previewing/measuring the Rams, starting 6/13

Rams Wire@TheRamsWire
NFL coach says Myles Garrett trade wasn’t Rams’ most impactful move of 2026

***

Rams or Seahawks? NFL execs size up NFC West after Myles Garrett blockbuster

Jeff Howe

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7362507/2026/06/16/rams-seahawks-myles-garrett-trade-super-bowl/

As the Los Angeles Rams continue to bask in the glow of their honeymoon phase with star pass rusher Myles Garrett, the reigning champion Seattle Seahawks have somehow slipped into the shadows of the ultra-competitive NFC West. They collected their extravagant Super Bowl rings last week, the latest reminder of a dominant February title run, but know a plateau in 2026 will crater their chances of repeating.

After acquiring Garrett and two-time All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie in high-profile offseason trades, the Rams have emerged as the betting favorites to win Super Bowl LXI. Rams general manager Les Snead moved seven draft picks, including two first-rounders, along with 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse to inject a turbo boost into a group that’s already displayed marked improvement in its first two seasons under coordinator Chris Shula.

It’s apparent the Rams sensed two key elements from 2025 — that they believed they were just a handful of plays short of their own Super Bowl run, and that they didn’t just want to catch the Seahawks, but blow past them.

“They’re competing their a— off,” said an NFL executive, granted anonymity so he could speak openly, of the Rams’ offseason. “In their minds, they were a 2-point conversion away from winning the Super Bowl. It’s a smart way to build their team. They’re trying to maximize their roster with an aging QB. They should think that way.”

The Seahawks wrestled the division from the Rams in Week 16 when quarterback Sam Darnold completed a do-or-die 2-pointer to tight end Eric Saubert for a 38-37 overtime victory. From there, the Seahawks claimed the No. 1 seed and held off the Rams, 31-27, in the NFC Championship Game.

Whether the Rams were truly a couple of plays away, they were close enough to be viewed around the league as a viable threat. Now, they’ve all but maxed out their resources with the visions of a better fate, and they don’t intend to waste time with reigning MVP Matthew Stafford turning 38 in February.

“I think the Garrett trade can put them over the top,” a second executive said. “It gives them the closer on defense that they needed.”

While the Rams’ pass defense wasn’t bad in 2025, it was their greatest vulnerability, so they acquired McDuffie from the Kansas City Chiefs and signed ex-Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson to a three-year, $51 million contract.

“The (Garrett) trade isn’t as big as the McDuffie trade and the signing of Watson,” a coach said. “Those additions will impact their defensive unit more than Myles.”

To that point, the Rams’ pass rush was already relatively strong. It tied for seventh last season with 47 sacks, and Verse is an ascending talent with a seemingly high ceiling. But Garrett might be peerless in his ability to impact the game — as well as the way teams prepare exclusively for him during the week.

Garrett, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year who turned 30 in December, has raced up the all-time sack list. He’s tied for 20th now with 125.5 and has a chance to crack the top 10 by the end of the season. If he maintains his career-long, 14-sack pace through 2031, Garrett will seize the sack crown from Bruce Smith (200).

Plus, coach Sean McVay got a firsthand look at future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald for six years, so he can appreciate the impact of a generational juggernaut on the defensive front. And if Garrett’s arrival does actually woo Donald from retirement, this could go down as one of the most memorable trades in NFL history.

Then again, 32 teams think they’re winning the Super Bowl right now.

“I don’t get too hyped on this stuff,” a second coach said, “because it all gets sorted in the fall.”

A third coach added, “I’m really not much into favorites at this time of year. A lot can happen before you actually get to Week 1. (But) I get the hype with L.A. It sure looks like they’re going all in.”

That’s the admirable approach when the Super Bowl champs reside in the division. While the Seahawks had a much quieter offseason than their neighbors to the south, they’re understandably banking on coach Mike Macdonald’s program truly blossoming in his third year on the job.

