The Los Angeles Rams are trying to pair Matthew Stafford‘s explosive offense with two new really good cornerbacks. Both Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson were drafted together in 2022. Now, they are both leaving the Kansas City Chiefs to join the California team.
Trent McDuffie opened up about it and he said “I was calling him [Watson] two days before they even signed him like, ‘Bro, you never know. We might get you. We might get you. Keep an open mind.’ Literally, it dropped, and I called him again like Puka [Nacua] screaming at the top of my lungs like, ‘Look at this! Can you believe it?’ He’s one of those guys that I love to tell his story. He is a seventh-round pick. Not a lot of people believed in him. He worked hard day in day out.”
McDuffie is a two-time All-Pro cornerback. Watson is a seventh-round pick that made his way into a starter for the team. Both have three interceptions, though Watson has a pick six. McDuffie has 5.5 sacks, while Watson has four. McDuffie has eight forced fumbles, in his career. Both are two-time Super Bowl champions.
Watson also spoke about joining McDuffie
Watson called it “the best feeling ever” to join forces with McDuffie once again. He also spoke on the advantages of the familiarity they will have on the field. “It’s one of my closest teammates from my previous team. I was super excited. I’m super happy to share the field with him and hopefully we can do some great things here.”
Watson also said that playing with such a great corner forces and helps him to elevate his level of play. Iron sharpens iron. The fact is both are elite talents, and will help the Rams massively.
The Rams defense looks elite
The Rams defense was good last year, but the passing department was not as great. They ranked 19th in the NFL in passing defense. Meanwhile, Watson and McDuffie were holding opponents to less than 200 yards passing. This move will relieve Matthew Stafford‘s offense as well.
The Rams were able to retain defensive coordinator Chris Shula. That is a great sign, and now they add two top-tier corners to strengthen that unit. The Rams felt so close to the Super Bowl last season, and this move puts them once again as an NFC contender.