The Los Angeles Rams entered the offseason with a goal of getting better at the cornerback position, and they did just that by trading for Trent McDuffie and signing Jaylen Watson in free agency.
McDuffie and Watson will remain teammates after spending the last four seasons together with the Kansas City Chiefs. The two won a pair of Super Bowl titles and now will look to help deliver another championship to L.A.
Watson noted that he and McDuffie have different play styles, which should help the Rams match up against other teams’ wide receivers in 2026, via Wyatt Miller of TheRams.com:
“(Physicality) is my strength. That’s why I think me and Trent complement each other so well,” Watson said. “His strengths are short-area quickness and small, shifty guys, my strengths are (guarding) the bigger receivers, so we should be pretty diverse. We should be able to match up pretty well against a lot of different teams.”
At 6’2″, Watson is a physical corner who typically lines up on the outside and guards wide receivers with a similar frame. McDuffie, at 5’11”, can play all over the secondary and matches up well against speedy wide receivers.
With the two now reunited in L.A., the Rams should have one of the best secondaries in football next season with Quentin Lake in the slot, and Kam Curl and Kam Kinchens at safety.
Kam Curl excited about Rams’ secondary additions
Another move the Rams made to improve their secondary was re-signing Curl to a three-year, $36 million contract, who is also excited about the team’s new additions.
“I’ll see them in the building real soon, but just seeing those moves that the Rams made, it just got me excited to go play with those guys, those big playmakers. And we’re just trying to have the No. 1 defense this season and I feel like with the guys we’ve got in the room now and on the defensive side of the ball, we’ve got a good chance to do that.”
Rams head coach Sean McVay is also thrilled about the Rams’ moves this offseason, and the same can presumably be said for defensive coordinator Chris Shula, who now has a talented secondary to pair with an elite pass rush.