Trent McDuffie's overlooked ability will make life even harder for Rams' foes

The Los Angeles Rams brought in Trent McDuffie because they needed a legitimate No. 1 cover corner, a role approximated last season by Cobie Durant. While a solid player, he's not a CB1 on a Super Bowl defense. McDuffie was precisely that with the Chiefs, and the Rams expect him to be the same in Los Angeles.

He's not just a boundary defender, though, matching up with wideouts on the outside. McDuffie can slide all around the field, and the Rams had his versatility on full display in OTAs. 

"Guys are learning really all the spots on the back end, no different than when [offensive line coach] Ryan Wendell cross-trains our guys from the inside to outside," said head coach Sean McVay, via beat reporter Stu Jackson. "You're seeing Trent McDuffie all over. There are certain guys that'll play just safety or just play outside corner, but then you got a lot of guys that can play safety, they can play the star position, they can play dime, money."

In McDuffie's case, that positional flexibility won't be limited to the practice field. The underrated part of his game, and another reason the Rams were so keen to lure him away from Kansas City, is that he can be both a lockdown outside corner and a physical weapon inside. 

Against run-heavy opponents and those whose best receivers spend most of their time in the slot, McDuffie will be an inescapable nuisance. If opposing offenses thought they could get rid of him that easy, they had better think again. 

McDuffie's versatile coverage will grant Rams' opponents no relief

Anywhere the Rams need him to line up, he can and will. Sure, his most valuable function will be locking up vertical threats on the outside, like Seattle's Jaxson Smith-Njigba and San Francisco's Mike Evans. But when offenses move around their top receivers, McDuffie will track his quarry like a magnet. 

Leaning into McDuffie's versatility will allow the Rams to get the most out of their defense. Effective against the run as well as in coverage, he can creep up into the box in short-yardage situations, helping to wrap up ballcarriers right at the line of scrimmage. Defensive coordinator Chris Shula should also find ways to use him as a weapon on corner blitzes. Because opposing offenses know McDuffie can line up anywhere, coverage disguises will be that much more effective. 

Jaylen Watson is, like his former Chiefs teammate, a high-level defender both in coverage and run defense. Unlike McDuffie, though, despite his size and toughness Watson is more of a traditional boundary corner and has less maneuverability. That makes his counterpart even more valuable as a do-it-all defensive jackknife. 

Although elite receivers tend to operate on the outside - there are exceptions, of course, like Detroit's Amon-Ra St.Brown - McDuffie's ability to match up anywhere, anytime is perhaps the most overlooked aspect of his game. Outside, inside, or any place in between, there is no escape from his wet-blanket physicality.

It's what makes him great, and what will make life miserable for many a wide receiver facing the Rams this season. 

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