The Los Angeles Rams’ secondary is going to look very different this season after the additions of Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. They join a defensive backfield that’s led by captain Quentin Lake, giving the Rams a versatile and proven secondary – something they lacked last season during their postseason run.
Lake and McDuffie have been teammates before, going way back to high school at Mater Dei in Southern California. They’re now reunited in the NFL and have a ton of mutual respect as fellow defensive backs in Los Angeles.
Lake shared high praise for McDuffie recently, telling reporters last week that Trent embodies everything the Rams are about. Lake called him a “fantastic player and person so far,” enjoying his time back with McDuffie during OTAs.
“He’s funny,” Lake said, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com. “We laugh and joke all the time, but the first time I knew I’m gonna like this guy is when he first made fun of me. And when somebody makes fun of you, you could tell you’re gonna be pretty close to them as friends. So he’s been great. Everybody loves him in the building. We talked about earlier in the offseason, he’s a Ram. Everything that this organization embodies, he’s been that, and he’s a fantastic player.”
The respect is mutual, with McDuffie praising the way Lake always brings a positive attitude no matter what might happen in practice. It’s what makes him such a strong leader for the Rams, earning the honor of being a captain in each of the last two years.
“I love Q-Lake,” McDuffie said. “… I always call him ‘Cap’, you know what I mean, from Orange County. But he’s one of those guys that is just a vocal leader. He is always doing things the right away, and he’s always gonna make sure he comes in and makes people smile. The days that are hard, the days we have a hard lift and we have to come out here and practice and work really hard, he’s always one of those guys that has a smile on his face and is just loving where he’s at. I think a lot of guys gravitate towards that, and a lot of guys can just get out of their own funk and just be like, ‘OK, you know what, yeah, I’m happy to be here and happy to work,’ when you have guys like that around.”
The Rams had veterans in the secondary last season but they lacked cornerbacks who were the caliber of McDuffie and Watson. McDuffie’s versatility allows Chris Shula to move his DBs around the formation, too, whether it’s putting Lake at safety and McDuffie in the slot, or McDuffie in the slot and Emmanuel Forbes Jr. on the outside opposite Watson.
Los Angeles should be a much better defense this season, particularly with a pair of defensive backs who can move around as much as Lake and McDuffie do.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Trent McDuffie, Quentin Lake exchange high praise for each other
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire | USA TODAY Network
