Turf Show Times
Los Angeles Rams General Manager Les Snead approached the 2026 free agency period with a mandate, repair a porous cornerback room. Obviously, he coveted what they had in Kansas City and poached both their starters. First was the blockbuster trade and contract for Trent McDuffie and following on its heels was the free agency signing of Jaylen Watson. In the course of a few days, the Rams agreed to terms with both and rebuilt the cornerback room.
The L.A. braintrust decided those two moves were enough, bypassing any remaining NFL free agents and any additions through the draft. Only a trio of undrafted free agents were inked to fill out the squad. Here’s the Rams cornerbacks as trading camp nears the opening bell.
Trent McDuffie – 5’11” 193 lb.
Cornerstone of the rebuild came at a hefty price, This former Round 1 pick will be 26 in September and should be the foundation of the Rams secondary through this current Super Bowl window and hopefully into the next. Two Pro Bowls in his first four seasons with stellar all-around game.
What position will he play, outside or slot? Likely both, his versatility offers Rams defensive coordinator David Shula a myriad of options within each defensive package.
Jaylen Watson – 6’2” 197 lb.
Just coming into his own in his fifth season, he’’ll turn 28 in September and should be part of a Rams one-two punch at cornerback for the next three seasons. Watson brings the Rams what they haven’t had in the Sean McVay era, a big, strong press corner with long arms and acuity in man coverage. At his best, he’s the type of player you can situate outside, against any sized receiver, on an island and don’t have to shade the defense toward him.
It hasn’t been easy for Watson, he only had two seasons of D1 football sandwiched around the COVID-19 scare. After being drafted in Round 7 of 2022 NFL Draft, he was in the nickel back role and played in 16 regular season games with six starts. He started all three playoff wins on the way to a Super Bowl ring. He won another ring in 2023 and had a fumble recovery in title game. Watson won a starting role in 2024, but broke a leg after six games. 2025 brought another starting season and a solid season. He missed the final two games with a groin injury.
Emmanuel Forbes – 6’1” 166 lb.
Still working on resurrecting his career, Forbes had a Dr.Jekyll/Mr Hyde 2025 for the Rams. He earned 14 starts and had career bests in interceptions (3), tackles (45), and a stellar 18 passes defended. But he also missed 21 percent of tackle attempts, gave up 21 receptions of 10+ air yards, and 217 yards after catch.
Forbes is in a contract year and unless disaster strikes, he’s not going to jump McDuffie and Watson for three seasons. He needs to show that he can continue to...
