Rams' Ahkello Witherspoon: Won't return vs. Panthers
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Witherspoon (shoulder) has been ruled out for the remainder of Saturday's wild-card game versus Carolina.
Witherspoon is done for the day after sustaining a shoulder injury in the first half. Roger McCreary and Emmanuel Forbes will remain the team's top depth options at cornerback for the rest of the game.
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Rams' Ahkello Witherspoon: Questionable to return
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Witherspoon (shoulder) is questionable to return to the Rams' wild-card matchup versus the Panthers on Saturday.
Witherspoon sustained the injury in the second quarter, leaving his status for the remainder of the game up in the air. If the 30-year-old ends up being unable to return, Roger McCreary and Emmanuel Forbes would likely see increased playing time.
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Rams' Darious Williams: Not playing vs. Panthers
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Williams (coach's decision) has been ruled out for the Rams' wild-card game versus the Panthers on Saturday, Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports.
Williams will be a healthy scratch for a third straight week after having served as a rotational corner earlier in the season. Emmanuel Forbes, Cobie Durant and Ahkello Witherspoon will continue to serve as the team's primary cornerbacks during Saturday's matchup.
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Rams' Josh Wallace: Remains sidelined
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Wallace (ankle) has been ruled out for the Rams' wild-card matchup versus the Panthers on Saturday, Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports.
Wallace was a limited participant in practice earlier in the week but will still be forced to miss his third consecutive game as he continues to battle an ankle injury. In his absence, Roger McCreary should once again see an uptick in playing time.
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Rams' Jaylen McCollough: Similar production in year two
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McCollough recorded 51 tackles (36 solo), including 2.0 sacks, and four pass defenses over17 games in 2025.
A small boost to playing time didn't translate to much improvement in the stat line in year two for McCollough, who had four interceptions in his rookie year but failed to earn one in 2025. The second-year safety did manage to earn his first sacks of his pro career and added eight more tackles year-to-year while functioning as a reliable backup behind Kamren Curl and Kamren Kinchens. With Curl entering free agency, McCollough may be asked to step into a starting role in 2026 if Curl chooses to depart.
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Rams' Poona Ford: Notches pair of sacks in 2025
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Ford recorded 47 tackles (19 solo), including 2.0 sacks, and one pass defensed in 17 games in 2025.
The veteran nose tackle's first season as a Ram was in line with his typical production through his career, as his 47 tackles are second behind the 53 he recorded with Seattle in 2021. Ford continued to showcase his durability, playing in every game for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Ford will be entering the second year of a three-year, $30 million deal for the Rams in 2026 and will continue to anchor the defensive line along with Braden Fiske and Kobie Turner.
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Rams' Kobie Turner: Another productive season
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Turner recorded 48 tackles (24 solo), including 7.0 sacks, and three pass defenses (including an interception) in 17 games in 2025.
There was a slight dip in overall numbers for the third-year pro, but it was still a successful campaign for Turner, who garnered his first interception in his pro career in Week 16 off Sam Darnold. After starting the year with just 1.5 sacks through Week 11, Turner went on a tear over the next five games, notching sacks in four out of five and recording a total of 5.5 in that span. Turner will be playing the final year of his rookie contract in 2026, and he should be looking at a healthy payday via an extension with the Rams or free agency after next year.
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Rams' Josh Wallace: Questionable after limited practice
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Wallace (ankle) was limited in practice Thursday and is officially listed as questionable for Saturday's wild-card-round matchup on the road against Carolina, Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports.
Head coach Sean McVay indicated that Wallace's status may be determined by how comfortable he looked handling limited on-field reps Thursday, per Nate Atkins of The Athletic. As such, it won't be surprising if the reserve slot cornerback's status isn't made official until roughly 90 minutes prior to Saturday's 4:30 p.m. ET kickoff. Wallace has been sidelined due to a lingering ankle injury since Week 16.
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Rams' Kamren Kinchens: Nearly doubles playing time
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Kinchens recorded 84 tackles (56 solo), six passes defended and two interceptions in 17 regular-season games during 2025.
The second-year safety saw a noticeable uptick in playing time compared to his rookie year, taking the field in all 17 games and playing at least half of the snaps on defense in every game except Week 7 against Jacksonville. The highlight of Kinchens' sophomore season was Week 11 against Seattle, where he picked off Sam Darnold twice, and he'll look to continue improving alongside a young but formidable defensive core for the Rams during the postseason and in 2026.
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Rams' Jared Verse: Notches 7.5 sacks in Year 2
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Verse recorded 58 tackles (35 solo), including 7.5 sacks, a pass defensed and three forced fumbles over 17 regular-season games in 2025.
The second verse was nearly identical to the first for the 2024 first-round pick for the Rams, as his tackles decreased by six year-to-year, but he recorded 3.0 additional sacks and one more forced fumble while operating as half of a dominant duo alongside Byron Young. Verse's play was rewarded with a selection as a 2026 NFL Pro Bowler alongside Young, and Verse should continue his ascension towards being one of the top linebackers in the NFL in his third season.
