ESPN ranks Rams supporting cast as top-5 in the NFL
When Matthew Stafford spent the first 12 years of his career with the Detroit Lions, the narrative was always that the quarterback never had a consistent supporting cast to help him. That immediately changed when Stafford arrived to the Los Angeles Rams and was met with Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and a good defense led by Aaron Donald.
Due to injuries and a transition period on the team’s salary cap, the Rams haven’t been able to provide Stafford that same level of supporting cast since. However, that has changed heading into 2025 as the biggest offseason addition for the Rams was the signing of wide receiver Davante Adams.
It’s pretty clear that as long as the Rams are healthy along the offensive line and Stafford has a strong supporting cast, the quarterback will put his team in position to win. In 2023, the Rams went 6-1 down the stretch when healthy and had a chance to beat the Detroit Lions on the final drive in the playoffs. They went 6-1 again last year in the final seven games of the regular season, and then had a chance to win on the final drive in the playoffs against the Philadelphia Eagles.
As Stafford gets older, those opportunities become less of a guarantee. That’s especially the case when considering some of Stafford’s inconsistencies even when the Rams were successful down the stretch last season.
Heading into 2025, the Rams may have one foot in the now and another in the future, but it’s clear they would like to make one more push with Stafford at quarterback. It would have been easy for the Rams to move on from Stafford this offseason when teams inquired about a potential trade. Still, the Rams opted to keep Stafford for 2025 with the hopes of trying to capitalize on another Super Bowl window.
The positive for Stafford is that this may be the best supporting cast that he’s had since joining the Rams. Every season, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell ranks the playmakers from each NFL team. Coming in at number five for the 2025 season was the Rams. Said Barnwell,
“If you could guarantee 17 games from the Rams’ big three at their 2024 levels of play, they might challenge to rank No. 1 here. Puka Nacua missed six games and still came within a screen of making it to 1,000 yards, as his 3.7 yards per route run comfortably led the NFL. Kyren Williams ranked sixth in rushing yards per game despite not having a single run top 30 yards…After a difficult first three months of the year, Davante Adams brought in 576 receiving yards and six scores from December 1 onward, ranking among the league leaders in both categories. Can the Rams expect all three of those guys to live up to those expectations? Nacua is a superstar. Williams is a great gap-scheme back, but he has also fumbled eight times over the past two seasons. And Adams had been declining since the start of 2023 before a late-season surge with longtime friend Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. These guys are all great players, so while I have my reservations about the Rams getting the most out of Adams, it would hardly be a surprise if they all garnered Pro Bowl consideration.”
Barnwell’s number five ranking for the Rams playmakers is certainly notable. It’s also the best ranking that the Rams have had since Stafford took over. Looking at past seasons, the highest the Rams ranked was seventh in 2022:
- 2021 – 10th
- 2022 – 7th
- 2023 – 23rd
- 2024 – 9th
This is the first time that Stafford has had a supporting cast ranked inside the top-five. Nacua and Adams are arguably a top-three wide receiver duo. While Williams may not be a top-10 running back, he still managed four 100-yard games last season.
The biggest question mark for the Rams offense is exactly where you don’t want questions which is on the offensive line. DJ Humphries will be expected to step in at left tackle while Alaric Jackson recovers from blood clots. As it stands, the Rams are seen to have an average offensive line. PFF recently ranked them 15th while Sharp Football Analytics ranked them 13th. Said Sharp Football,
“The offensive line finished 13th in our rankings for the second consecutive year, earning one top 10 vote in the process. The biggest question facing the Rams is the health of left tackle Alaric Jackson, who is being treated for blood clots in his leg three months after signing an extension.”
If the Rams are able to head into the 2025 season healthy, this will be the best supporting cast that Stafford has had since joining the team in 2021. Stafford has already gotten the monkey off of his back by winning the Super Bowl in 2021, but another season in which the Rams are among the best teams in the NFL and another deep playoff run could add to his legacy.
With Stafford heading into his age 37 season, these opportunities are dwindling. The Rams front office has done its job of surrounding Stafford with a strong supporting cast. It will be up to Stafford on what he does with it.