WOODLAND HILLS, Calif — Josh Wallace has always had a spot on the Rams' 53-man roster. After making the initial 53-man roster his rookie season, the third-year cornerback has been a staple of the special teams unit and will often find himself in the secondary rotation depending on injury or scheme.
Wallace's rookie season, he played in 17 games and found himself in the starting lineup for three of those games, even as early as Week 5 against the Packers. Although he was an undrafted prospect out of the University of Michigan, Wallace always conducted himself as though he was going to play. And he instills that same confidence and preparation in the undrafted rookie currently on the team or practice squad.
"At the end of the day, you never know when your name's called," Wallace told therams.com. "I remember my rookie year, Week 5, I just started one game, so I just tell them to keep grinding and don't get tired of the little things."
Once again on Monday Night Football against the Giants, Wallace heard his name called more often than not. Wallace didn't crack the starting lineup, but his snap count increased from seven defensive snaps in Week 1 against the 49ers to 36 defensive snaps against the Giants, according to Pro Football Reference.
"Just doing my job at the end of the day, the coaches do a great job prepping us," Wallace said. "Whether I'm at corner or nickel or wherever, I'm just doing my job and trying to execute the best I can."
In the same way Wallace trusts the preparation of his coaches, the Rams coaching staff reciprocates that trust by putting Wallace in different spots all over the field.
"Josh Wallace is a guy that we trust," defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. "I thought he did an awesome job. I know he had the one third down, and he was in man. But other than that, I mean, he's in the right spots all the time. He's physical. He's tough. He's just one of those guys you love to coach."
In the 2024 season, it was a three game stretch from Week 5 to Week 7 where Wallace heard his name called the most defensively. In the 2025 season, it was Week 11 to Week 16 where his snap count spiked on defense. Wallace saw more than 40% of special teams snaps on all but four games his rookie season and every week until Week 11 in his second season.
Safe to say, Wallace could be asked to play different roles on any given week. His role can vary from starting in the secondary, to contributing entirely on special teams. No matter where he lines up, though, his preparation remains the same to ensure he stays ready.
"It's the same preparation I've been doing really since my rookie year," Wallace said. "I'm not changing anything, whether I'm starting or not starting, just still watching the film, still studying, just taking it day by day."
When he does get more reps in the secondary, he could be asked to play a multitude of positions. Against New York, he lined up primarily at nickel as safety Quentin Lake shifted over to play primarily safety as Kamren Kinchens (hamstring) was inactive. Wallace finished with three total tackles.
"He's one of them Swiss Army knife kind of guys, he can play a little bit of everything," cornerback Trent McDuffie said. "He a real smart dude, and he's always one of those guys that is going to do the right thing, be in the right position, and we trust him out there. So I think that's the biggest thing for him is when he comes in, we don't skip a beat."
In the same way he was asked to play nickel against the Giants, he's played safety and cornerback throughout his NFL career as well, embodying that "Swiss Army knife" identity from his teammates.
But no matter where Wallace lines up, he's earned the trust from his teammates and coaches. And he also trusts his own preparation to stay ready whenever his names is called.