Make no mistake, the Seahawks outpaced even their own timeline, so there’s expectation for improvement. Darnold should be more comfortable now that he’s found a home, and his offensive line has built continuity, too.

Safety Nick Emmanwori and defensive tackle Byron Murphy, among others, will make a greater impact on defense. Macdonald’s defense, which surrendered the fewest points in the NFL last season, has realistic potential for improvement. They should again be strong on special teams.

The Seahawks’ disciplined roster reconstruction has been jolted by an incredible run of draft success. General manager John Schneider was the PFWA Executive of the Year in 2025, and assistant general manager Nolan Teasley was just hired as the Minnesota Vikings GM.

“Schneider deserves a ton of credit for their roster,” the second coach said.

The third coach added, “Seattle doesn’t get enough credit for their trajectory under Macdonald. I’m guessing they like that, because all the talk is on L.A., as opposed to them repeating.”

Both teams have concerns, no doubt. The Rams are facing a tenuous situation at offensive tackle, while new Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury is a first-time play caller, though he shares some roots with ex-OC Klint Kubiak. The Seahawks have uncertainty at running back, as Kenneth Walker signed with the Chiefs, and Zach Charbonnet is recovering from a torn ACL. To that end, Seattle drafted Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price in the first round.

It’s hardly a two-team race in the West, either. The San Francisco 49ers, winners of 12 games last season, have been to four NFC championships and two Super Bowls since 2019, and they’re consistently dangerous when healthy.

There’s minimal letup in the strongest division in the league.

“You have to be at your best to compete and make the playoffs in (the NFC West),” the first executive said. “You’ve got really good front offices in terms of aggressiveness and acquiring players, three of the best coaches in the NFL. If you’re not on it, you’re going to get left behind.”

3 Biggest Offseason Questions Still Looming for the Los Angeles Rams
The 2025 Rams nearly made it to Super Bowl LX, and they’ve been building with authority ever since. Have they done enough to put themselves over the top in the 2026 season?

Doug Farrar

https://athlonsports.com/nfl/los-angeles-rams-myles-garrett-trade-matthew-stafford-puka-nacua

With all 32 NFL teams preparing for OTAs and mandatory minicamps, Athlon Sports is going under the hood to see what key questions remain for each team before training camps open in July. These questions might not get answered at minicamps, but any opportunity for new coaches to get familiar with their roster, rookies to get a feel for life in the NFL and free agents to get comfortable with a new team can be helpful.

The focus today is on the Los Angeles Rams, who came very close to the third Super Bowl appearance of the Sean McVay era, and have been fortifying their roster with big-time moves ever since their NFC Championship loss came down.

Five points.

That’s all that separated the Los Angeles Rams from Super Bowl LX.

The Rams and the Seattle Seahawks had tangled twice in the regular season, splitting the NFC West series by a total of three points. So, when the two teams met at Seattle’s Lumen Field for the NFC Championship Game on January 25, 2026, anything could have happened.

In the end, the Seahawks took the Rams’ defense to school just enough to come out with a 31-27 win in a game that was far more difficult than their 29-13 beatdown of the New England Patriots in the actual Super Bowl.

With those three games, the Rams and Seahawks established themselves as the main characters in the NFL’s most compelling rivalry.

Keep Watching

To enhance that defense in the offseason, the Rams went all-out as you would imagine from an aggressive front office led by general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay. They traded for Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie, and signed McDuffie’s Chiefs teammate Jaylen Watson, to build up a positional group in need. Then, the trade for Myles Garrett, which should put that defense all the way over the top.

If these Rams don’t get all the way to Super Bowl LXI, which by the way is set to be played at SoFi Stadium — which is their home — it certainly won’t be for lack of trying.

