NFL expert already proclaiming Rams trade as 1 of NFL's best offseason moves

While the Los Angeles Rams defense started out on fire in the 2025 NFL season, it didn't last. Injuries to key contributors like defensive back Quentin Lake and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon force defensive coordinator Chris Shula to swap players in and out of the lineup in a frantic search for a new secondary configuration that might work.

The challenges of finding players who might step up were simply too much for a defense that was one of the cheapest in the NFL. The Rams depth chart was built to give starters the occasional play off to rest, not to take over if a starter was injured.

Perhaps the secondary struggles are history. At least, that is what NFL analyst Steve Wyche suggests, as he proudly proclaims the acquisition of cornerback Trent McDuffie as one of the NFL's best offseason moves.

He's not wrong. Even in the best of times, fans knew the secondary relied almost entirely on a fierce pass rush to force the ball out early. But as the defensive front dug in its heels to stop opposing running backs, the defensive backs simply did not have the skills to maintain coverage with NFL elite receivers.

Trent McDuffie brings that velcro-like coverage ability to LA.

But wait, there's so muich more to love about the Rams secondary.

If the LA Rams only traded for cornerback Trent McDuffie, fans would have legitimate reasons to be optimistic over the 2026 NFL season. But that was simply one step to an entire strategy that focused the entire team's resources to create a secondary worthy of competing with that of the Seattle Seahawks.

The strategy for Los Angeles did not begin with the McDuffie trade. The defensive blueprints were initially revealed when general manager Les Snead acted to extend both inside linebacker Nate Landham and versatile defensive back Quentin Lake.

Lake's extension was particularly intriguing, as it broke with LA's tradition of letting safeties find a second contract elsewhere. Even more noteworthy was the fact that Lake was just coming back from a significant injury.

The team continued to break tradition by extending physical safety Kam Curl.

Those moves set the stage for the team to upgrade the cornerback position twice. First, the team traded for Trent McDuffie. Then Snead pulled a genius move by signing McDuffie's teammate, cornerback Jaylen Watson.

With these moves, LA has assembled a secondary that holds a significantly higher upside than 2025. And by adding the Chiefs' starting cornerbacks from 2025, Snead has cleverly bypassed the awkwardness of cornerbacks meeting for the first time at OTAs and training camp.

In short, Los Angeles should be able to hit the floor running this season. The team has assembled a secondary in which the depth chart is already apparent. Fans should love what LA has done. NFL expert Steve Wyche certainly does.

As always, thanks for reading.