The three best players on the L.A. Rams defense might be the three high-profile additions that Les Snead made over the 2026 offseason. That would be Trent McDuffie, Myles Garrett, and Jaylen Watson. Certainly they are no worse than three upgrades.
However, what every fan comes to find out eventually is that their opinions of who the most important and best players are is usually different than the next fan’s opinion. The best way to find out is to vote in The Tournament of Rampions: A 24-player bracket
to determine who the most important players on the Rams are in 2026.
The Tournament of Rampions started with 24 players and now we are down to 16: 8 on offense, 8 on defense.
However, after we started the second round of the Offensive Bracket on Sunday, it looks like we are down to 12. Who will make the final-eight, when we combine offense and defense into one bracket? That’s up to you.
You must vote in today’s bracket for the top-four defensive players:
(1) Trent McDuffie vs (8) Nate Landman
Although Myles Garrett is one of the biggest names in all of football, McDuffie was voted as the most important player on the Rams defense in the pre-tournament polling. McDuffie addressed one of L.A.’s biggest needs, cornerback, and the recent All-Pro could be just what the Rams needed. However, not long ago, Landman was just what the Rams needed.
Sean McVay’s lack of interest in linebacker upgrades seemed to have been resolved with the addition of Landman last year, after L.A. extended him midseason. Could Landman be the sleeper of the Rams defense who is a top-four most-important asset?
(2) Myles Garrett vs (7) Byron Young
Young’s 12 sacks last year would normally lead any defense–he now happens to be teammates with a guy who had twice as many! Based on the number of double-teams that Garrett could command in 2026, Young might actually get more sacks than him in 2026. But is he nearly as important?
(3) Quentin Lake vs (6) Kam Curl
Lake in the “star” role could be more important than one of the team’s best free agent additions in recent years, Kam Curl. Who would you say is more important in 2026?
(4) Jaylen Watson vs (5) Kobie Turner
McDuffie and Watson reunite from Kansas City to L.A. in 2026. Is the number 2 cornerback more important than a pass-rushing defensive tackle who might be one of the most underrated interior defenders in the NFL? You can decide!
When we get the results of these four votes, we’ll combine the two brackets into the top-eight.
It looks like Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, and Kevin Dotson will be waiting. However, Davante Adams vs Kyren Williams is still close enough that you can certainly make a difference if you vote!
