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Rams determined secondary won’t be liability again after latest spending spree

March 9, 2026

During training camp in 2023, as the organization monitored a secondary consisting entirely of players on rookie contracts or veteran-minimum deals, there was a sense around the Rams that this could be the new model. Build up the offense and the pass rush enough, and the front office could afford to work around the fringes with cornerbacks and safeties.

The strategy was evident in how the Rams’ built the roster the past two offseasons, whether it was signing undesired free agents to team-friendly deals or continuing to invest 2025 draft picks in the defensive line without selecting a corner.

But the secondary was an issue for the Rams throughout the last three seasons, and especially in 2025 as breakdowns led to several regular-season collapses and the NFC championship loss to Seattle. A year after the Rams’ pass rush elevated the rest of the defense, the secondary dragged down the unit.

But with their three marquee moves in the last week, the Rams have shown a shift in that mindset and they’ve begun to heavily invest in a group that was a liability. First came the blockbuster trade for Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie and the record four-year, $124 million extension tacked on to the $13 million he was owed this year. Then a three-year deal worth up to $39 million to keep safety Kam Curl in Los Angeles.

And then on Monday, 40 minutes into the legal tampering window, the Rams made another splash. Multiple sources confirmed the Rams reached an agreement with Chiefs free agent cornerback Jaylen Watson on a three-year deal, reportedly worth up to $51 million with $34 million guaranteed.

For those of you who forgot your calculators, that’s up to $227 million committed to the secondary in the span of a week, after all of the Rams’ defensive backs counted for a total $30.2 million against the salary cap in 2025.

But that’s just the last week. The first signal that the Rams were preparing for a different stage of their team building process came back in December, when the Rams signed defensive back and team captain Quentin Lake to a three-year, $38.3 million extension.

Lake is the type of player the Rams have let walk after their rookie seasons. It happened just two years ago with Jordan Fuller. But when an elbow injury put him on injured reserve midseason, Lake’s on/off splits in advanced metrics made it clear he was a lynchpin for the defense at nickel corner. So the Rams decided not to let him test the market.

The Rams have now quadrupled down on that investment. Curl was one of the success stories from the previous approach to the secondary, an under-the-radar signing two years ago who earned a pay day before free agency opened with his ball skills and physicality.

But the cornerback duo of McDuffie, 25, and Watson, 27, stands to be a floor- and ceiling-raising addition for a team that was a touchdown away from reaching the Super Bowl two months ago.

Time after time last season, the Rams’ outside corners either got beat in space or pushed out of position by faster and more physical receivers. But McDuffie and Watson both provide more agility and physicality than anyone on the Rams’ roster in 2025.

And at 6-foot-2 and 197 pounds, the Rams believe Watson has the length and size to make sure the A.J. Browns and Amon-Ra St. Browns of the world don’t run rampant all over their defense again in 2026.

The duo also brings the flexibility the Rams like in their defensive backs. Both are capable blitzers — no surprise, as they both developed under Steve Spagnuolo’s watchful eye in Kansas City. Both are strong presences in the run game, hopefully putting an end to the Rams’ struggles against outside zone. And McDuffie can line up at nickel, too, if the Rams want to drop Lake back to safety against certain matchups.

With McDuffie and Watson outside, Lake at nickel and Curl and Kam Kinchens at safety, the Rams have a group they can count on to play together through 2027. There’s still room to fill out the group around reserves Emmanuel Forbes and Jaylen McCollough, but you can no longer look at the Rams’ roster and go, “Yeah, but what about the secondary?” Instead, the organization is continuing full-speed ahead in its pursuit of another Super Bowl.

Orange County Register

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Rams determined secondary won’t be liability again after latest spending spree

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