In early 1916 Calvin Coolidge stood in the Massachusetts state senate and delivered an oration that would later follow him to the White House: “Have Faith in Massachusetts”.
Not faith in some distant authority. Deciding not to leave the future to outside rescue. Instead, trust the people and the existing institutions. The line has been flattened into a cliche over time, but the original point was short and simple.
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Stop looking outside for a solution when the answer is within the same building.
The Los Angeles Rams will soon find out if the same idea applies to their cornerback room.
Prize-winning free agent signing Jaylen Watson sat out last Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers with a shoulder injury. He has now been ruled out for the rest of the season.
The secondary has been one of the more defined bright spots on the entire roster this year. Their future performance is no longer guaranteed. The question now is who stepped into the void?
And the Rams look to be in good hands with Josh Wallace, who has played often lately with both Watson and Trent McDuffie battling injuries. Wallace hasn’t been asked to carry a starting role in a long time. He was an obvious weak point on the team filling in for Quentin Lake last season. It becomes a different story now in 2026.
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In the NFL overall for corners with at least 20% of the maximum snaps currently, Wallace is currently 10th at the position. That’s effectively a top five when you need at least two corners on the field at all times, and it’s common for defenses to deploy three at a time more often than not.
The unfortunate fact is that Wallace ranks eighth. McDuffie was second. Wallace may still be a step up, although in a role situation he has proven capable.
But at least from the numbers we can get away with, 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 allowed 17 receptions for 126 yards (77 after the catch) with no touchdowns, one interception, a pass breakup, and a passer rating of just 49.7.
One area of concern for Wallace is the fact that he has become grabby. Officials have flagged him in coverage six times already this season. This is an outcome worth monitoring as it holds a starting job for the foreseeable future. For comparison, McDuffie committed four penalties while Watson only had two.
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The silver lining to this data point is the fact that we’ve seen more of Wallace than either McDuffie or Watson. He sneakily played more often in coverage than both of LA’s blockbuster offseason additions. The fact that we don’t notice should tell us everything we need to know.
Season to date snap count:
McDuffie: 362 total; 200 in coverage
Coolidge’s argument in 1916 was that his state was no longer perfect. That is that Massachusetts already possesses the tools to handle its own poverty if it stops treating every poverty as a crisis that requires outside intervention. The Rams’ cornerback situation following Watson’s injury is also far from perfect. With the trade deadline looming, the team should have faith in Wallace instead of parting with future draft resources in exchange for a short-term patch.
Whether that trust will be rewarded will be revealed in the coming weeks. Will Wallace handle his new starting role or not. The Rams did not control that outcome. They control whether or not he is given a chance as a solution.
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Trust Josh Wallace. Believe it not because the secondary is suddenly fixed by his presence but because the alternative pretends the Rams are unprepared for this scenario. The answer may be indoors this time.