​Everyone has talked about the Los Angeles Rams’ new additions of Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Myles Garrett, but the return of Kam Curl is critical to the success of the defense. He re-signed with the Rams this offseason after two solid years in Los Angeles, earning a big raise with a three-year, $36 million extension.He’s a leader in the secondary, someone who can play a variety of roles at safety. Deep or shallow. In the slot, in the post. And while McDuffie and Watson will make a world of difference at cornerback, having Curl back at safety will have a major impact for Los Angeles, too.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe’s the team’s 13th-most important player for 2026.The Rams signed Curl as a free agent in 2024, giving him a modest two-year, $9 million deal following his four years in Washington. He came in and had a positive impact right away, starting 16 games in his first year with the Rams. But after a breakout season in 2025, the Rams rewarded him with a three-year extension that nearly tripled his salary to $12 million per year – still a virtual bargain for a player of his caliber.Despite signing fellow safety Quentin Lake a few months earlier, the Rams extended Curl before he could become a free agent, ensuring he’d be back in Los Angeles for a few more years.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement17 games (17 starts): 122 tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 tackles for a loss, 5 passes defensed, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumbleCurl played all over the defense last season, lining up as a deep safety in two-high looks, covering the slot and coming down into the box, too. According to PFF, 776 of his 1,324 snaps were as a deep safety, with 136 coming in the slot and 358 in the box.His role shouldn’t change much this season, and there’s no reason to shake things up. He’s at his best when Chris Shula moves him around to find the best possible matchups, whether it’s as a robber over the middle when teams might be throwing between the hashes or as a split safety to take away deep throws to one part of the field.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCurl could be more aggressive this season with better cornerback play, knowing the coverage of opposing receivers will be tighter thanks to McDuffie and Watson. That should lead to more takeaways for him and every Rams DB.Curl is an outstanding tackler and run defender, as evidenced by his PFF grades. His run defense grade of 87.9 was the third-best of any safety in the NFL last season, while his 87.0 tackle grade was the seventh-best at his position. He did miss 13 tackles, but his miss rate of 8.3% still ranked 15th because of how many chances he had to wrap up ballcarriers.Though he’s not the signal-caller on defense, he is one of the primary leaders of the secondary alongside Lake. He helps get guys in position and read the opposing offense, which is an invaluable part of playing the position. And as the last line of defense, he does a great job taking away deep passes and limiting yards after