The Rams are expected to be contenders in 2025, but still have a few questions leading into the season
The Los Angeles Rams report for training camp in just over a week, and while LA is expected to be potential Super Bowl contenders, there are still a few questions that need to be answered before the team welcomes the Houston Texans to SoFi Stadium week one.
Can the Rams secondary have success without a star defensive back?
By far, the biggest question for Los Angeles heading into camp is their defensive backfield, specifically at corner. While the team has been linked to many cornerback trades including former Rams CB Jalen Ramsey, nothing has come to fruition as of yet and it feels like more and more that the team may just have belief in their mostly unchanged group from last season.
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The Rams do have a relatively strong safety group with the likes of Quentin Lake, Kam Curl and standout rookies Kamren Kinchens and Jaylen McCollough. Kinchens and McCollough quietly combined for eight interceptions, 100 total tackles and two defensive touchdowns in their first year at the pro level.
As far as corner goes, Darius Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon are expected to be the top two guys on the outside with Lake playing the star role and slot. Cobie Durant and former Washington Commanders first round pick Emmanuel Forbes should be in the mix for playing time as well. This group remains mostly unchanged and struggled early on in 2024, however, they seen improvement as the season went on and it seems to have been enough to convince McVay and company to believe in what they have in house.
“No, I feel good about where we’re at.” McVay continued “We’ve gotten a lot of guys that have played meaningful ball at the corner position, at the safety, we’ve got some different guys that can flex between safety dime, linebacker, the nickel star spot. There are a lot of young guys, or maybe even guys that are new to the Rams, but have accumulated a bunch of experience that I think are only going to continue to take steps. I think when you really look at it, I thought that (CB) Cobie Durant took amazing strides last year. Obviously, (CB) Ahkello Witherspoon played great. I think him being here in the offseason is a big deal. Darious Williams has been an excellent player for us. I don’t think anybody can minimize that hamstring injury that he had to work through in the early parts of the year.”
“So I do feel really good about the development of that group led by (Assistant Head Coach/Pass Game Coordinator) Aubrey Pleasant, (Safeties Coach) Chris Beake, and (Defensive Assistant) Mike Harris.”
Tutu Atwell vs Jordan Whittington for WR3
Some would argue with Puka Nacua and the acquisition of Davante Adams, the Rams strongest position group on the team would be at wide receiver, and frankly, it’s hard to argue against it. Even with that being the case, there are still some major questions about the depth behind LA’s top two superstars.
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Tutu Atwell, heading into his fifth year, looks to have finally secured a starting position among the wideouts. Atwell has been an expected starter for the last two years or so but just hasn’t taken that step or been given the playing time. He has always ran into some kind of injury or been passed up by another player, but after being given a one-year, $10 million dollar extension this offseason, it certainly seems like WR3 is Atwell’s job to lose.
Second-year wideout Jordan Whittington was a late round gem last season and looks to be, at the very minimum, a very solid role player. He should be the one most likely to challenge Atwell for playing time at WR3. While Tutu brings unmatched explosiveness and speed to the position, Whittington has an ability to play well at any of the WR positions on the field. He’s not as fast as Atwell, but he has enough speed to play out the outside while also bringing an ability to line up in the slot and tough it out over the middle. His versatility could give him a leg up on Atwell, who had mostly just been used as a deep threat gadget up until last season where his route tree expanded a bit.
Who will play left tackle to start the season?
The last place Rams fans want to see a question mark is offensive line, specifically when it comes to securing QB Matthew Stafford’s blind side. Naturally, you would think the answer to who will play left tackle is Alaric Jackson, who had great season in 2025 as the full-time starter and earned a 3-year, $56.3 million dollar extension this offseason.
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The problem – Jackson is facing a familiar issue that has plagued him before after he was diagnosed with blood clots in his leg this summer. The first time he had an issue with blood clots was in 2022 and it forced him to miss the final nine games of the season. While McVay says that Jackson is in good spirits and that they have a plan in place, it feels like there is a real chance that Los Angeles may not have their starting left tackle to start the season.
“You pray for him to be able to have a healthy, safe recovery,” McVay said. “And we’re really just taking it a day at a time with him. There’s a lot of examples of people that have had situations like this, but they’re all still so uniquely independent in their own right. And so we’re gathering information.”
The team has backup Warren McClendon Jr. but he was underwhelming when forced into playing time last season. More than likely, the starter would be free agency signing D.J. Humphries if Jackson is unable to start the season. The Rams also brought in former Minnesota Viking David Quessenberry for some added depth at tackle. All three bring in veteran starting experience but Stafford is an older quarterback and has never been very mobile, so Los Angeles need to make sure whoever is playing left tackle week one is up to the task or they will be risking their veteran quarterback’s health very early on in the season. With all of that mentioned, no one has officially said Jackson will be out to start the season quite yet, so there is still a chance the team will be at full strength to start 2025.