LOS ANGELES — Davante Adams was hesitant to put any pressure on new Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie. But midway through training camp, the veteran wide receiver couldn’t resist the temptation to “gas him up” a little bit.
“I can honestly say I don’t know if I’ll get a better look than what I get from Trent out there,” Adams said. “I don’t like putting big expectations, bulletin board material or any of that but at the end of the day, I can’t remember the last time I felt about another corner the way I feel about him.”
Before the Rams traded for Myles Garrett on June 1, McDuffie was the defense-altering offseason acquisition for Los Angeles. The Rams traded for the All-Pro for a package of picks, including the No. 29 selection in the 2026 draft. Less than a week later, the Rams signed his former Kansas City Chiefs teammate Jaylen Watson to a three-year, $51 million deal to revamp their cornerbacks room.
It didn’t take long in the pair’s first training camp with the team for his talent and technique to show up. Adams and fellow wide receiver Puka Nacua haven’t been shy about the benefits of being able to go against McDuffie during training camp. And vice versa.
Adams said “certain guys make plays because they fall into them,” but that’s not the case for McDuffie.
“But Trent’s out there doing something every single play,” Adams said. “… He’s always got the right technique. He’s got a great way of reading you out. He understands his position on any given play, whether it’s his leverage or situationally a smart player and great technique.
“I don’t want to gas him up too much and have everybody thinking that he’s going to win MVP this year, but I’m really happy with what I see. It’s the epitome of iron sharpens iron. He’s made some plays on me. I got him a couple times yesterday and I’m assuming that’s how it’ll be all year.”
On Monday, during what Rams coach Sean McVay called more of an “unscripted” practice, the back and forth was on display between McDuffie and Nacua. During a team drill, Stafford found Nauca down the field. But after Nacua got his hands on the ball, McDuffie knocked it away to force an incompletion.
Every rep is a battle. 😤 pic.twitter.com/oiyUm2WiJL
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 3, 2026
“Shout out to Puka,” McDuffie said. “That boy was rolling, I’ll tell you that much. He rolled right past me so I had to put my head down. Good ball, good catch and I was there and fortunate enough to knock it out.”
When Nacua recounted that play — “[I] think I got it [for a touchdown] and there comes ’22’ [McDuffie] flying out of right field and being able to punch it out” — he said it reminded him of the pair’s days on the college practice field. Nacua and McDuffie played together at the University of Washington in 2019 and ’20. Nacua was the first call McDuffie answered after he was traded to Los Angeles.
Nacua said he has seen growth from McDuffie — a first-team All-Pro in 2023 and a two-time Super Bowl champion — since their days in college.
“It’s [McDuffie’s] ability to have patience at the line of scrimmage,” Nacua said when asked how McDuffie’s game has changed. “I think that’s something that Coach talks about all the time, especially in the DB room. When that ball is in the air you can see the body tense up and how they react when the ball is in the air, the look and lean. It’s something that he stays patient and in that deep ball rep that we had the other day of him running and saying you got to take it all the way to the ground.
“I think it’s something that’s been fun and working different movement at the line of scrimmage because he is so patient and trusts his feet. He knows he can roll too, so it’s always fun. If I can take the top off, I think that means I was running pretty fast.”
The caliber of players on both sides of the ball — including reigning MVP Matthew Stafford and Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year — has led to “a lot of really high-quality football,” McVay said.
“And not necessarily worried about who’s winning or losing the drill,” McVay said. “I want to see good, high-caliber ball.
“… It’s a blessing to be able to get out here, to be able to work hard, to work smart, to be able to protect one another, but push each other in a manner that’s reflective of being able to have some productive failure on both sides of the football. That’s what we want and I think that’s what good teams do.”
And for as much as Adams praised McDuffie after practicing against the cornerback, McDuffie said he has “a lot of respect” for the veteran receiver. McDuffie called Nacua and Adams “two of the best receivers in the league,” adding, “They have genuinely made me better every time I step on this grass.”
“Knowing who you’re going to go against, knowing the type of player [Adams] is and knowing that every rep he gives you is going to be 100%, that’s what I love,” McDuffie said. “When I first came here, knowing who I was going to practice against, I was excited because they’re going to get me better.
“… Yeah, he’s going to beat me a lot of the time because I’m trying new things just like he’s probably going to try new things. The more we can keep ping-ponging back and forth against each other, the more we can keep rising our standard, it’s going to be a great year for both of us.”