“I think the biggest thing is that we want to be inside out,” McVay said on June 8 of the expectations. “The reality is that we’re not naïve to the things that are said, but that doesn’t affect us and we have to be humble. We have to stay connected. Inevitably, there is going to be some adversity that we have to be able to deal with and the separator is going to be handling those storms and not allowing any of those external things to affect our ability to be in the moment right now, to be present, to be grateful and to continue to be courageous. That’ll be a very important thing, to make sure that, hey, you don’t ignore some of those different things. You acknowledge it but you also understand that that means absolutely nothing. Whether we had none or whether there is some, it’s about how do you come together as a team.

“This is the greatest team sport that there is, 11 moving parts on each side of the football at all times. The enemy does have a say. We know that those things really mean nothing. It’s fun because there is attention and people pay attention to this league, but that doesn’t affect our ability to be inside out.”

So, the Rams are seemingly set for an all-time run. Here are three questions they’ll need to answer if all the work is going to pay off.

What if there’s an offensive drop-off?

This seems like an insane question, right? McVay is one of the best offensive minds of his generation. Matthew Stafford is the defending NFL Most Valuable Player. The Rams finished first in Offensive DVOA by an absolutely crushing margin, and everything seems set for a re-run of the only NFL offense that gave the Seattle Seahawks fits over and over last season.

Ah, but there be potential dragons. Stafford is coming off that amazing season, but he also turned 38 on February 2, and that season was a bit of an outlier. Including the postseason, he threw for an NFL-best 52 touchdowns (Drake Maye of the Denver Broncos finished second with 37), but Stafford also threw for 60 touchdowns total from 2022-24. Injuries have been an issue before, as has been the potential specter of Stafford’s retirement. Any regression from 2025’s amazing results could fall hard.

Puka Nacua, who amazed in 2025 with 153 catches on 200 targets for 2,047 yards and 12 touchdowns (again, including the postseason), entered a rehab facility in March following a number of off-field issues, and though he was present at recent OTAs, one never knows how much things will affect somebody on the field until the games begin. Again, it’s a case of any regression after a season where there’s almost nowhere to go but down.

And McVay’s in-season turn to 13 personnel set the entire league ablaze and affected personnel philosophies to an extreme degree this offseason, especially in the draft, but what happens if enemy defenses learn to counter those schematic and personnel conceits?

We are not suggesting the Rams’ offense is going to fall completely apart, but if there’s any kind of precipitous drop in efficiency from a season in which everything came together in ways it usually doesn’t, that could complicate things in ways the team would obviously prefer to avoid..

How much will the new defensive pieces pay off?

Of course, McVay and Snead prepared for any regression on one side of the ball by adding serious talent on the other side. The defensive overhaul could indeed be the thing that brings the franchise its third Lombardi Trophy, but is this an automatic thing?

In Steve Spagnuolo’s Chiefs defense, both Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson were among the NFL’s most prominent press cornerbacks, because that’s what Spags demands. The Chiefs had at least one cornerback in press coverage on 87% of their snaps last season, by far the league’s highest rate — the Chicago Bears ranked second at 76%. Well, last season, the Rams had no cornerbacks playing in press coverage on 44% of their snaps. Perhaps that was an adjustment by defensive coordinator Chris Shula and his staff based on the guys they had, but that could be an adjustment that takes a minute.

Myles Garrett is one of the NFL’s rare scheme-transcendent players; the only real concern there would be that he’s now on the wrong side of 30… though the 2025 tape would blow those potential worries out of the water. The linebacker and safety rotations are less certain, but when you add Garrett to a defensive line that was already ridiculously loaded, and you paste McDuffie and Watson into a defense whose cornerback play was the clearest liability that kept the Rams from the Super Bowl last season, it all should be good over time.

Will the Ty Simpson draft pick upend the Rams now and in the future?

It was a rather interesting move for the Rams, who once again went all-in on the short term, to select Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick in the NFL Draft. Whether you believe in Simpson’s NFL attributes or not, taking a quarterback you hope won’t be a starter for at least two seasons because you want Stafford to be at his best over that time? Well, that was a thing.

