The cornerback market got busy fast this offseason, and a handful of teams made real moves to reshape the back end of their defenses. With the 2026 NFL season set to open Wednesday in Seattle, the spotlight is already on the new faces trying to settle in and make an impact right away.
The Los Angeles Rams were especially aggressive, turning over their cornerback group with both a trade and free agency. But they weren’t the only club looking for a jolt. Miami, Green Bay, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles all added corners who could wind up changing the feel of their secondaries.
Here’s a look at the five best offseason moves at cornerback.
Trent McDuffie tops the list after the Rams paid a steep price to get him, sending four draft choices to Kansas City for the four-year veteran. McDuffie already has First Team All-Pro recognition on his résumé, earned in his second season with the Chiefs, and he arrives in Los Angeles as a two-time Super Bowl champion.
In 2025, he played and started the first 13 games, then finished sixth on the team with 63 tackles. He also posted a sack, a forced fumble, an interception and a team-best seven passes defensed.
Jaylen Watson is another major Rams addition, and his arrival pairs him back up with McDuffie after the two helped the Chiefs win back-to-back Super Bowls. Los Angeles signed Watson to a three-year, $51 million deal after trading for McDuffie, and the fit makes plenty of sense for defensive coordinator Chris Shula. Watson was PFF’s No. 18 cornerback in 2025 and ranked sixth at the position in run defense, a notable strength for a Rams defense that wants toughness on the edge.
Jamel Dean lands at No. 2 after a productive season in Tampa and a move to Pittsburgh. The seven-year veteran led Todd Bowles’s team with a career-high three interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown, and he finished second on the club with nine passes defensed.
Dean also logged 46 tackles, two forced fumbles and his first career sack in 2025. Over his career, the Super Bowl LV champion has 13 takeaways and has appeared in 10 postseason games with the Buccaneers.
Benjamin St-Juste gives Green Bay a bigger body in the secondary. The 6’3”, 200-pound defender is coming off a breakout year with the Chargers, where he posted a career-best 76.4 grade from Pro Football Focus.
A third-round pick by Washington in 2021, St-Juste has played 70 regular-season games and recorded two interceptions, one fumble recovery, three sacks and four forced fumbles. That kind of length and versatility should stand out for the Packers.
Chris Johnson rounds out the list in Miami. He was the second of the Dolphins’ two first-round picks in April under the new regime in South Florida, and he has already gotten work early, starting Miami’s first two preseason games.
In those outings, he played 26 defensive snaps and made three tackles. The Dolphins allowed 47 offensive touchdowns in 2025, with 29 coming through the air, and they picked off only nine passes.
Johnson showed playmaking ability at San Diego State, where he returned two of his four interceptions for touchdowns.
In Other News...
Rams Are Testing A Risky Australia Plan Before NFL History
The Rams have already started treating Melbourne like a dry run, sending employees to Australia to work through the logistics of what would be the NFLs first regular-season game there. The goal is less about sightseeing than survival: charting the travel, the flight experience, sleep, fatigue and recovery so the team can understand what it might feel like to arrive halfway around the world and still be ready to play soon after.
It is a more aggressive approach than the one other teams, such as the 49ers, are expected to take, with San Francisco planning to get to Melbourne a week early. For the Rams, the question is whether the league can turn a historic event into a workable football week without giving away too much on the front end, and the answer may shape how future international games are handled. [Read more 🡒]
Matthew Stafford Just Became A Bigger Threat For The Rams
Matthew Staffords postseason story has changed dramatically since he arrived in Los Angeles. After going 0-3 in the playoffs with Detroit, he has since built a 7-3 playoff record with the Rams, and that shift has helped redefine what this franchise can expect when the calendar turns. With the roster around him continuing to evolve, theres a growing sense that Stafford is no longer just the quarterback trying to survive January. He is part of a team that has learned how to lean into those moments.
The Rams have also put work into the rest of the operation, especially the rushing game and the defense, with offseason additions like Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald adding to the sense that the support system around Stafford could get even stronger. Looking ahead to 2026, the expectation is not simply that Stafford will be asked to carry the offense, but that he may have more help than ever if the group comes together the way the Rams envision. The upside is obvious, even if the full picture still has to play out. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Just Sent Their Strongest Signal Yet About Melbourne
The Seahawks are pushing deeper into the Australia-New Zealand market, and their latest move gives the plan some real structure. Seattle announced a strategic partnership with Collingwood, linking the NFL club with one of the AFLs biggest names as part of its marketing rights under the leagues Global Markets program. It is the kind of cross-sport alignment the NFL has been chasing overseas, with both sides now trying to grow interest by connecting established fan bases rather than starting from scratch.
Melbourne is a big part of the picture, too, because the two clubs will co-host a kids AFL and NFL crossover flag football clinic there. For Seattle, it is another sign that this is more than a branding exercise and more about building a foothold in a region where competition for attention is fierce. For the Rams and the rest of the NFC West, it is a reminder that the Seahawks are still looking for every possible edge off the field as much as on it. [Read more 🡒]