Terrell Burgess and Jordan Fuller already impressing in the secondary
One area of the Rams roster that got much younger this offseason was the secondary. Eric Weddle retired, Nickell Robey-Coleman had his option declined and Marqui Christian left in free agency.
Although the Rams didn’t add any defensive backs in free agency, they did select two in the draft: Terrell Burgess and Jordan Fuller. They join a secondary that will likely have a first-time starter at the nickel spot, as well as a younger tandem at safety with John Johnson and Taylor Rapp.
Burgess and Fuller are in a tough spot after their first NFL offseason was mostly virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic, but they’ve already made a strong impression on Johnson in the first two weeks of practice.
“They came in ready to go,” Johnson told reporters Thursday. “They must have come from good college programs or high school, whatever it is, but they came in ready to go. Great athletes, you can move them around, so I’m excited for their future.”
Burgess comes in as a third-round pick out of Utah, providing excellent position versatility and instincts in the defensive backfield. He only has one year of starting experience under his belt, but he played all over the field last season for the Utes, lining up everywhere from outside corner to linebacker.
Fuller was selected in the sixth round after starting three years for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He’s more of a true free safety, roaming the middle of the field in the deep third. He had five interceptions and 10 passes defensed in the last three seasons, showing good ball skills.
Johnson shared some insight on both rookies and what makes them good defenders.
“They’re both good guys. They’re smart, hard-working,” he said. “I will say, things that jumped out to me – Jordan is long. He can run. He looks like he could cover sideline-to-sideline. He can come out the post, so I’m excited to see what he could do. And Burgess, he’s versatile, he’s quick, he’s fast and I wasn’t expecting that either. I didn’t study them, obviously, but both of them, I’m very impressed with.”
Burgess will have a better chance to contribute as a rookie than Fuller will, just because of his versatility and draft pedigree. Sean McVay and Brandon Staley have already brought his name up as a candidate to play the nickel spot, which has been vacated by Robey-Coleman.
He has some competition in David Long, Darious Williams and Dont’e Deayon, but Burgess’ tape at Utah is impressive. He just needs to continue that level of play early on in the NFL.
