With the start of free agency only a few weeks away, Stephon Gilmore could be a target for the Los Angeles Rams at cornerback.

As stout as the defense of the Los Angeles Rams was throughout the entire season, there was one deficiency that stood out as a consistent weakness, which would be the performance of the secondary. Although the defense finished the season with 10 interceptions and 72 passes deflected, the secondary can use upgrades at both cornerback and safety.

When looking at the potential players that would fit the mold of a Wade Phillips defensive back, cornerback Stephon Gilmore is a name to keep an eye on for the Rams heading into free agency.

Gilmore has spent the last five seasons with the Buffalo Bills, and has proven to be a big, lockdown cornerback that can defend in both zone and press coverage. During the 2016 season, Gilmore totaled 48 tackles to go along with five interceptions (career high) and 12 pass deflections on a team that struggled mightily. Under Rex Ryan, Gilmore primarily played outside, but has the ability to flip inside at the nickel position. Not to mention another quality trait he has that often isn’t recognized is his ability as a big hitter on defense.

Los Angeles needs to add a playmaker to the defensive backfield to solidify a unit with potential to be a top-five defense in the league. Having Gilmore play alongside some of the current defensive backs will add more experience and a ball-hawk for a team in need of creating more turnovers. An improved secondary under Gilmore could also help out the front seven too, as it would be very interesting to see if Phillips could play him in a role similar to Aqib Talib with the Denver Broncos.

With the looming cloud of Trumaine Johnson‘s free agency dilemma along with not having a first-round pick to select a top defender from this year’s draft class puts the Rams in a pickle. So when taking all of this into consideration, going after a top shutdown defender like Gilmore to add to an up-and-coming secondary would be wise move for Los Angeles.