Three Observations After Jaylen Watson's Opening Presser

For a player like Watson, who already has two Super Bowl rings in his young career, one could question how ambitious he might be, considering he has his championships and now he has his money. By the way Watson speaks, the sincerity with which he speaks, and his overall outlook on the game, it's clear that he loves ball, has worked hard for everything he's earned, and he's not even close to being satisfied with the race he's running.

Watson played junior college football at Ventura College, so he's also familiar with the area and environment.

2. He's A Perfect Fit For the Locker Room

Obviously, already having an established relationship with Trent McDuffie, who has established relationships with Quentin Lake, Jimmy Lake, and Puka Nacua helps but in terms of the general makeup of what makes a player fit in well with the Rams, Watson checks every box.

He's selfless, passionate, humble, easy to talk to, and wants to win. He has a team-first attitude with a warrior's hunger. However, the biggest indicator that he's built to be a Ram is Watson's reponse when asked about defending the run as a cornerback.

“I think it's just a mindset," stated Watson. "You either want to or you don't. If you tell yourself you can't, you are right. If you tell yourself you can, you are right. I just go out there and put my head down. Football is a physical sport. Just be physical and put violence on tape. I actually learned that from watching [Titans Cornerback L’Jarius] Sneed. He was like 180 pounds soaking wet."

"We were playing the Raiders and [Packers Running Back] Josh Jacob, I don't know what was wrong with him that day but he was running like a mad man. Every time Sneed would just put his head in there, ‘[Hit] get up, I want some more. [Hit] get up. I want some more.’ It's not about size or anything. Trent is a super physical guy too. It's just if you want to and will you do it. Watching him be successful, learning from him and trying to do the same thing.”

3. Chris Shula Has No Excuses

Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula has to play a more conservative brand of football last season due to a lack of investment in his defensive secondary. The Rams have spent over $200 million alone in that areas of the field this offseason, while retaining key pieces like Kam Kinchens, Jaylen McCollough, and their entire front seven.

Shula has no excuses to fail this season, as he has every tool to control the pen. Knowing Shula, expect his finest defensive product yet, a product that emulates the aggressiveness that launched the Rams into the postseason in 2024.