The ESSENTIAL Football Show 2025 Cap Space: $18.2 million
2026 Cap Space: $80.7 million
2027 Cap Space: $219.1 million
2026 Draft Picks: Own Picks, Rounds 1-3, 5, 6, plus 7th Rd comp, ATL 1st Rd, TEN 5th Rd, HOU 6th Rd, BAL 7th Rd
The Rams had their drama with quarterback Matthew Stafford, but ultimately, general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay came to terms with their signal-caller, allowing them to run it back for another Super Bowl push.
Los Angles made one key swap - Cooper Kupp is out and Davante Adams is in at receiver - but no other move is going to move the needle this year, particularly after they took advantage of Atlanta’s desperation to win now and picked up an extra 2027 1st-rounder in a trade down in this year’s draft.
There’s the argument that the Rams should have done all they could to load up with Stafford now, but there’s also the fact that one of the consistent themes of this year’s pre-draft coverage was that this year’s class flattened out from about the 10th to the 50th pick, so it’s also possible the Rams didn’t have a particularly strong opinion about the player they got at 46 (tight end Terence Feguson) relative to who they would have taken with the 26th pick.
We can argue about the back end of the defense, but the Rams made a lot of noise with a similarly formulated team last season, and with that extra first-rounder in hand, Los Angeles is well-positioned to swap a mid-round pick at the deadline, or before, if they decide a player like Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey could push them over the top. Either way, it would be a disappointment if the Rams aren’t in the thick of things in the NFC come January.
Quarterback
Starter: Matthew Stafford
Backups: Jimmy Garoppolo, Stetson Bennett
Running Back
Starters: Kyren Williams
Backups: Blake Corum, Jarquez Hunter (4th Rd), Ronnie Rivers
Wide Receiver
Starters: Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Tutu Atwell
Backups: Jordan Whittington, Xavier Smith, Konata Mumpfield (7th Rd)
Tight End
Starters: Tyler Higbee
Backups: Terrance Ferguson (2nd Rd), Colby Prakinson, Davis Allen
Offensive Line
Starters: Alaric Jackson, Steve Avila, Beaux Limmer, Kevin Dotson, Rob Havenstein
Backups: AJ Arcuri, Justin Dedeich, Coleman Shelton, KT Leveston, Warren McClendon Jr.
Offense Overview
The one thing that could be said of the Rams 2024 offense, once they were rolling, was that they did not have a lot of big-play pop.
Adding Davante Adams could help with that. Adams has never been the most explosive receiver in the league, but he uses his ability to quickly stack defenders to get a stride on them, opening opportunities at the second and third level that a quarterback with Stafford’s ball placement skills should be able to capitalize on. There’s also noise about getting the diminutive Tutu Atwell more involved (though I’m inclined to wait until I see it on that one), and their rookie additions, tight end Terrance Ferguson and running back Jarquez Hunter, could add some juice in complementary roles. Kyren Williams is an efficient back with terrific vision and the ability to set up blocks, and Blake Corum showed signs of offering similar production as a rookie last season, but it would be nice to have a back who pays some of the lanes produced by this offensive line with a more explosive gain.
As to the line, the Rams re-signed Alaric Jackson at left tackle, which means the same starting five that emerged from last year’s re-configuration should be in place. The Rams also added Coleman Shelton, who started at center for Chicago last year, as a depth piece, though it’s likely we’ll see Beaux Limmer continue as the starter after the Rams ultimately decided to keep veteran Jonah Jackson (since traded to Chicago) on the bench behind Limmer despite handing Jackson a hefty deal in free agency. Limmer forms a strong interior with standout guards Steve Avila and Kevin Dotson, while veteran right tackle Rob Havenstein continues to be a solid to above-average player on the right side heading into Year 11.
The passing game features more familiar faces; even with the addition of Adams, Puka Nacua should continue to pace the receiver room as the number one, while veteran Tyler Higbee is a year further removed from an ACL injury and will look to keep the rookie Ferguson at bay, at least early on.
Defensive Tackle
Starters: Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Poona Ford
Backups: Desjuan Johnson, Tyler Davis, Ty Hamilton (5th Rd), Larrell Murchison
Edge
Starters: Jared Verse, Byron Young
Backups: Josaiah Stewart (3rd Rd), Brennan Jackson, Nick Hampton
Linebackers
Starters: Troy Reeder, Omar Speights
Backups: Nate Landman, Chris Paul Jr. (5th Rd), Tony Fields
Safety
Starters: Kam Curl, Kamren Kinchens
Backups: Jaylen McCollough, Tanner Ingle
Slot
Starter: Quentin Lake, Josh Wallace
Backups:
Outside CB
Starters: Darious Williams, Ahkello Witherspoon
Backups: Cobie Durant, Derion Kendrick, Emmanuel Forbes
Defense Overview
It would be a bit much to say this defense starts and ends with the line, but then again, it’s not that far off.
The Rams don’t have bad players in the back end of the defense, but every player on the roster at linebacker, safety, and cornerback grades out somewhere between mediocre and average, which isn’t exactly inspiring.
The line is another matter entirely; headlined by blue-chip edge rusher Jared Verse, who emerged as one of the NFL’s best pass rushers as a rookie, the Rams are stacked up front. Verse’s fellow edge rusher, Byron Young, is a solid to above-average player, the interior duo of Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske are both plus/impact players, and the addition of Poona Ford adds to their depth and makes them stouter against the run inside. Throw in the potential contributions of third-round pick Josaiah Stewart, an edge rusher from Michigan, and this defensive line room is up there with the best of the NFL.
That allows the back end to work with less talent than the average group, because the Rams don’t need to send extra bodies to generate pressure. Los Angeles would obviously be better if they signed up Fred Warner at linebacker and Pat Surtain at cornerback, but at the same time, the players they are rolling out get to play in a fairly advantageous situation.
As it stands, the Rams have Troy Reeder and the undersized Omar Speights back at inside linebacker, who are unlikely to face much competition from 5th-round pick Chris Paul Jr. or free-agent addition Nate Landman, who did a relatively poor job in his opportunities in Atlanta. The Rams like to play a lot of big nickel, which means that safeties Kam Curl, Kam Kinchens, and Quentin Lake are all essentially starters, with all of them coming under the solid heading, which also applies to the outside cornerback duo of Darious Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon.
It would be shocking if anyone from the back end of this defense pushes for any sort of postseason honors, but when I throw on the tape and watch how this group held up against the Minnesota pass catchers in the playoffs, I can understand the argument for why you can win with this roster structure. The defensive line led the way, but players like Williams competed on the back end as well, and the reality of NFL roster-building is that you’re going to need to make concessions somewhere.
Overall Outlook
There are a handful of older players in the equation - Stafford, Adams, and Havenstein head that list - but there’s no reason, from a salary-cap perspective, that the Rams can’t run with this roster build for the next two to three seasons. Kobie Turner and Byron Young have two years left on their rookie deals, while Braden Fiske and Jared Verse have three, plus Verse’s fifth-year option, and given that the Rams don’t seem interested in spending any of that surplus value on the rest of the defense, it’s hard to understand how the offense would run into a cap crunch given the projected growth.
It’s an incredibly impressive about-face from two years ago. The slow start to 2024 is a reminder that injuries could derail this, but that’s true of anyone; the Rams are as surefire a contender as any roster in the NFL, particularly in the NFC.