Rams have finally restored a luxury they couldn't claim for years

The Los Angeles Rams wasted no time this offseason addressing their problems in the cornerback room. Pairing Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson was a higher-upside outcome than Rams fans could have imagined. Not only do they have one clear No. 1 corner in the building, they have a CB1-B in Watson. 

Better yet, Watson's former Chiefs teammate gives the defense something it hasn't had in years: a top five cornerback in the league. A vast majority of Rams and Chiefs fans would agree, and so does ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, who ranked McDuffie fifth at the position. 

If anything, that might be too low. McDuffie gives the Rams their first All-Pro corner since Jalen Ramsey left town in 2022. Yeah, it's been a while.

McDuffie is best thing about Rams CB room since prime Ramsey

McDuffie's versatility is what makes him great. While the Rams will likely prioritize his value as an outside corner, he is a chess piece defensive coordinator Chris Shula can move all over the field. 

McDuffie's box-score stats don't do him justice. In four seasons and 56 games, he has come up with three interceptions and 34 passes defensed, per Pro Football Reference. None of that jumps off the page. 

But PFF ranked McDuffie 12th out of 114 qualified corners, a testament to how effective he is in coverage even without lighting up the stat sheet. His 9.2 yards allowed per catch ranked 10th at the position.

A physical, efficient tackler, he has forced eight fumbles in his career and last season made 20 stops according to PFF. His 78.5 run-defense grade ranked 11th. General manager Les Snead went so far as to compare McDuffie with Ramsey himself.

McDuffie's 2025 campaign was cut short by injury. In each of his prior seasons, he was named an All-Pro, including All-Pro First Team in 2023. Add to those honors his status as Kansas City's No. 1 corner on two Super Bowl champion defenses.

Ramsey is the last Rams cornerback to make a Pro Bowl, which he did in 2022 after making consecutive All-Pro First Teams in 2020 and 2021.

Since then, the team has made do with quantity over quality, never finding a legitimate replacement. Cobie Durant, LA's de facto CB1 last season, was fine. Above-average, even. He just isn't a lockdown top option. 

McDuffie is, and his presence restores a feeling of security in the secondary many Rams fans had forgotten. Having a top-five enforcer out there could take some getting used to in the best way possible.

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