Pro Football Rumors
While it didn’t get done in the rush before the start of the regular season, an extension for Rams defensive back Quentin Lake should absolutely be on the table. Playing in the versatile ‘star’ position for Los Angeles in 2024, Lake has made himself an indispensable part of the team’s secondary.
Playing mostly on special teams as a sixth-round rookie in 2022, Lake found a bigger role on defense as his sophomore campaign progressed. A safety during his time at UCLA, Lake began seeing more reps on the Rams defense as a slot corner, splitting time in the role with cornerback Cobie Durant. His role got bigger as the season went on, with Lake getting some starts and increased playing time in the back half of the year.
In 2024, he was named a full-time starter for the Rams. He began the year starting at safety and coming down into the slot for sub packages with an extra defensive back while John Johnson covered his safety spot. When Johnson went on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, third-round rookie Kamren Kinchens became the first safety off the bench. Kinchens struggled early on, and Lake was depended on to hold down the safety position. The Rams slowly gained confidence and began to give Kinchens more run at safety, allowing Lake to exercise a more versatile role once again.
Lake appeared all over the field in 2024. Out of 1,207 snaps played on defense, Lake played 511 (42%) in the slot, 398 (33%) at safety, and 244 (20%) in the box. Part of his effectiveness in roaming around the field is due, in part, to his superior run defense, which graded second only to Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse on the Rams defense, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). For all his work around the field, Lake finished second on the team with 111 total tackles.
The types of players Lake most resembles are versatile safeties like Budda Baker and Derwin James. He’s not quite on the level of those All-Pros, so he probably won’t garner anything near the $18MM-$19.13MM those two are averaging on their current deals. If Los Angeles wants to lock Lake down long-term, knowing how important a role he played in 2024, Lake could encroach a double-digit average.
There’s currently a gap between Jaguars safety Darnell Savage (three-year, $21.75MM) and Eagles safety C.J. Gardner Johnson (three-year, $27MM), and anywhere in that gap would make a lot of sense to me. With the season underway, any deal might have to wait for the offseason, but if the Rams want to give Lake peace of mind as he plays out the season on a contract year, finding time to extend him well before free agency might be a good idea.
