SoFi Stadium is hosting the next Super Bowl and many analysts, as well as Vegas bettors, are seeing the Los Angeles Rams as the favorites to play for the championship in their home stadium based on their offseason moves already. Not only did the Rams trade a first round pick for cornerback Trent McDuffie, a move that should become official on Wednesday if there’s no “Maxx Crosby funny business” going on, but L.A. doubled down on Chiefs corners by signing Jaylen Watson to a three-year deal.
Although Watson doesn’t have as much publicity as McDuffie, the signing has gotten B or A grades across the board and he’s expected to dramatically improve a Rams secondary that struggled in some key moments as L.A. fell shy of the Super Bowl in an NFC Championship loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
That’s two new starting cornerbacks for 2026 and the Rams still have the 13th overall pick in the draft.
PFF Deal Grade: Good
The Rams add a cornerback from the Chiefs for the second time in the past few days. A seventh-round draft pick in 2022, Watson has played 500 or more snaps in every season as an NFL player. He has also earned PFF coverage grades above 65.0 in each of the past three campaigns. The Rams have already taken huge steps to improve their defense this offseason.
Watson and McDuffie also have the advantage of having played four seasons together already. That continuity should be a great head start for Chris Shula and he might have more press coverage looks in 2026 with these players.
AJ Schultz of A to Z Sports gave the Rams a B+ for the Watson signing:
Watson is a tall, lengthy corner who uses his length and physicality well to jam receivers and stay in phase. Long strider who offers plenty of range on the back end and has been a strong run defender at cornerback in Kansas City. His ball skills are below-average and he won’t make a lot of plays on the ball, which makes his 17M APY deal a bit surprising.
However, if there is one thing this signing tells me, it’s that the Rams are aiming to shift gears in the secondary and are aiming to run more press and man coverage looks this season.
It’s a bit surprising, but it’s a necessary move for the Rams’, who desperately need to try any solution they can in the secondary. Moving to those looks should help the pass rush as well.
Shula fell short of getting a head coach offer in 2026 despite having quite a lot of interviews. If the Rams defense doesn’t improve this year, will he get any phone calls next year?
If the Rams win the Super Bowl, he’ll certainly have better odds of it.
USA Today’s Tyler Dragon said the Rams have “already won the offseason” with the signing of Watson and the trade for Trent McDuffie.
Within a week’s span in March, the Rams acquired standout cornerback Trent McDuffie in a blockbuster trade with the Chiefs and doubled back in Kansas City to agree to terms with starting cornerback Jaylen Watson, also formerly of the Chiefs.
The Rams not only revamped their cornerback room with two starting corners — they also addressed their most glaring weakness.
Watson is coming off his best overall season in which he produced a career-best two interceptions, equaled a career-best six pass deflections and allowed a 69.0 passer rating when targeted – eighth at his position, per PFF.
The Rams are getting positive marks for signing Watson, the less publicized secondary move of the two decisions, and that’s a good sign for L.A‘s cornerbacks room. With one of the top young defensive lines in the NFL, the Rams defense could be close to where it needs to be to get back to another SoFi Stuper Bowl in 2027.
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