Alex Cook May Not Be ‘just Another Camp Body’

The L.A. Rams signed free agent safety Alex Cook to their roster on Monday and he may be more than just a camp body. There is some serious history here between Cook and several members of the Rams organization, and you have to assume there were many conversations before GM Les Snead approached Cook’s representatives.

This past season, Cook played for the Birmingham Stallions of the UFL. Here is how Bianca Gamez summed up Cook’s year with the Stallions:

The 6’, 195-lbs defensive back completed a breakout spring season as a dynamic defensive anchor for the Stallions, finishing the UFL regular season with 45 total tackles (27 solo), 6 pass breakups, 1.0 tackle for loss, 1 interception and 1 fumble recovery. His standard-setting campaign was highlighted by big plays, including a spectacular, one-handed interception that he returned for a 70 yards for a pick-six touchdown against the Gamblers on June 6. He added a 73-yard scoop-and-score on a backwards lateral he knocked out in Week 10 against the Columbus Aviators.

Prior to that, Cook was teammates with Harrison Mevis, Trent McDuffie, and Puka Nacua at the University of Washington, where they were all coached by current Rams pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach Jimmy Lake.

How he got here

During his time at Washington, Cook was a wide receiver during his freshman year before converting to safety. He didn’t see much playing time until his junior year, when he accumulated 32 tackles in 11 games.

As a senior, Cook was one of the best players on the 11-2 Huskies team. He had a team-high 82 tackles (3.5 for loss) and was named to the All-PAC-12 Second Team. His 56 solo tackles ranked sixth in the conference.

After going undrafted in the 2023 draft, Cook signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Giants. He missed making the final roster but was added to their practice squad.

In October of that year, the Carolina Panthers poached Cook from the Giants’ practice squad and added him to their 53-man roster. He saw action in 10 games and started 2 of them. He was active on special teams as well.

 During the 2024 preseason, Cook was waived by the Panthers and re-signed to the practice squad. He was released from the team in December.

Three weeks later, he was signed to the Giants’ practice squad. Obviously, the Giants thought he was worth keeping around.

In January of 2025, Cook signed a reserve/future contract with the Chicago Bears. He was waived by the Bears seven months later.

Can he make the roster?

At the moment, the Rams have Cook listed fourth on the strong safety depth chart, right behind Nate Valcarcel. But the way the Rams treat their defensive backs as interchangeable pieces, maybe he wouldn’t be looked at as strictly a safety.

After the top five of Kam Curl, Kamren Kinchens, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Quentin Lake, the depth is somewhat sketchy. Could there be a spot for Alex Cook? We’ll see.