It was also a thing because the Rams could have availed themselves of talent at more prominent positions of need that could have put them even more over the top. Imagine if McVay had added Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq (who went 16th to the New York Jets) to his ever-expanding tight end room. Or USC receiver Makai Lemon (who went 20th to the Philadelphia Eagles) to amplify the passing game in a different way. How about Georgia offensive tackle Monroe Freeling (who went 19th to the Detroit Lions) to add in for recently retired right tackle Rob Havenstein? A first-round tackle would look even better right now given left tackle Alaric Jackson’s recent arrest on suspicion of felony domestic violence.

Part of creating a championship team is creating contingency plans for the worst possible scenarios. Do the Rams believe that Simpson would be able to sub in right away for Stafford should the unthinkable (but possible) happen, and the superstar was to miss time?

“We’ll see,” McVay said after the pick was made. “He’s going to compete with Stetson.”

That’s backup quarterback Stetson Bennett, selected in the fourth round of the 2023 draft.

Maybe Simpson turns out to be the quarterback the Rams hope he can be over time, but it’s not an automatic slam-dunk, and if he’s not, that’s quite a different way for the team to “F them picks” than they usually do.

Five things learned from 2026 Rams OTAs

Stu Jackson

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/rams/2026/06/17/rams-torry-holt-ty-simpson-draft-pick-reaction/90593827007/?taid=6a32f61347689a00010eeac9&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – The Rams’ offseason workout program is complete, which means training camp is on the horizon.

Here are five things learned from the last nine weeks, including OTAs.

1) Secondary making progress, versatility a strength

Head coach Sean McVay has been pleased with the teaching progression of the secondary, and also likes the positional flexibility they will have in the defensive backfield.

“Guys are learning really all the spots on the back end, no different than really when (offensive line coach) Ryan Wendell cross trains our guys from the inside to outside,” McVay said earlier in OTAs. “You’re seeing Trent McDuffie all over. There are certain guys that’ll play just safety or just play outside corner, but then you got a lot of guys that can play safety, they can play the star position, they can play dime, money. But we’re teaching concepts and so that flexibility and that understanding of what are the core coverage contours that we want to play? What does that look like out of three-down, out of four-down front mechanics out of some of the known rush packages? But I’ve really been pleased with the trajectory of the teaching progression and then the guys’ ability to be able to give the feedback, show it in some of these jog-throughs, and then we’ve done some seven on where that’s tilted towards the offense.”

The new additions at cornerback and the depth and experience at safety, and really for the group as a whole, continue to make it one to watch when training camp opens.

2) A spring of “tremendous growth” for fourth-year QB Stetson Bennett

Between last year’s backup Jimmy Garoppolo being unsigned and contemplating retirement, and the plan the Rams had for Stafford this spring, Bennett received more reps than he normally would. Although evaluations from OTAs must be taken with a grain of salt – rules prohibit live contact during this time of the offseason, and with the majority of the Rams’ true team drills being 7-on-7, McVay said “this is not real football” – McVay was pleased with what he has seen out of Bennett.

“I’ve seen tremendous growth,” Obviously, with Matthew not being out here based on the plan and the schedule that we’ve kind of thought was going to be best for him for now and for the long term, Stetson’s gotten a lot more reps than he would’ve otherwise. I think he’s done a really nice job. He’s earning the confidence of his teammates in terms of commanding the huddle. Then, he’s done a lot of good stuff in terms of reading with his feet. [Associate Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach] Dave Ragone does such a good job with those guys as a whole but both he and Ty have had good growth. Stetson especially, I think he’s had a really good last couple of weeks, and I’ve been proud of him.”

3) Better idea of Myles Garrett’s impact on defense in training camp

Given the new Rams defensive end arrived toward the end of OTAs, the primary focus was getting him acclimated. He only did individual drills, watching team drills during the two OTA workouts open to media. Thus, it was too early to get a sense of how Garrett would be used – we’ll likely learn more during training camp as Garrett gets more comfortable.

