With less than a week to go before the NFL trade deadline, it remains unclear whether the Los Angeles Rams will be active. On Wednesday, the Rams announced that cornerback Jaylen Watson would undergo shoulder surgery and be done for the season. With needs at wide receiver and defensive line, it’s fair to wonder if cornerback is now added to the list as well. 

Over the last two weeks, head coach Sean McVay has talked a lot about opportunity cost and how the price of acquiring a player could prevent the Rams from making a move.

“I would never rule out opportunities to get better, but at what opportunity cost?” McVay said on Monday. “You have to be able to figure out what does that look like for the long and the short.”

As it stands, it seems unlikely that the Rams will be active at the trade deadline, but the injury to Watson certainly adds a wrinkle. While the Rams may have a need at cornerback with Watson out, the needs at wide receiver and even defensive line remain far greater.

Rams Have Enough Cornerback Depth to Overcome Watson Injury

For the most part, the Rams should be able to manage at cornerback without Watson. Defensive backs coach Jimmy Lake has done a great job with the depth of that group, specifically with Josh Wallace and Emmanuel Forbes. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Wallace and Forbes both rank among the top 12 cornerbacks in the NFL. Forbes has a coverage grade of 79.9, which ranks seventh, and Wallace ranks 12 with a coverage grade of 76.4.

Additionally, Wallace ranks sixth in yards per coverage snap in 2026, and Forbes’ 0.49 yards per coverage snap ranks seventh. Forbes has been in more of a rotational role, but through eight weeks Wallace has the second-most snaps at cornerback on the roster behind Jaylen Watson. 

“Josh has played a lot of snaps,” said McVay. “They both have played a bunch of meaningful snaps and they've earned the confidence of their teammates, their coaches, and I'm excited for them.”

Without Watson in Week 4 and McDuffie in Weeks 6 and 7, Wallace has played a large role on defense and stepped in nicely. It’s certainly different having to do that over the course of a season rather than filling in for a week or two here and there. At the same time, Wallace has done well in those opportunities. Wallace doesn’t give the Rams the same length as they would have with Watson, but he still brings decent size and has tackled well. 

Wide Receiver, Defensive Line Remain Rams' Biggest Trade Needs

Despite the opening at cornerback, the Rams' priorities at the trade deadline should remain adding a wide receiver and a defensive lineman. The Rams aren’t going to be able to replace Davante Adams, but adding a third wide receiver who can play alongside him and Puka Nacua would make sense. 

This season, Konata Mumpfield has remained extremely inefficient. Mumpfield has caught just 9-of-21 targets and has a -0.32 EPA per target. Tutu Atwell remains a limited receiver and Jordan Whittington is simply a special teams player. 

It’s true that the Rams operate a lot of their offense out of 13 personnel, but that only works in a neutral-to-positive game script. In situations when the Rams have to throw the ball or are trailing, they have to be able to have three wide receivers on the field. Right now, even when Adams comes back, it’s hard to feel confident in them doing that. The Rams rank tied for 15th in EPA per pass out of 11 personnel. 

At some point, it’s fair to say that the Rams will miss Poona Ford’s presence in the middle of the defensive line. The Las Vegas Raiders don’t have a strong rushing attack, and the same can be said about the Los Angeles Chargers. Ford played a big role in the Rams’ defense performing well against the run last season. Without Ford, the Rams are asking a lot of Ty Davis and Ty Hamilton to fill that void. 

The Rams aren’t going to be able to address every need at the trade deadline if they opt to make a move. They will have to prioritize which positions make the most sense to address and whether adding a player at those positions would help close the gap as they push for a playoff spot in the second half of the season. While the Rams have a need at cornerback with Watson’s season coming to an end, the needs at wide receiver and defensive line remain much greater.