WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Even during the time of year when workouts are voluntary, there's a genuine joy, connection and camaraderie amongst Rams players that keeps them coming back. They enjoy the work, and they enjoy doing it alongside one another.
Approaching three months since his arrival onto his new team, cornerback Trent McDuffie feels that energy the moment he enters the Rams' practice facility first thing in the morning.
"I've loved it here," McDuffie said after Monday's OTA. "I always talk to my fiancée (about) just the energy and the vibe that this place has each morning. I'm in the building at 7:00 AM and right away bro, I'm smiling. People are saying 'good morning,' people are just happy to be here back in L.A. So I've really enjoyed it these past few months."
Familiar faces have helped, too, and that's not just reuniting with cornerback and former Chiefs teammate Jaylen Watson. He knew safety Quentin Lake back in high school – Lake was a senior when McDuffie was a freshman – and Lake says McDuffie has fit right in.
At the start of the offseason program, Lake told reporters he was looking forward to get to know McDuffie better. One thing Lake has learned about McDuffie since then?
"He's funny," Lake said. "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. I got to catch up to him in picks (though), he has three, I have two (so far in OTAs), so we'll see if I can get a couple more at the end of this OTAs. But he's been a fantastic player and person so far."
The feeling is mutual.
"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."
Away from the building, McDuffie has appreciated being closer to home. He grew up an hour away in Orange County, which makes it easy to come down on a Friday or Saturday to see his parents and have a family barbecue, go to the pool, and see his young niece and nephew. Most of all, what's made this extra time he's been able to spend in Los Angeles this offseason compared to previous ones more special is being around the community that supported him throughout his journey.
"This community has poured so much into me growing up," McDuffie said. "Going throughout high school and going to college, there's always been this love for me in this community. So coming back, especially in my position now that I'm able to give back to them and pour into the youth and do some youth football camps that I have this summer and just get around the community, I think it's gonna be special for me. I haven't been this far out, I've always been an OC guy, so finally coming up in the valley and being in downtown L.A. I think is gonna be really cool."
Whether it's been the support of the locker room or his own community, the transition has been a seamless one so far for McDuffie.
And that's something to smile about.
"I mean, to me, a lot of it is happiness, but happiness in the sense of you get to come here and do what you love," McDuffie said, when asked to describe what the energy in the building feels like when he walks in. "Everybody around here is like a true family. I think a lot of people talk about that in locker rooms, a lot of people talk about it at other organizations. But from the jump since I've been here, it's been just constant love, constant support, constant just showing me what to do, showing me how to do things, and I like to just say no egos anywhere across this team, across the organization, coaching staff. Everybody who comes here is ready to do their best and to push each other, and I love being a part of that."
