New Trent McDuffie injury could shake up Rams secondary yet again

For a second straight week, the Los Angeles Rams' final injury report is thankfully sparse. The headliner in Week 6 is star cornerback Trent McDuffie, a late addition after tweaking his groin in practice, per head coach Sean McVay. McDuffie sat out Friday's session and his status for Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals could be in jeopardy. 

Safety Kam Curl, another Friday DNP, is also questionable with an ankle injury, but McVay said he "feels good" about his status for the game.

If McDuffie misses, that means more Josh Wallace and Emmanuel Forbes in coverage. Where have we heard that before? The Rams encountered a similar scenario with Jaylen Watson out for the second half in Week 3 against the Broncos and in Week 4 versus Philadelphia. 

For whatever reason, this Rams secondary can't seem to stay healthy.

Rams will call on Wallace and Forbes if Trent McDuffie misses

In addition to Watson, the defense also played multiple games without safety Kamren Kinchens, who strained his hamstring in Week 1 and sat out until the Eagles game. 

Although Curl hasn't missed a game, he's been nursing that ankle injury all year. The other starting safety, Quentin Lake, was questionable entering Week 5 before suiting up to play.

McDuffie, one of the NFL's top corners this season, would be the biggest loss by far, and late injury-report additions tend to bode poorly. "He's got the right mentality and mindset and we'll kind of just see where we're at," McVay said of McDuffie's chances to play. 

Wallace has played well and, based on how the Rams handled Watson's absence, would replace McDuffie as the second starter on the outside. Aside from a very poor showing in Denver, Forbes has also performed decently in limited reps. Relying on those two against Arizona would not be the end of the world. 

The other part, of course, is that it's against Arizona, who just traded former first-round receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and will also miss rookie running back Jeremiyah Love (ankle) this week against the Rams. 

The Cardinals' top receiving threat is tight end Trey McBride, which is more a problem for linebackers Nate Landman and Omar Speights and Lake as a nickel. McBride is only averaging 7.3 yards per catch, anyway, and Arizona's lead wideout Michael Wilson, while providing a productive 57.6 yards per contest, is averaging just 9.9.

WR2 Kendrick Bourne might actually be the bigger concern for LA; with the San Francisco 49ers, meeting last season, an overtime win for 'Zona, Bourne erupted for 10 catches and 142 yards. 

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