Kamren Curl is a big part of the Los Angeles Rams’ rebuilt secondary, joining Chris Shula’s defense after four years in Washington. He may not have big turnover numbers in his career, intercepting only four passes in four years – all as a rookie in 2020 – but the Rams have high expectations for the young safety.
Sean McVay sees him as a defender who can play in multiple levels of the defense, whether it’s as a deep safety, in the box or over the slot.
While on Chris Long’s “Green Light” podcast, McVay compared Curl to another former Rams safety: Mark Barron. It’s not necessarily their play style that strikes McVay as being the same, but rather their awareness, intelligence and toughness.
“Kam Curl is a guy that, and I say this in the most complimentary way because I love this guy, he reminds me of Mark Barron,” McVay said. “Mark Barron was like a silent assassin. He takes everything in, he’s so smart, he’s tough as (expletive). Kam Curl has a similar demeanor and disposition as him. now, Mark will knock you – he was a total G, but I say that in terms of how much confidence I have in what Kam can be. I thought you saw him do a lot of stuff in Washington where he can come down and play man coverage on different guys at that two or three location. He’s violent with the way he attacks the football. I like the way that he’s a close-quarter tackler and then you can see him playing different parts of the field. We’ll ask him to do some different stuff, but the game makes sense to him. You ask him a question and he’s answering it. He picks and chooses his words wisely. This guy’s taking everything in, he knows what the hell’s going on and he’s a grown man.”
Barron played a few different spots in his Rams career, originally being drafted as a safety by Tampa Bay in 2012 when he was the seventh overall pick. In 2015, he transitioned to linebacker under head coach Jeff Fisher and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, a spot he played for the remainder of his career. In two years under McVay, Barron had three interceptions, 148 tackles and two sacks. His versatility and position flexibility is what allowed him to have a career that spanned eight years.
This season, Curl will pair with either Quentin Lake or Russ Yeast as the starting safeties this year, but as McVay said, they’ll use him in different ways beyond just being a traditional safety. With a base value of only $8.75 million for two years, Curl could wind up being a steal for Los Angeles.