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Rams' Byron Young: Records double-digit sacks
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Young recorded 82 tackles (45 solo), including 12.0 sacks, and forced a fumble in 17 regular-season games during 2025.
The durable Young, who hasn't missed a game in his three seasons in the league, took another step towards becoming one of the league's elite linebackers in 2025, finishing in a tie for eighth with Josh Sweat and Will Anderson for most sacks while earning his first career Pro Bowl nod in the process. It looked like he'd finish with much more than 12 sacks early in the season, as Young recorded at least half a sack in each of the Rams first seven games, before cooling off and recording just three sacks over the final 10 contests. Young will be entering the final year of his rookie deal in 2026 and will look to continue his upward progression before either signing an extension with the Rams or looking for a big payday in free agency.
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Rams' Josh Wallace: Idle Wednesday
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Wallace (ankle) did not practice Wednesday, Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports.
Wallace hasn't played since Week 16 against the Seahawks. With Quentin Lake back from injured reserve, Lake should step back into his role as the Rams' slot cornerback.
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Rams' Omar Speights: Uptick in production
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Speights recorded 85 tackles (45 solo) and a pass defensed in 16 games during 2025.
Despite playing in one fewer game than his rookie year in 2024, Speights saw significantly more action on the field this season, recording 667 snaps. Speights did deal with a high ankle sprain that cost him one game and kept him off and on the injury report for the latter half of the season, or he may have had an even more robust increase to his performance. This coincided with a merely modest gain in his tackle totals year-to-year, and Speights will look to continue his positive trend alongside Nate Landman as the likely starting inside linebackers for the Rams in 2026.
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Rams' Kamren Curl: Career high in tackles in 2025
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Curl recorded 122 tackles (79 solo), including 2.0 sacks, five passes defensed, two interceptions and forced a fumble over 17 games in 2025.
The veteran was on a torrid pace to start the year, with 57 tackles (38 solo) through seven games, before settling down to more modest stat lines through the final 10 games. Curl was also on the field for every snap on defense in 12 games, something he'll likely be asked to do again in the wild-card round on Saturday against Bryce Young and the Panthers. Curl will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, and given his performance and stability at safety, a reunion with the Rams is certainly a possibility for 2026 (and beyond).
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Rams' Nate Landman: Leads Rams in tackles
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Landman recorded 132 total tackles (64 solo), including 2.5 sacks, six passes defensed, one interception and four forced fumbles over 17 games in 2025.
There's a reason the Rams handed Landman a three-year, $22.5 million extension earlier this season; Landman's emergence as a leader of the defense in his first season in Los Angeles. His 132 tackles were both a team and career high for the four-year vet, and he also led the Rams with four forced fumbles. He'll remain a key component of a young Rams defense in 2026, and will get his first taste of playoff football on Saturday in the wild-card round against the Panthers.
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Rams' Shaun Dolac: Sent to IR
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The Rams placed Dolac (knee) on injured reserve Tuesday.
Dolac was injured in the regular-season finale against the Cardinals on Sunday and has an injury to his PCL, according to Nate Atkins of The Athletic. The rookie linebacker appeared in all 17 regular-season contests for Los Angeles, logging 25 tackles (16 solo) as a staple on special teams. He will now be required to miss the entire postseason.
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Rams' Quentin Lake: Activated from IR
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The Rams activated Lake (elbow) from injured reserve Tuesday.
Lake practiced fully Thursday and Friday last week, so it appears he's ready to roll for Saturday afternoon's wild-card matchup against the Panthers. Lake hasn't played since he was injured in Week 11. Across 10 appearances this season, he's logged 61 tackles (37 solo), including 1.0 sacks, 10 pass breakups, including one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery on 92 percent of the defensive snaps.
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Rams' Omar Speights: Will play vs. Arizona
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Speights (ankle) is active for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Stu Jackson of the Rams' official site reports.
Speights was limited in all three practices during Week 18 prep, but he has been given the green light to play Sunday after going through pregame warmups. He has logged 80 tackles (41 solo) and one pass defense through 15 regular-season games.
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Larrell Murchison: Waived by Rams
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Murchison was waived by the Rams on Saturday.
The Rams activated tight end Tyler Higbee off injured reserve Saturday, and with the move, Murchison became the odd man out. The 28-year-old played a depth role on the defensive line this season, totaling 126 snaps on defense and 44 on offense and accounting for eight tackles (two solo), including 2.0 sacks.
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Rams' Josh Wallace: Ruled out for Week 18
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Wallace (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports.
Wallace was unable to practice all week due to an ankle injury and will end up missing the final two regular-season games as a result. He'll aim to return to practice in at least a limited capacity during the week before the Rams' NFC wild-card game. Roger McCreary should see some defensive snaps in nickel packages in Wallace's absence.
