The defending NFC champions opened their offseason program on Monday, without a pair of key defensive players present.
Coach Sean McVay acknowledged to reporters that linebacker Dante Fowler and cornerback Marcus Peters did not attend. McVay didn’t fault them for being absent, pointing out that the workouts are “voluntary” and that they “had communicated well ahead of time.”
“Certainly, it is voluntary and we understand that,” McVay said. “But as long as we just know they’re in a good place or what’s going on with them. . . . [Fowler and Peters will] be here once they get some of those things taken care of that they had to do.”
McVay also expressed hope that cornerback Troy Hill and linebacker Cory Littleton, both unsigned restricted free agents, will soon join the team.
“I think once they come in, you’d like to be able to get those guys to sign,” McVay said. “That’s something that we’re navigating through right now. Cory was the other guy that he communicated to us that he had something going on. We don’t expect anything to be different. Those are guys that we hope to be on our team and looking forward to working with.”
For a team that is known for its offense, the L.A. defense also has significance. After all, it held the Patriots to a mere 13 points in Super Bowl LIII, a thin silver lining in what ultimately was a 10-point loss.