The Los Angeles Rams are on the verge of having a legitimate playmaker in the secondary again as Trent McDuffie flashed his All-Pro skills in the opener, exhibiting the same level of impact Jalen Ramsey once had with this franchise.
McDuffie wasn't able to display his full arsenal of skills as the defense was on the back foot in Week 1. However, he is set to shine in his home debut on Monday, with defensive coordinator Chris Shula loving what he's witnessed so far.
"Oh, a lot," said Shula when asked what he liked about McDuffie's Week 1 performance. "He’s a great tackler, exactly in the right spots all the time, playing calm. Really everything we saw in all of training camp. Really sticky when he was able to have those chances when he did play man coverage.
"Obviously in the right spot in his zones and on that first drive you saw two really good tackles. That was the only thing, we hadn't seen him in a Rams uniform until the first game. So, really pleased with what we saw and expect the same moving forward."
Due to McDuffie's versatility in the secondary, being able to play essentially every position, his usage will allow Shula to show off his creativity, especially on obvious passing downs. The Rams were reluctant to play man coverage and blitz last week, two elements that McDuffie excels at.
As Shula expands his play calls, expect McDuffie to grow within his role.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams DC Chris Shula expects great things from Trent McDuffie after strong debut
