobs occasionally plays a bit of “grabby.” Just two fewer than Kendrick, the former Lions cornerback finished the previous season with nine penalties.

Nevertheless, Jacobs recorded a career-high three interceptions, suggesting that he might be a better fit for the Rams’ needs than Witherspoon. One thing that several of the more seasoned defensive backs have in common is their tackle skill. Jacobs had a greater percentage of missed tackles and two fewer missed tackles in coverage last season. Pro Football Focus claims that Jacobs’ tackling grade was greater than Witherspoon’s.

Jacobs will, at the absolute least, provide the Rams with some dependable depth of experience. Although Josh Wallace is an undrafted free agent, he does have some potential. Tre Tomlinson is one such person who is not big. Williams should still be expected to start opposite Tre White if he is healthy. At the very least, Pleasant will have some familiar, experienced depth with the Rams thanks to Jacobs.

Amon-Ra St. Brown explains what needs to happen for the Lions to accomplish the ultimate goal.

“I believe we have a lot of confidence. Every year, it seems like the first question you hear when you go into that meeting room is, “What do you want to accomplish as a team?” It’s not even the playoffs this year, I can say with all sincerity. No, it’s not the best seed. It’s Super Bowl Sunday. I think everyone in the room is in agreement, and this is the first year that we genuinely feel like a team. Everyone wants to be a Super Bowl champion.

The Detroit Lions have been vocal about their desire to compete in and win a Super Bowl, and they have high hopes for the 2024 campaign.

It’s evident that for a brand that has grown more used to losing over the years, the stakes have been significantly upped. But now that Dan Campbell has upped the bar and the players have done the same, that is no longer the case.

Count Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the people who thinks the Lions have permanently altered their way of thinking.

“I believe we have a lot of confidence. Every year, it seems like the first question you hear when you go into that meeting room is, “What do you want to accomplish as a team?” It’s not even the playoffs this year, I can say with all sincerity. No, it’s not the best seed. It’s Super Bowl Sunday. I think everyone in the room is in agreement, and this is the first year that we genuinely feel like a team. We all aspire to be Super Bowl winners. Our ability to win a Super Bowl is known. The team is here. The coaches are here. Our objective is to win a Super Bowl, and we have everything we need in this building to do so. That is our main concern. The goal of everything we do going forward is to win that Super Bowl.”

Amon-Ra St. Brown: The Detroit Lions need to work on improving
The Lions had a fantastic 2023 campaign, finishing 12-5 and taking home the NFC North and two postseason berths. However, as St. Brown stated, such encouraging outcomes are now insufficient for a club that feels it should win the Super Bowl.

How can the Lions advance to become even greater? St. Brown, who is dissatisfied with what Detroit has already accomplished this year, thinks that the team needs to find a way to make little adjustments everywhere.

“It seems absurd to me that we should do the same thing yet anticipate different outcomes. Thus, our task was greater than it was the previous year. Clearly, nothing we accomplished last year was sufficient. Take lessons from our errors. That seems like a significant issue. We cannot commit the same error twice. Next, stepping it up. That applies to everything, including special teams, the field, the weight room, the conference room, and offense and defense. We simply need to work harder and accomplish more than we did the previous year.”

The Lions’ greatest advantage as they attempt to advance is their refusal to become comfortable. St. Brown appears to be aware that he must set the example for the other players.