The Rams' cornerback rotation is planned out by assistant head coach/pass game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant before every matchup. But sometimes, the flow of the game changes things.

Last week, cornerbacks Cobie Durant and Emmanuel Forbes Jr. set the tone for the defense to kick off the second half. Durant intercepted Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold three plays into the third quarter, and Forbes lunged for a touchdown-saving pass breakup on the following drive. So, when it was Darious Williams' turn to go in on the following series, he told them to stick with the hot hands. It resulted in a three-and-out for the Rams' defense.

"I don't think there's nobody else in the league that probably could do that (rotation)," Durant told theRams.com. "We just believe in one another, and it's like a brotherhood that we have. (If) somebody's hot, let them go, let them roll."

The football gods rewarded Williams' goodwill, as he caught an interception of his own in the fourth quarter, undercutting a short pass thrown by a scrambling Darnold. It was Williams' first pick of the season and the Rams' fourth of the game. Afterward, all three corners united in the end zone to celebrate together in a manner befitting their bond.

Since cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon went down with an injury in Week 2, Pleasant has orchestrated a rotation among the Rams' top three outside corners every week, and it's facilitated individual and collective success at the position. A Rams corner has picked off a pass in each of their last three games, and all three have caught at least one interception in that span.

"You want to play all those guys because we feel really good about those three," said head coach Sean McVay. "... I think Aubrey has a great feel for that. He does such a good job of communicating... I thought his leadership was really on display (against Seattle)."

Pleasant gives the starters, which have been Durant and Forbes over the past three weeks, two drives before the rotation starts. That's when the third corner, in this case Williams, goes in and plays two-straight series, one with each starter, before coming out, and the cycle starts all over again. However, that isn't set in stone, as different factors can cause them to stray from that order.

Pleasant described the room as an "amoeba," because it's "an ever-evolving, ever-changing element that has the ability to morph into whatever it needs to for us to get the job done."

Not many defenses operate that way at cornerback. After 11 weeks, the Rams are the only team in the league with three players who have taken at least 300 snaps at outside cornerback, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). That system only works because of the mutual respect and empathy that exists within the unit.

"I think everybody in that room at one point in time in their career, has had to watch a teammate sit on a bench who they know is good enough to play, but wasn't (playing)," Pleasant told theRams.com. "And I think when you bring that humanity into a game of football, it allows guys to kind of sit back and treat others the way they want to be treated."

Pleasant, who never got a shot on an NFL roster after going undrafted as a safety out of Wisconsin in 2009, understands that as well as anyone.

"And we say all the time, everybody's gonna eat," Pleasant added. "If you're good enough to play, you will find a role and we'll find time for you to get out there."

Managing that is "not necessarily easy," he said, but it's not a new approach. Pleasant has rotated corners during various seasons in L.A., whether it was with Williams, Jalen Ramsey and Troy Hill in 2020, Witherspoon, Durant and Derion Kendrick in 2023 or Witherspoon, Durant and Williams just last year.

Still, this is an unusual strategy. Regardless of how much the players buy in, it takes reps and experience to generate prolonged success.

"We rotate in practice," Pleasant said. "As soon as you think you're not going to go in, I'll put you in. If you don't look like you're paying attention, I'll put you in. It's the idea and thought process of, 'If you stay ready, you don't have to get ready.'"

During the course of the season, all three players have acknowledged the benefits of the rotation, saying they feel fresher throughout games. There is no ill will or resentment over limited snaps.

Forbes told theRams.com that he stretches on the sidelines to keep his body loose between drives. But, "there's a different game being played underneath the face mask and underneath the helmet," Pleasant said, so staying mentally invested is it's own challenge.

It's impossible for Pleasant to motivate someone if he doesn't know them, especially when they are being encouraged to accept such a collaborative approach that limits their individual playing time. The process of getting players to do that started when each one walked in the Rams' building for the first time.

Pleasant makes an effort to connect "emotionally" and "spiritually" with every person he works with. Eventually, they tend to express to him what they want to achieve. That way he's not lording over them, telling them what they need to do, but rather helping them achieve what they want to do and what the team requires of them.

"Coaches are professional critics," Pleasant said. "So every time if I'm opening my mouth, if I'm saying something to criticize, how can I do that in a positive manner? So it's just all about building that confidence that we have a connection, so I see something greater in you than you might see in yourself, and I want to help you obtain that goal."

Forbes' path is well-documented. After being selected 16th overall in the 2023 draft by the Washington Commanders, he was benched and later released the following season, after which the Rams picked him up.

When Forbes came to Los Angeles, his main objective was to recapture his confidence and further his competitive stamina, Pleasant recalled. He wanted to perform as well at the end of the game as he did at start. Through countless conversations with Pleasant and targeted training, Forbes has accomplished that goal, snagging two fourth-quarter interceptions this season. The rotation keeps his body fresh, but Pleasant has helped him keep his mind sharp throughout games.

Given Forbes' experience in Washington, it would be understandable for him to think poorly about exiting the game so often, but that couldn't be further from the reality.

"(The rotation is) sort of new to me this season," Forbes told theRams.com. "A lot of coaches (have) the starters play the whole game. But over here, we feel like we have a lot of starting guys that can go out there and start and make an impact instantly."

In Week 11, Los Angeles' three outside corners combined for two interceptions and one pass breakup to go along with zero touchdowns and 12 catches allowed on 22 targets (54.5% catch rate), according to PFF. Each of them got their hands on the ball Sunday, either by intercepting or breaking up a pass. The snap share was almost perfectly distributed, too, with Williams and Durant playing 57 defensive snaps and Forbes getting 64.

Durant's pick was eerily similar to the one he caught off Darnold in last year's wild card round victory over Minnesota. On both occasions, Darnold's rhythm was disrupted by pressure up front, and he underthrew a pass to an out route near the sideline, which Durant leapt in front of. And of course, he was part of a cornerback rotation in both games.

"I've seen the formation, and I'm thinking, like, either he gives me a spray out or he's going to spray at me and go post," Durant said. "So those are the only two things I was really worried about. So he gave me the spray out, and I just broke on him."

Pleasant called last week "a perfect situation," in terms of snap count and production, and the Rams' outside cornerbacks will look to build on that success against the Buccaneers in a Week 12 Sunday Night Football showdown.

The care the Pleasant takes when pouring into his players is reflected in those same players' treatment of each other. When Williams came to the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2018, signed off the Ravens' practice squad, defensive coordinator Chris Shula said former Rams cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters took him under their wing, providing support and veteran leadership. Now, he's doing the same for Durant and Forbes, as illustrated by his selfless actions on Sunday.

Pleasant coached the cornerbacks in both seasons.

"They all just support each other," Shula said. "... They're really happy for each other's success and that's really cool to see."