This Rams position group could swing the season, analyst claims
The Rams made tremendous upgrades in one area this offseason, and it could change the entire 2026 season.
The Los Angeles Rams made a pair of big moves in the secondary this offseason, and at least one analyst thinks the cornerback room could be the key to how their season plays out. Yahoo Sports' Nate Tice highlighted the Rams' cornerback group as one of the NFL's most improved position groups heading into 2026, and one that could tilt the NFC in L. A.
's favor this season. He pointed to the obvious additions of Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson as significant upgrades for a defense that was already doing a lot with a little under coordinator Chris Shula. Los Angeles acquired McDuffie via trade, sending their No.
29 pick in the 2026 draft ( and more ) to the Kansas City Chiefs. The team then added McDuffie's teammate, Watson, in free agency to give Shula Chiefs top corners. That familiarity matters.
Tice noted that Shula's defense leans heavily on zone blitzes, simulated pressures, and constant role-switching between cornerbacks, safeties, and front-seven players, all designed to create confusion before and after the snap. The Rams led the NFL in dime personnel usage in 2025, running six defensive backs on 32. 4% of snaps — the highest rate by any defense since 2020.