LOS ANGELES — A year after Derion Kendrick tore his knee ligament in the first practice of training camp, the Los Angeles Rams' former starting cornerback is fighting to reclaim a prominent role on a defense that was forced to move on without him.

Kendrick didn't grind through a year of rehab to give up now — not even after the Rams waived him last month and brought him back at a lower salary. He could have gone elsewhere, but Kendrick says he was determined to continue what he started in Los Angeles.

"I love the people here," Kendrick said Wednesday. "I've built so many relationships in this organization, and I've got so much love for it. And I know the playbook like the back of my hand, so I wouldn't want to be nowhere else, for real."

Although the former sixth-round pick started 18 games over his first two seasons, Kendrick knows he has to compete for a roster spot this summer, let alone his former job. Kendrick has been working mostly with the Rams' second-team defense in camp.

Starters Darious Williams and Cobie Durant are back for LA, and veteran Ahkello Witherspoon still occupies the role he seized last season after Kendrick's injury. The Rams also praised Emmanuel Forbes, the former Commanders firstround selection picked up on waivers late last season.

"Just being a competitor, I always want to be the first one going out there," Kendrick said. "But right now, I'm just stacking my days, getting better each day."

He has still made enough plays to earn praise from coach Sean McVay and his staff.

"He's handled himself really well," McVay said.

"He's got great instincts and a great concept trigger. He's worked really hard.

"You see the amount of time and effort that goes into getting yourself back, and he's even stronger than before.

"He's really smart and understands what's going on (in terms of the) big-picture. His teammates love him. He just loves the game, and I've been really pleased with the steps that he's taken."

Winning at every level

Kendrick has been a prolific winner throughout an impressive football career, slowed only by off-field setbacks.

He won two state titles as a high school quarterback in South Carolina, and he famously won College Football Playoff championships at both Clemson and Georgia. In between, though, he was dismissed by the Tigers for disciplinary issues shortly before he was arrested in 2021, when police found him asleep in his car with a gun.

Kendrick started six games as a Rams rookie, and he had an even larger role in 2023, before he was arrested in an early-morning traffic stop hours after a game. He spent nearly three days in custody and faced two misdemeanor gun charges.

Kendrick's role and playing time shrank on a playoff-bound team. He returned to training camp eager for a fresh start, only to injure his knee immediately and miss out on the Rams' unlikely NFC West title and playoff run.

"I've never had an injury like this in my career, so having people around me that have been through it and let me know how I need to go about it, they helped me through this past year to keep my head down and keep working," he said.

Seizing the controller

Mindful of his own past, Kendrick also changed his life off the field.

"I'm trying not to be outside as much," he said with a grin. "I game a lot now. NBA 2K, Call of Duty. So I try to stay in the house with gaming, and, if I'm not on the game with my kids, then I'm with my other immediate family. Pretty chill."

The Rams waived Kendrick before mini-camp, only to re-sign him four days later at a lower salary than he would have made under the performance escalators in his original deal. Kendrick said the coaches already told him they wanted him back before the move, and he readily agreed.

Kendrick said he finally felt 100 percent confident in his injury recovery a few weeks before training camp. Heading into a vital month of preseason play for his career, he still knows exactly where he wants to go.

"One of my goals is All-Pro, Pro Bowl, all those type of things, and then my goal, other than the personal accolades, is just to win the Super Bowl," Kendrick said.

"Finish out my wins throughout my career. I won at the high school level. I won at the college level. Now it's time to finish it out at the professional level, win that Super Bowl — and then, for myself, just going to get that gold jacket."

Agencies via Xinhua