The Los Angeles Rams have been hard at work retooling their defense this offseason.

Aaron Donald retired from the NFL after 10 incredible seasons in the league. Donald was consistently a high-end pass rusher who always seemed to collapse a pocket for a big play if left in a one-on-one situation. His retirement was a significant blow to the Rams' defense that leaned heavily on Donald for the last decade.

Los Angeles also invested some resources in repairing their secondary, which lacks the star power that it once had with Jalen Ramsey. The Rams have a handful of young players on defense, but entered the offseason needing to add consistent players and veterans on defense at all levels.

The Rams had a subpar defense in 2023, that arguably held them back even with Aaron Donald. They ranked 20th in the NFL in a variety of metrics, including passing yards allowed per game (231.1) and total yards allowed per game (337.9).

You have to praise the Rams for investing significant assets, both cap space and draft picks, into trying to solve their defensive problems. However, not all of their moves look like good ones.

Below, we will explore two of the riskiest moves that the Rams made this offseason, both which are defensive players.

Let's get into it.

Tre'Davious White is a risky CB1

Los Angeles entered the offseason with two young CBs holding down the position – Quentin Lake and Cobie Durant. These players have flashed potential and are a valuable part of the Rams' roster, but they aren't starting CBs. Therefore, Los Angeles attempted to fill these holes via free agency.

They signed both Tre'Davious White and Darious Williams to presumably become the team's starting outside cornerbacks in 2024.

Tre'Davious White is a risky bet a CB1 who will be leaned on heavily to prop up the defense.

White was a first-round pick by the Buffalo Bills back in 2017. He burst onto the scene as a rookie, shutting down opposing WRs and logging some impressive coverage stats. White broke up 12 passes in 2017 and had four interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns. He had a handful of incredible seasons in Buffalo before his career became plagued with injury concerns.

He suffered a shoulder injury during a Week 3 game in 2020 and an ACL tear in November of 2021. This injuries appeared to slow White down and slightly reduced his quality of play. White also suffered an Achilles tear in October that caused him to miss the remainder of the season.

Suffice it to say, availability has been a consistent problem for White over the last several seasons.

This isn't to say that he is a worthless player in the NFL. On the contrary, he still has enough athleticism and football smarts to merit being a solid NFL cornerback.

That said, he is a long ways out from when he was an elite NFL cornerback. That, paired with his injury history, makes him an incredibly risky CB1 for Los Angeles. If White misses time, it could cause a cascade effect that significantly reduces the effectiveness of the Rams' defense.

Let's hope that doesn't happen.

Rams spent way too much trading up for Braden Fiske

Braden Fiske is a solid draft prospect, so this is not a dig on the player. Instead, the process the Rams' used to acquire Fiske was completely unsound.

The Rams paid the 155th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, plus a future second-round pick, to move up from 52 to 39 to select Fiske. It doesn't matter which trade chart you look at, that is a massive overpay for moving up 13 spots in the second round.

Los Angeles had their reasons. Aaron Donald retired this offseason, and the Rams wanted to try and recreate Donald in the aggregate. They selected EDGE Jared Verse in the first round, and were eager to pair him with his former college teammate no matter what. The Rams reportedly believed that the chemistry that exists between the two players made it worth the price to trade up for him.

Fiske and Verse only played one season together at Florida State, but it was a season to remember. The Seminoles went 13-1 and Fiske and Verse led a star-studded defensive line. They combined for 90 tackles and 15 sacks. Los Angeles is clearly hoping that they can recreate some of that magic on the Rams.