Rams’ Braden Fiske Talks Up Newly Improved DB Room: ‘More Time to Get to the Quarterback’

Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Braden Fiske is excited about the newly revamped secondary.

The Rams traded for Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie earlier this month and signed his former teammate Jaylen Watson in free agency. The pair helps shore up a pass defense that ranked 20th in the league in yards allowed.

Fiske told Jim Rome on “The Jim Rome Show” on X that a well-rounded defense elevates his game and those of his teammates on the defensive line.

“Hey, I’m all about it,” he told Rome of the new additions. “Sounds like a little bit more time to get to the quarterback. Anytime you can add players to your defense and your team in general, I think it’s awesome. That’s just a step closer to where we are trying to get to.”

McDuffie is a former first-round draft pick by the Chiefs in 2022, and quickly established himself as one of the league’s best defenders on the boundary. He won First Team All-Pro honors in 2023 and Second Team in 2024. He also won Super Bowl LVII in 2022 and Super Bowl LVIII in 2023.

Watson is a former seventh-round pick from the same class. He spent his first two seasons as a depth piece—he was also a part of the two Super Bowl-winning squads—then won a starting job in 2024 before a broken leg derailed his season. He is coming off a career season in 2025, with 64 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 6 passes defended, and 2 interceptions.

On top of their new blood, the Rams also re-signed veteran strong safety Kam Curl to a three-year extension. He was second on the team in tackles with 122 and was a versatile chess piece in the defensive backfield. He also took on a larger leadership role when nickel DB Quentin Lake went down with an injury.

“I think that was an unbelievable move just because of the force that he is with our defense and what he brings to our defense mentality as a whole,” Fiske said. “Then, Q-Lake, with Kamren Kinchens back there and bringing back E-Man [corner Emmanuel Forbes]. I can’t wait to get after it. There’s so much potential with this team, it’s gonna be unbelievable.”

The new pieces on the backend will help free up time for the Rams’ star-studded pass-rush rotation. Pro Bowl edge rusher Byron Young led the team in sacks with 12. His counterpart, Jared Verse, had 7.5 sacks; he was the 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year and is a two-time Pro Bowler. Defensive end Kobie Turner had 7 sacks, while Fiske added 3, a significant drop-off from his 8.5-sack rookie campaign. Nose tackle Poona Ford had 2.

Fiske said he has high hopes for the defensive line room this upcoming season.

“We know what we are capable of and how we want to get after it this season. It’s not just me and Jared … Kobie and Byron are out there hunting, and then we have a bunch of other guys that could get after the quarterback, too,” he said. “I think that’s the ultimate goal. We know what we’re capable of and what we should be doing out on that field. There’s nothing short of that this season that we expect from ourselves. … We are getting after this offseason, so I’m just excited to see what we can build, and keep that chemistry going.”

In addition to the new blood, the Rams will benefit from at least one returning face: defensive coordinator Chris Shula. Shula was a day 1 hire of head coach Sean McVay’s staff, first as an assistant linebackers coach, then coaching outside linebackers, then all linebackers, before being promoted to pass game coordinator and DBs coach, then going back to linebackers and pass rush coordinator. He was promoted to DC in 2024 and has served in the position ever since.

“Any time that you can keep a familiar face—especially in a Sean McVay system with being able to keep coaches around—I think it’s huge,” he said. “We’re getting so comfortable with the terminology, and just how our defense runs, the expectations from each other, and our coaching staff. Any time we can keep that crew together, it’s great, so going into Year 3, at least for me, and the total of him being a D-coordinator, I think it’s gonna be a great mix, on top of the talent that we brought in and have retained, it’s gonna be a great mix, for sure.”