WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Rams head coach Sean McVay on Wednesday said cornerback Jaylen Watson needs surgery on his shoulder and will miss the rest of the 2026 season.

Watson will be placed on season-ending Injured Reserve, per McVay.

"Bummer for him, and he's been such a stud for us," McVay said prior to Wednesday's practice. "He wanted to be able to play through it, but just kind of understanding the totality of it all, and just some of the different things recommended to be able to get that surgery, and that'll put him on IR for the year. But he's been awesome, and whenever he gets back next year, will be better. But he'll be around, and he's been everything and that much more that we had hoped."

According to McVay, the Rams decided Watson undergoing surgery was best for him based on "the likelihood of it coming out and doing further damage to it is a very high probability" and "just some of the different things that we've received from our doctors." McVay said that while Watson could have his shoulder strapped, it would restrict his movement.

"It's the right thing to do by him, even though it sucks because he's been such a bright spot for us," McVay said.

With Watson sidelined the remainder of the season, the Rams will be losing a cornerback whose 48.5% completion percentage allowed as the nearest defender was fourth-lowest among players with at least 30 targets through the first eight weeks of the season.

Consequently, more will be asked of cornerbacks Josh Wallace and Emmanuel Forbes Jr.

Forbes' 80.8 defensive grade and Wallace's 77.3 defensive grade both rank in the Top 10 for their position across the NFL at 7th and 10th respectively entering Week 9, according to Pro Football Focus.

"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," McVay said of Wallace and Forbes.

McVay also confirmed they would open tight end Terrance Ferguson (ankle)'s 21-day practice window on Wednesday, in addition to outside linebacker Myles Garrett (knee)'s. McVay said both players would be limited participants in Wednesday's practice.

McVay said Garrett will "probably take half the reps today ... and then we'll kind of see how does he feel coming out of that, and hopefully it's just kind of a little bit of incrementally at a time."

McVay also said running back Ronnie Rivers (calf) would return to practice and will be activated off of IR.