WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Four years ago, newly signed Rams cornerback Jaylen Watson waited patiently for his name to be called during the 2022 NFL Draft. Kansas City was his preferred destination. Then the Chiefs selected cornerback Trent McDuffie in the first round and another corner in the fourth.
"(I'm) not going to the Chiefs," Watson thought. But he was wrong. They still ended up selecting Watson in the seventh round, turning him and McDuffie into a feared tandem in the Kansas City secondary.
This offseason, Watson hit the free agent market for the first time in his NFL career. He wanted to go to the Rams. Then Los Angeles traded for McDuffie and gave him a lucrative four-year extension. "(I'm) not going to the Rams," Watson thought. Once again, he was wrong. They signed Watson to a three-year deal on Thursday, reuniting the two cornerbacks and giving Watson a major case of deja vu.
"It's a full-circle moment," he said.
Watson and McDuffie formed a close bond in Kansas City, despite the latter's tendency to momentarily crush Watson's dreams before they eventually come true anyway, and now reunite on the Rams. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Watson expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to play for a contending team alongside his friend, McDuffie. He also spoke about his physical play style and unique journey to the league.
"(Physicality) is my strength. That's why I think me and Trent compliment each other so well," Watson said. "His strengths are short-area quickness and small, shifty guys, my strengths are (guarding) the bigger receivers, so we should be pretty diverse. We should be able to match up pretty well against a lot of different teams."
From sitting in hotel rooms learning the playbook as rookies to winning Super Bowls and now to signing long-term deals with the Rams, Watson and McDuffie's journeys are forever intertwined both on and off the field.
Watson has already conversed with defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator Jimmy Lake along and head coach Sean McVay about how his skill set can benefit this Rams defense. His hard-nosed play style makes an impact against the pass and the run, where he is a more-than-willing contributor.
"It's just a mindset. You either want to or you don't," Watson said when asked about his success defending the run. "You tell yourself you can't, you're right. You tell yourself you can, and you're right. So I just go out there, put my head down. This is football, it's a physical sport, and just be physical. Put violence on tape."
When Watson was looking at potential suiters in free agency, the Rams stood out for two reasons: They are Super Bowl contenders and they are known for having a strong culture. Having won two rings in four seasons, the former was extremely important for Watson. He's been to the mountaintop and wants to get back.
"Just the culture, the coaches (stood out)," Watson said. "And they have everything right in front of them. All, we got to do is put in work to be successful, and we can do it."
The positive things Watson had heard about the Rams' culture were quickly confirmed when he spoke to McVay on the phone. The head coach had "super high energy," and when Watson said he was excited to be a Ram, McVay said, "Well you're not as excited as I am!"
That may not be true, though, considering the former seventh-round pick walked a long and untrodden road to get where he is now. Watson's collegiate career began at Ventura College, just outside of Los Angeles, where he played for two seasons. He then signed an NLI to play at USC but was ruled academically ineligible to transfer there. So, he moved home to Augusta, Georgia, where he worked with his mom at Wendy's to help pay the bills.
It's safe to say he prefers his current line of work.
"So you're at home, you don't have a job," Watson said. "Now you get a job, you go to work, you work with your mom. Your mom (is) gonna snap on you in front of everybody, talk to me any kind of way. You might get mad, you might not have a good day at work. Then you go home, guess who's home? Can't get away from her."
Luckily for Watson, that situation didn't last long. He committed to Washington State ahead of the 2020 season, where he spent two years before being drafted by the Chiefs. As Watson endured freezing winters in the midwest, however, he never forgot the perks of California living.
The weather's great, he has friends from Ventura College in the area and the people are nice.
"And then you got your taxes," Watson said with a grin, as media members burst out laughing.
If that's the only issue he's facing, it's a win for him and the team.
