Despite their 24-9 win against the winless Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams are still trailing behind the 49ers and the Seahawks, ranking third in the NFC West standings. The win also seems to have come at the cost of another key defender, as Jaylen Watson, whose shoulder injury he first suffered in Week 3, has ultimately ended his season after he aggravated the issue in Week 8.

An X post by NFL’s official X handle confirmed that the Rams cornerback will require surgery to recover from the shoulder injury plaguing him for a while now. “Rams CB Jaylen Watson out for the season with season-ending shoulder surgery,” the X post stated.

Watson took a hit to his right shoulder during the third quarter of the Rams’ Week 8 game, aggravating his injury from Week 3, when he dislocated the same shoulder. Although he had hoped to be able to play through the injury, wearing a protective brace, Rams head coach Sean McVay revealed that further medical evaluation suggested otherwise.

The team was informed that if he played through the injury instead of undergoing surgery and proper rehab, there was a very high probability of causing further damage to the shoulder.

Watson wasn’t just a starter; he was playing at an elite level, ranking 7th among all NFL cornerbacks with an 80.7 PFF grade and allowing a tiny 62.4 passer rating in coverage. Losing his shutdown ability on the outside directly threatens the Rams’ secondary as they try to stay alive in the tight NFC playoff race. Across the seven games that he played this season, Jaylen Watson recorded 24 combined tackles, including 14 solo tackles, and two tackles for loss.

So with Watson out and Trent McDuffie back on the team’s injury list after he exited the Week 8 game in the third quarter with a back injury, the Rams are facing a definite lack of roster depth at cornerback. McDuffie remained absent from the team’s practice on Wednesday and is ‘Questionable’ to play in the upcoming clash against NFC conference rivals, the Washington Commanders.

However, that is not to say that the Rams have no viable options. The team will likely use Josh Wallace and Emmanuel Forbes Jr. to fill the gap left by Watson and McDuffie. Wallace has recorded 29 combined tackles, including 20 solo tackles this season, while Forbes has scored nine combined tackles, including 4 solo tackles. HC McVay has expressed faith in them as well. 

“I think those guys have done really well,” said head coach Sean McVay. “Jimmy Lake has done such a great job really with those corners as a whole group. Josh has played a lot of snaps. I thought ‘E-Forbes’ really played well last week. Both of those guys have been tapped in. They’ve been ready to step up, and it seems like there have been a lot of games that we’ve had our top corners get banged up, and they’ve played a lot more.” 

That is not all. The Rams have another key defensive element inching closer to returning to the gridiron.

The Rams Open Up Return Window for Returning Players

Star edge rusher Myles Garrett first began experiencing irritation in his knee during training camp. He aggravated the issue while playing in the Rams’ season-opener and had to undergo arthroscopic surgery to rectify the issue, which led to him being put on Injured Reserve with a designation to return.

Garrett finally joined team practice on Wednesday ahead of their Week 9 matchup, opening his 21-day return window. However, there is no guarantee that Garrett will be cleared to play this weekend since HC McVay wants to take it “a day at a time.”

“I think just taking it a day at a time is going to be the best way that we can approach it,” McVay said on Monday. “Think that’s the right thing for him [Garrett], and really just to see how he responds. But I think it’s a real positive that we’re starting his clock.” 

Sean McVay further revealed that the Rams are hoping to open the return window for tight end Terrance Ferguson as well. The offensive player has been on Injured Reserve with a designation to return since October 2, when he injured his ankle during the Broncos game.