Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters were laughing and joking like old friends shortly after the start of their first day together at the Los Angeles Rams' training complex.
The Rams' opponents might not have that much fun this fall when they face two of the NFL's best pass defenders in the same secondary.
The defending NFC West champions kicked off their offseason by acquiring bookend elite cornerbacks in two trades that were formally announced Wednesday. Talib and Peters say they're thrilled to play under coordinator Wade Phillips on a defense undergoing an intriguing overhaul.
"These guys are special players
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Rams general manager Les Snead has created a seemingly stellar secondary after entering the season with the uncertainty of top cornerback Trumaine Johnson, slot cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman and starting safety Lamarcus Joyner all heading for free agency.
They lost Johnson to a lavish deal from the New York Jets, but the Rams re-signed Robey-Coleman, franchised Joyner and swung trades for two cornerbacks with seven combined Pro Bowl selections to play alongside Joyner and safety John Johnson III in a potent starting lineup. Los Angeles even added talented veteran cornerback Sam Shields, who missed last season due to concussions, as a probable backup alongside 2017 starting cornerback Kayvon Webster
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Peters has known for nearly three weeks that he was headed out of Kansas City, where he spent his first three NFL seasons. When he heard last week that Talib would join him with the up-and-coming Rams, the Oakland native was thrilled.
"Oh, let's do it," Peters said. "For me, I get to have another All-Pro corner on the other side, so now you don't know where you're going to go. And then when you've got a safety like Joyner and then you're adding Sam Shields and you keep Robey? Come on now. It's just going to be fun. You've got to find a way. Pick your poison."
Talib and Peters both paid attention last season when McVay and Phillips led this long-struggling franchise to its first winning season since 2003 and its first playoff appearance since 2004. After winning the Super Bowl two seasons ago under Phillips' direction in Denver, Talib was eager to be a part of another potential powerhouse.
"I saw a bunch of guys having fun
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Peters and Talib are two world-class talents with just enough apparent questions surrounding them to make them available to the Rams.
Peters, who was dismissed from his college team at Washington
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"When we look back into the game, passionate players have always been the ones that got the bad rep of not being a team player and being selfish," Peters said. "That's not the case for me. My ultimate goal is to be a winner. I was born a champion."
Talib has been in scrapes with the law, his employers and opponents during his 10 professional seasons. His rivalry with receiver Michael Crabtree has attracted the most attention, but teammates also praise his loyalty and competitiveness. McVay, who is 20 days older than the 32-year-old Talib
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The additions came at a cost to the Rams, who had to trade defensive captain Alec Ogletree to the New York Giants to make room for Talib.
"It's rare to be able to acquire two players of this caliber," McVay said. "So when the opportunity does present itself, you want to be ready."
Rams safety Lamarcus Joyner reported to training camp despite not getting a long-term deal this offseason, but he isn’t quite ready to start practicing with the team.
The Rams had their conditioning test on Wednesday and announced later in the day that Joyner has been placed on the non-football injury list. No specific reason has been given for Joyner’s spot on the list.
Players on the NFI list are eligible to activated at any time and aren’t permitted to practice until they do get activated.
The Rams used the franchise tag on Joyner this offseason and he signed it in April. The two sides did not agree on a multi-year deal before the July 16 deadline to do so, which leaves Joyner set to play out the year with an $11.287 million base salary.
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