Rams' new CB duo ranked among 5 best in NFL

[ASFN Admin]

With two big moves, the Los Angeles Rams turned a glaring weakness into a major strength. At the start of the offseason, they traded for Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie. Less than a week later, they signed his teammate, Jaylen Watson, keeping the two standout cornerbacks together in the secondary.

They’re both upgrades over what the Rams previously had in Cobie Durant, Ahkello Witherspoon and Darious Williams, dramatically improving the coverage on the back end for Chris Shula and Sean McVay. Heading into the season, they’re considered one of the best cornerback tandems in football, landing at No. 4 on Sports Illustrated’s list.

If McDuffie and Watson were still with the Chiefs, they probably would have been left off the top five, but they’re now in Los Angeles with the best defensive player in the league, Garrett.

The Rams’ new cornerback duo will get plenty of opportunities to produce game-changing plays behind a disruptive front that also has edge rusher Byron Young. However, McDuffie and Watson can hold their own in case there’s a rare off day for the pass rushers.

Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean were ranked as the best cornerback duo in the NFL, followed by Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter. Devon Witherspoon and Nick Emmanwori or Josh Jobe rounded out the top three ahead of McDuffie and Watson, though from a true cornerback standpoint, it’s easy to argue that the Rams’ pair should be higher than the Seahawks’ trio.

What makes McDuffie and Watson such a quality tandem is their differing skill sets. McDuffie is small, quick and versatile, with the ability to play inside or out. Watson, meanwhile, is a big and physical outside corner who matches up well with the A.J. Browns and Mike Evanses of the world.

That allows the Rams to mix and match their corners as needed, similar to the way they did with Durant, Williams and Witherspoon – only with much greater talent.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams' new CB duo ranked among 5 best in NFL

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