The Los Angeles Rams have brought back many of their own free agents this offseason, including Ahkello Witherspoon, who returned to the team on a one-year contract in free agency.
Witherspoon recorded 31 total tackles, nine passes defensed and an interception in 13 games for the Rams last season (five starts). The 30-year-old entered the starting lineup in Week 15 and immediately helped transform the unit.
“It feels great to be back. I’m just excited for the opportunity,” Witherspoon said of re-signing with the Rams.
“I’m looking forward to continue in joining this journey with some of the teammates and coaches that I built relationships [with] last year as well as having an opportunity to represent my family in a good light and compete for a championship.”
After signing late in each of the last two years, Witherspoon is happy to have a contract so early in the offseason. “Just a chance to be my best,” he said.
“That’s all I’m looking forward to this year, just the time to focus on my craft and fine-tune some of the things that I can improve on with the opportunity to be the best that I can be for my teammates. That’s my focus.”
With Witherspoon back in the fold, the Rams will return most of their key contributors on defense next season.
“Our ability to communicate, the time we spend together off the field and just continuing to grow and not really have to recreate those relationships. Just feeding off of each other and reaping the benefits when it comes out on Sunday,” Witherspoon answered when asked if the continuity gives them any advantages.
Witherspoon has high expectations for the Rams and thinks they have a chance to be even better next season. “I think the goal is a Super Bowl without blowing smoke. That’s our focus,” he began.
“Second is just improving on what we did last year in whatever little ways we can. We saw how far it got us, but that doesn’t promise improvement the next year. That’s our idea is just to keep getting better individually, keep growing as a team, which I think we’ve done, and adding the pieces that we need to be overall a better football team than we were the last calendar year.”
Ahkello Witherspoon excited to compete with Davante Adams on Rams
Witherspoon said he is most excited to compete with future Hall of Famer Davante Adams, who joined the Rams on a two-year contract earlier this offseason.
“I think for me personally, it’s the first moment where I get overly excited, where I’m not really inside of myself when I see them sign a guy like Davante Adams because that’s the joy and the passion for me is being able to compete against somebody like that on a daily basis and take that training to go to play on game day,” Witherspoon said.
“It’d be much calmer and much simpler because I’ve had elite reps against guys like Davante, Puka [Nacua] and [Seattle Seahawks WR] Cooper [Kupp] when he was here. Those are the moments that I love. I’m just excited about a space that’s improving, trying to take the next steps and wanting to be a part of it.”
