In early 1916 Calvin Coolidge stood before the Massachusetts state senate and delivered an oration that would later follow him into the White House: “Have Faith in Massachusetts”.
Not faith in some distant authority. Deciding to not leave the future up to an outside rescue. Instead, trusting in the people and the existing institutions. The line has been flattened into a cliche over time, but the original point was concise and simple.
Stop looking outward for a solution when the answer lies within the same
building.
The Los Angeles Rams are about to find out whether the same idea applies to their cornerback room.
Prized free agent signing Jaylen Watson exited last Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers with a shoulder injury. He has now been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
The secondary has been one of the more defined bright spots across the roster this year. Their future performance is no longer guaranteed. The question now is who steps into the void?
And the Rams seem to be in good hands with Josh Wallace, who has played often recently due to both Watson and Trent McDuffie battling injuries. Wallace has not been asked to carry a starting role for long. He was an obvious weak point on the team filling in for Quentin Lake last season. It has been a different story so far in 2026.
Across the NFL for corners with at least 20% of the maximum snaps to-date, Wallace currently ranks 10th at the position. That is effectively top five when you need at least two corners on the field at all times, and it’s typical for defenses to deploy three at a time more often than not.
The unfortunate truth is that Wallace ranked eighth. McDuffie is second. Wallace may still be a step back, although in a situational role he has proven capable.
But at least with the numbers we can go off of, Wallace has been stellar by any standard. Opposing quarterbacks have thrown the ball into his coverage 32 times this season, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). Wallace has allowed 17 receptions for 126 yards (77 after the catch) without a touchdown, one interception, a pass breakup, and a passer rating of just 49.7.
One area of concern for Wallace is the fact he’s been grabby. Officials have flagged him in coverage six times already this season. It’s an outcome worth monitoring as holds onto a starting job for the foreseeable future. For comparison, McDuffie has committed four penalties while Watson has just two.
The silver lining to this data point is the fact we’ve already seen more of Wallace than either of McDuffie or Watson. He has sneakily played more often in coverage than both of LA’s blockbuster offseason additions. The fact we haven’t noticed should tell us all we need to know.
Season to-date snap counts:
- McDuffie: 362 total; 200 in coverage
- Watson: 381; 214
- Wallace: 377; 245
Coolidge’s argument in 1916 was not that his state was perfect. It was that Massachusetts already possessed the tools to handle its own adversity should it stop treating every difficulty as a crisis that required outside intervention. The Rams’ cornerback situation following Watson’s injury is far from perfect as well. With the trade deadline looming, the team must have faith in Wallace rather than parting with future draft resources in exchange for a short-term patch.
Whether that trust is rewarded will be demonstrated in the coming weeks. Wallace will either handle his new starting role or he won’t. The Rams do not control that outcome. They do control whether or not he is given a chance as the solution.
Have faith in Josh Wallace. Have faith not because the secondary is suddenly fixed by his presence but because the alternative is pretending the Rams’ were not prepared for this scenario. The answer may lie in-house this time.
