Rams Rule Out Cornerback Trent McDuffie Ahead of Cardinals Matchup

The Los Angeles Rams will be down one of their most important players on defense, as cornerback Trent McDuffie has been ruled out for the Arizona Cardinals matchup.

McDuffie appeared on the injury report after suffering a full pull on his groin during Thursday's practice. The corner would miss practice on Friday, and head coach Sean McVay stated that he would be questionable for the game.

McDuffie has now been ruled out and has been added to the inactives llist for the game. 

The full list is as follows:

WR C.J. Daniels

WR Tutu Atwell

QB Ty Simpson (third emergency)

CB Trent McDuffie

DE Larrell Murchison

OL Bill Murray

Losing McDuffie will impact the defense and secondary in a major way. The Rams already had to deal with Jaylen Watson being out as he suffered a dislocated shoulder during Week 3 and missed Week 4 due to the injury.

Watson returned in Week 5 and nearly brought down two interceptions. McDuffie will now be sidelined for this divisional matchup. 

The Rams are currently 2-3 and are treading dangerous waters in terms of wanting to challenge the rest of the NFC West for the title, along with challenging for a playoff spot.

There is plenty more football left to play for the Rams, but losing a few more games could put them in a tough spot. If Los Angeles has a record that is not in the 10-7 range, they may not even secure a wild card spot.

This is big picture currently, but the Rams have had some troubles early on this season. Injuries to key players has certainly stunted their chances at times. 

Defensive end Myles Garrett remains out, while Aaron Donald is back fully. However, the defense will now be without another key player in McDuffie.

Despite his questionable status, McDuffie clearly could not take the field with his affected groin. Instead of the Rams potentially risking a more serious injury to the cornerback, they are sitting him for at least one week.

Groin injuries can be tricky at times, and more severe cases can sideline players for multiple weeks, and sometimes months. McDuffie also experienced a full pull, which means that it was a bit more serious than being able to play through.

With McDuffie out, it will likely be Emmanuel Forbes Jr. who will step in, but Josh Wallace might also get more playing time as well.