Los Angeles Rams
Projected Cap Space: $35.7 million
Draft Picks: 7
- 1st (No. 26)
- 3rd (No. 90)
- 3rd (No. 100, comp)
- 4th (No. 126)
- 6th (No. 191, ATL)
- 6th (No. 202)
- 6th (No. 203, HOU)
Notable Free Agents:
- OT Alaric Jackson
- OT Joseph Noteboom
- QB Jimmy Garoppolo
- WR Demarcus Robinson
- OLB Michael Hoecht
- CB Ahkello Witherspoon
- WR Tutu Atwell
- LB Christian Rozeboom
- LB Troy Reeder
- DT Bobby Brown III
Top Three Needs
1 – Offensive Tackle
Let’s set aside the quarterback position for now, because the Rams have a fascinating situation looming with veteran QB Matthew Stafford that could radically change the makeup of their team. It won’t change the fact they’ll have needs elsewhere on the roster, and the top need could be tackle.
Jackson and Noteboom have been the two players entrusted with the blind side in Los Angeles since Andrew Whitworth retired. Noteboom was supposed to be the heir apparent but lost his spot to Jackson, a former undrafted free agent who has worked his way into a larger pay day than what the Rams might be comfortable paying. Noteboom is also a free agent, though he could perhaps be brought back on an affordable deal as a swing tackle.
On the other side, Rams RT Rob Havenstein turns 33 in May, has been a bit banged up over the past two seasons and is entering the final year of his contract. He’s due $11.5 million in 2025, $5 million of which comes in the form of an option bonus due on March 19. The Rams would save $4.5 million in cap space by cutting Havenstein — and create the need to find two starting tackles instead of just one.
2 – Wide Receiver
With the Rams intentions of trading WR Cooper Kupp becoming public, Los Angeles is looking at a major overhaul of the receiver position. Robinson and Atwell are on expiring deals as well, which could mean the Rams are swapping out three of their leading four receivers behind Puka Nacua.
Robinson could be kept on a cheap deal and the Rams have talked up 2024 sixth-round WR Jordan Whittington. Still, the Rams would be remarkably short on playmakers if they didn’t add anyone else to the receiving corps around Nacua, shallower than any other year under HC Sean McVay.
3 – Cornerback
In the first year in a decade for the Rams’ defense without Aaron Donald, the transition overall went well thanks to hitting on several recent draft picks in the trenches. Los Angeles took OLB Jared Verse, the 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year, in the first round last spring and followed up with second-round DT Braden Fiske. Along with 2023 third-rounders like DT Kobie Turner and OLB Byron Young, the Rams have a solid nucleus to build around up front.
The secondary is not in as good of shape outside of safety. Cornerback was a weak point for the Rams against better opponents. Witherspoon is a free agent and veteran CB Darious Williams is a potential cap casualty. The Rams need a youth movement at corner like the one they had up front, whether that’s draft picks, younger free agents or a jump from incumbents on the roster like Derion Kendrick, Cobie Durant or Emmanuel Forbes, acquired off waivers from the Commanders late in the year.
One Big Question
What’s the Rams’ plan at quarterback?
If you’ve been paying attention to the Rams over the past year, it’s clear they’re weighing how to create an off-ramp from Stafford to their next quarterback. It’s not because they’re unhappy with Stafford, who has played well the past two years and has been a huge part of the team’s success since arriving via trade. Reading between the lines of what Rams have said and done (or haven’t done), it feels like they’re keenly aware the 37-year-old Stafford won’t play forever.
That’s why the Rams’ unwillingness to ink Stafford to a new long-term contract stuck out last summer. It’s also telling how GM Les Snead didn’t completely shoot down the idea of trading Stafford once the season was over, instead saying, “[I]t’ll take someone calling or us reaching out if we want to do that.” That’s the equivalent of telling other teams “make us your best offer.” Snead has a saying that if something is inevitable, make it immediate. If the Rams are going to have to part with Stafford soon, it makes sense for them to do it on their terms and maximize the return.
It’s still not clear how things will shake out. ESPN reported the current expectation is that Stafford will be back with the Rams in 2025, citing people close to the situation, which makes a lot of sense considering how well Stafford played last year and the lack of established replacements available. But at the same time, this tweet from NFL Media’s Gregg Rosenthal saying Stafford is “way more likely than not to be gone” is pretty eye-catching in an opposite way. Putting on the dot-connecting hat for a minute, Rosenthal isn’t a breaking news reporter but he does content for NFL Media in Los Angeles, including a regular show with the Athletic’s Rams beat reporter Jourdan Rodrigue. So he’s plugged in to at least some degree.
Time will ultimately tell. The outlook for the 2025 Rams could change dramatically based on who ends up being under center in Week 1, especially if it’s not Stafford like a lot of people are assuming now.
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