Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon first joined the Rams in 2023, when he signed a one-year, veteran-minimum contract about a month before training camp.
One game into last season, Witherspoon was a free agent when the Rams signed him to another one-year deal.
On Wednesday the Rams and Witherspoon once again agreed to a one-year contract, the team announced.
“It feels great to be back,” Witherspoon said during a videoconference with reporters. “Just excited for the opportunity. Looking forward to continuing this journey with some of the relationships with teammates and coaches that I built last year, as well as just having the opportunity to represent my family in a good light and just competing for a championship.”
Witherspoon, who turns 30 on Friday, is entering his ninth season. He has intercepted 12 passes during stints with the San Francisco 49ers, who selected him in the third round of the NFL draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Rams.
Last season Witherspoon played 13 games. He started five and intercepted one pass for a defense that gave up 223.1 yards passing per game, which ranked 26th in the NFL.
Witherspoon returns to a roster that includes cornerbacks Darious Williams, Cobie Durant, Emmanuel Forbes Jr., Josh Wallace, Charles Woods and Derion Kendrick, who was sidelined last season because of a knee injury. The Rams also are expected to target the position during the draft.
The continuity of the returning players should aid the Rams on several levels, Witherspoon said.
“Our ability to communicate, the time we spend together off the field and just continuing to grow and not really having to recreate those relationships,” he said. “And just feeding off each other and reaping the benefits when it comes out on Sunday.”
This will be the first time Witherspoon will have the benefit of the Rams’ offseason workout program. It takes time to see and feel the game, Witherspoon said. Last year, without the benefit of offseason workouts or training camp, Witherspoon was forced to do that with the season already underway. So he is looking forward to the offseason program, which begins next month.
“I’m just excited to be able to kind of get out some of those knots during the offseason and hit the ground running from Week 1,” he said.
Witherspoon is the fourth defensive player the Rams have signed or re-signed to a team that is expected to be a Super Bowl contender after finishing 10-7 and advancing to the NFC divisional round last season.
Free-agent lineman Poona Ford and inside linebacker Nate Landman recently signed with the Rams. They also re-signed lineman Larrell Murchison, who was sidelined last season because of forearm and foot injuries.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
