For someone who was a seventh-round pick in 2019 and initially pegged as a special teams contributor, safety Nick Scott far exceeded expectations.
He became an important special teamer in his first two seasons, and when he got his chance to see playing time on defense in his third, he flourished and turned that into a starting role in his fourth season. Those third and fourth years saw lots of memorable plays, from interceptions to the big hit in the NFC Championship game during the Rams' Super Bowl LVI-winning playoff run.
Now, Scott is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins on March 15.
So what are the options for Scott and the Rams?
Los Angeles could opt to re-sign Scott, whose durability was evident playing in 64 of 66 possible regular season games over his first four NFL seasons. His experience and familiarity in the system, not to mention that playmaking – see four interceptions and seven pass breakups over his previous two seasons – would benefit the secondary.
If L.A. and Scott decide to go in different directions, the Rams could turn to either Russ Yeast or Quentin Lake as a replacement. Lake was drafted in the sixth round in 2022, Yeast the seventh, and both gradually saw more playing time and gained more experience during the second half of their rookie seasons. As is the case with any player, the Rams could also explore finding that replacement via the draft.
