When it comes to seamless transitions, it doesn’t get any smoother than the one new Rams cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson are making.
Yeah, the dynamic duo were part of the same Chiefs draft class in 2022 and starred together on the back end of Kansas City’s defense the last four seasons, helping Patrick Mahomes and company win two Super Bowls.
Together, they combined for 424 tackles, six interceptions, 58 pass breakups and 9.5 sacks while patrolling the Chiefs’ secondary.
McDuffie grew up in Southern California, playing high school football at both Servite High School in Anaheim and St. John Bosco in Bellflower, before playing collegiately at the University of Washington.
Watson spent two years at Ventura College, not far from the Rams’ Woodland Hills facility, before moving on to Washington State and then the NFL.
The palm trees, Pacific Ocean breeze, and even the traffic run through their veins.
The pressures of being heavily counted on with a team with Super Bowl aspirations?
Remember, the two cornerbacks just spent four years with the Chiefs, where it’s pretty much Super Bowl or bust every single season. They went to three of them in their first three NFL seasons, winning two.
No one needs to explain the pressures, expectations, or mindset required to play or even excel on the biggest stages in football.
They’ve already lived all that and welcome the chance to do more.
No shock, then, that both players looked so comfortable on Thursday when the Rams rolled them out for their introductory press conferences.
From their attire to their demeanors to the way they confidently talked about helping push the Rams back over the Super Bowl finish line, McDuffie and Watson fit right in on a bright, beautiful, unmistakably chill March morning in Southern California.
“It’s a beautiful thing,” said McDuffie, flashing a smile that stretched all the way from the Valley to Manhattan Beach.
He had a hundred million reasons to smile so broadly, and not only because he’s back home in California, now as the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL at $124 million over four years, surrounded by family and friends and joining a franchise that sets its annual sights every bit as high as his former team did.
He’s also walking through the Rams’ door in lock step with Watson.
Well, almost immediately after the Rams jumped to the front of the line to trade for McDuffie, agreeing to send two first-round picks and four picks total to Kansas City for him, McDuffie was hitting up Watson, a pending free agent, hoping to push him back to the West Coast, too.
“Keep an open mind,” McDuffie remembers telling Watson.
Of course, Watson was wide open to the idea. He fell in love with California during his time in Ventura, was seeking a chance to continue to play for a winner, and teaming back up with McDuffie was a no-brainer.
“It’s not only just any teammate,” Watson said. “It’s one of my closest teammates.”
The Rams were open-minded, too, which was the key to all of this coming together. So much so that even after giving McDuffie a record-breaking contract, they agreed to give Watson a 3-year, $51 million deal to bring him to Los Angeles, too.
Needing to revamp their cornerback room after it became a liability throughout last season, the Rams were perfectly fine using their financial power to double down on their secondary. It helps that their draft and development operation has built such a talented young roster that they have only a few pressing needs.
When you can zoom in on one or two specific areas, rather than multiple ones, you can be aggressive with the money you use to address them.
The moves to bring in McDuffie and Watson illustrate that. They turned a weakness into a strength, not just for this season but for the foreseeable future.
It’s why the always fired-up Sean McVay was more pumped than usual when he called both players to welcome them to the family.
“I hope you’re excited,” Watson remembers McVay telling him during their first conversation.
“Well, you’re not as excited as I am!” McVay screamed back.
“He’s full of energy,” Watson said, smiling.
It’s one of the many reasons why their transition to their new team already feels so seamless.
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