Rams receive big blow to secondary, lose CB Jaylen Watson to shoulder surgery

For a defense already dealing with its share of attrition, the sight of both Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie exiting Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers raised immediate concerns. Yet during his press conference on Monday afternoon, Rams head coach Sean McVay's comments indicated the Rams were optimistic neither injury would result in an extended absence.

He told reporters that Watson was "feeling good and optimistic" after aggravating his shoulder injury in the third quarter of Week 8, and he's considered day-to-day. 

The defensive supergroup never fully came together

Just as Los Angeles appeared to be finding defensive stability, with Myles Garrett returning to practice, the team was dealt a major setback when it was reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter that Watson is going to miss the remainder of the season due to shoulder surgery, creating a sizable hole in a secondary that will now be tested even further, alongside banged-up two-time All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie. 

Watson originally dislocated his shoulder in Week 3 against the Denver Broncos on "Sunday Night Football" and missed one game. He signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the Rams this offseason as their No. 2 cornerback alongside McDuffie. 

Watson and McDuffie each were acquired or signed by the Rams this offseason after being teammates and winning two Lombardi Trophies in Kansas City together.

While McVay expressed confidence Monday that Watson could be back sooner rather than later, the Rams' planning process revealed several logistical hurdles, and the real obstacle was determining whether there was a realistic and responsible path to get him game-ready with just nine regular season games remaining.  

“The likelihood of it [shoulder] coming out and doing further damage to it is a very high probability,” McVay told The Athletic, via Nate Atkins. “You could really strap it, but it would restrict his movement. Just with some of the different things we’ve received from our doctors, it’s the right thing to do by him, even though it sucks because he’s been such a bright spot for us.”

Few teams invested and reshaped their defense more aggressively than the Rams, who added Watson, Myles Garrett, McDuffie, and Aaron Donald. The unfortunate reality is that the group never got the opportunity to fully materialize, with all four unavailable to play together this season.