Is Trent McDuffie playing today? Rams' clash with Chargers may not be the time

The Los Angeles Rams made multiple roster moves this offseason to bolster the defense. Unfortunately, they can only claim mixed results from a haul including Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson.

McDuffie has exceeded expectations. Not only has he fit seamlessly into the secondary, but he has flourished there. Still, he sat out the past two games due to a groin injury. And groin injuries are notoriously difficult to recover from mid-season. He was questionable on the final injury reports of Weeks 6 and 7 and was inactive in both games. He is listed as questionable for Week 8.

McDuffie will be vital to LA's defense as the season wears on. So it stands to reason that the team will be overly cautious about sending him back on the field. The powers-that-be may not view a game against the 0-6 Los Angeles Chargers as a must-play scenario for McDuffie.

Rams haven't gotten a full return on their offseason investment

Rams general manager Les Snead invested heavily in the roster, trading valuable future draft picks to acquire present-day performers. But Garrett, McDuffie, and Watson have only played 12 of 21 possible games between them.

The mixed results of that investment can best be summed up by looking at McDuffie. When he plays, he is elite. In five starts, he has accumulated 16 tackles, one interception, and seven passes defensed, while limiting receivers to a catch rate of 33 percent.

That's phenomenal, but he has missed two games already.

McDuffie feels very likely to miss Week 8 as well. The Rams know they need their shutdown corner available for top-shelf performances. Facing a Chargers team that does not boast an elite receiver may feed into the team's conservative approach to McDuffie's recovery.

Fortunately, a strong performance from backup Josh Wallace has allowed the Horns to give McDuffie enough runway to heal fully. While McDuffie is officially questionable in Week 8, don't bank on it. LA will soon face another very difficult stretch of schedule, right out of the mid-November bye. McDuffie may benefit from one more week of inactivity.

As always, thanks for reading.

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