For a second straight week, the Los Angeles Rams were without Trent McDuffie, and for a second straight week, Jaylen Watson made sure that absence didn’t turn into a problem.
Against the Raiders in Week 7, Watson looked like a true top-shelf corner, not some fill-in trying to survive until the star returns. He handled his business against Las Vegas pass-catchers and did it while shadowing Brock Bowers, a matchup that asks plenty of any defensive back. By the end of the day, the Rams had helped keep Bowers in check, and Watson had piled up four passes defensed - nearly matching the rest of the defense by himself.
That performance pushed his season total to nine passes defensed, which ties safety Quentin Lake for the team lead even though Watson has played one fewer game and missed the entire second half in Week 3. That kind of production is hard to brush off as a nice story. It’s impact.
McDuffie’s absence in Week 7 also served as a reminder of how interchangeable the Rams’ top corners have become. When Watson missed Week 4 against the Eagles, McDuffie stepped in and steadied the unit.
With McDuffie sidelined this time, Watson answered in the same way, and then some. The casual eye may still default to McDuffie first, but Watson has made it clear he is much more than a sidekick.
The numbers back that up. Pro Football Focus has McDuffie at fifth among corners with an 85.2 grade, while Watson sits right behind him in seventh at 81.7.
Each has an interception, but Watson’s recent surge has given him the edge in passes defensed. McDuffie has seven PDs in five games.
Watson’s Week 7 showing was especially sharp against the Raiders. NexGen Stats credited him with allowing just two catches on 10 targets. Only one other player has done that this season while also recording pass breakups: McDuffie, who turned the trick in Week 2 against the Giants.
And this isn’t a one-note coverage story. Watson has already topped his previous career best of six passes defensed, and he’s up to two tackles for loss - just one shy of his career high.
Like McDuffie, he brings more than sticky coverage. He also has the edge in the run game, where PFF has him ranked 16th at the position.
After some odd early-season grades, Watson’s evaluation is starting to look a lot closer to what Rams fans have actually been seeing. PFF has him at a 58.7 passer rating allowed, with fewer than 10 yards per reception, and his 90.7 overall grade against the Raiders was the best on the Rams defense.
At this point, the labels almost don’t matter. McDuffie and Watson don’t look like a traditional CB1 and CB2. They look more like a CB1-A and a CB1-B.
Whether McDuffie returns in Week 8 against the Chargers remains up in the air. Sean McVay called the groin injury day-to-day and wait-and-see last week before McDuffie was eventually ruled out, so there’s no certainty yet. But if he misses again, the Rams know they’re still covered.
Josh Wallace has helped, too. He graded as the Rams’ fourth-best defender in Week 7 by PFF, giving Los Angeles another useful piece on the boundary. Still, Watson is the player who sets the tone there now, and right now that one-two punch is doing exactly what the Rams need.
In Other News...
Rams May Have A Short-Term Answer To Their Kicker Problem
Kicking issues have a way of surfacing at the worst possible time, and around the league there is already speculation that Tennessee veteran Joey Slye could be part of the next round of roster shuffling. Slye is on an expiring contract with a $2 million cap hit, and analyst Jason La Canfora pointed to him as a possible trade candidate if teams decide they need a steadier leg before the season drifts any further.
For the Rams, that sort of move would fit the kind of short-term fix teams often explore when the position becomes unsettled. Slye has bounced around the league since going undrafted in 2019, and he has handled himself well in Tennessee this year, making 10 of 11 field goals and all of his extra-point attempts in seven games. If Los Angeles is looking for a veteran answer rather than waiting on internal options, he would be one of the more obvious names to monitor. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Suddenly Have 4 Young Auditions Fans Should Be Watching
Injuries have opened the door for a few younger Rams to make their case, and Week 7 offered a useful snapshot of who might be worth tracking beyond this season. Shaun Dolac, Davis Allen, Ty Hamilton and Konata Mumpfield each got a chance to show what they can bring, giving the Rams a better sense of which developmental pieces could grow into larger responsibilities down the line.
The immediate focus is still on surviving the present, but the longer view is getting harder to ignore. None of these auditions guarantees a major role, yet the Rams are clearly learning which players can handle more than spot duty, and that matters with an eye toward 2027. For now, the most interesting part is not a roster decision already made, but the possibility that several young contributors are starting to turn opportunity into something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Are Still Waiting On A Huge Pass Rush Boost
The Rams have spent the past few weeks waiting for a familiar kind of lift on defense, and Myles Garrett could be the one to provide it. After missing six games following knee surgery, the pass rusher is nearing a possible return to practice, a sign that Los Angeles may finally be close to getting back one of the pieces it has been missing up front.
Sean McVay still has not put a timeline on the move, saying the next step will come after he confers with the medical staff and Garrett himself. But the possibility of him getting back on the field in practice this week, with a chance to be available in Week 8, gives the Rams a reason to keep an eye on the injury report and the state of a defense that could use the boost. [Read more 🡒]