Because Garrett started out working with outside linebackers coach Joe Coniglio’s group, defensive coordinator Chris Shula was asked if – given Garrett has always been a 4-3 defensive end – whether Garrett’s arrival changes how he thinks about the structure of the defense, or if Garrett is an outside linebacker now.

“Obviously, we’re still going to have our principals with that stuff, but we’re going to let him do what he does best and we all know exactly what he does best,” Shula said. “You’re not going to take Michael Jordan, LeBron (James), all those guys and pull them out of their comfort zone. We’re going to work with him and put him in the best spots that we think for him and the defense to succeed.”

‘Getting great people, great vets we can all learn from’: Chris Shula excited about how Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson’s experiences can shape Rams defense

4) Garrett and McDuffie’s value not just in skill sets, but also what they can teach teammates and coaches

Much has been rightfully discussed about the potential schematic impact of players of Garrett of McDuffie’s caliber, but Shula also brought up how both players are vets that both players and the coaching staff can learn from. It is ultimately Shula’s defense, but he tailors it to the strengths of the players, which is where those learnings and input will come in.

5) Ty Simpson (unsurprisingly) has the right attitude

Simpson understands the quarterback room he’s in, and more importantly the shape of the roster overall, so he’s content with learning from Stafford, Bennett and Los Angeles’ coaching staff. He’s also committed to putting in the extra work necessary outside of practice when it comes to familiarizing himself with the Rams’ playbook

Top 10 Defenses for 2026 | The Mina Kimes Show

I’m joined by JP Acosta to rank our top 10 NFL defenses heading into the 2026 season. Which are too high? Too low? Let us know your top 10 in the comments.

0:00 Welcome to The Mina Kimes show featuring Lenny!
5:20 Texans
10:25 Texans vs Seahawks
11:55 Seahawks
17:15 Rams
24:15 Eagles vs Broncos
27:05 Eagles
33:20 Broncos
38:25 Vikings
45:10 Patriots
50:20 Jaguars
57:40 Browns
1:01:00 Buccaneers
1:08:15 Ravens
1:14:05 Honorable Mentions
1:22:20 Recap
1:23:20 See you next time

from The Athletic, NFL offseason winners and losers: Which teams actually improved: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7394068/2026/06/29/nfl-offseason-winners-losers-rams-ravens-packers/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983&userId=603890&source=dailyemail

me note: Rams are ranked 1st

Winners

Los Angeles Rams

General manager Les Snead made the biggest splash of the offseason when he traded for Myles Garrett, the reigning defensive player of the year. That acquisition, coupled with the additions of Chiefs cornerbacks Trent McDuffie in another trade and Jaylen Watson in free agency, could put defensive coordinator Chris Shula’s unit over the top. With a defense like that, Sean McVay’s potent offense could further torment opponents, and the Rams could win another Super Bowl in their stadium this winter.

Additionally, Snead raised eyebrows by drafting quarterback Ty Simpson in the first round, but picking Matthew Stafford’s understudy now could position Los Angeles for a smoother transition down the line while giving the Alabama product adequate time to develop before taking the field. The Rams have fortified themselves for both the short and long term.

One thought on Matthew Stafford and all 42 Rams offensive players

Nate Atkins

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7399940/2026/07/01/rams-roster-depth-chart-offense/?unlocked_article_code=1.ulA.3Lla.ldKLuYWM7m7y&source=emp_shared_article&smid=ta-ios-share

The Los Angeles Rams are rolling back much of an offense that finished No. 1 in points scored and saw its quarterback win the Most Valuable Player award in 2025.

The Rams are ready to do all they can to fight off the regression that often comes with finishing No. 1 in anything. It will mean building on what they did so well last season but also diversifying their approach to fight off stagnation and prepare for the potential of worse injury luck.

They’ll also have a new coordinator helping design it in Nathan Scheelhaase, who replaces Mike LaFleur after a promotion from passing game coordinator. Former Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury is also here as an assistant head coach to have a steady voice in these plans.

As training camp approaches in less than a month, here is one thought on every offensive player on the Rams’ roster.

Quarterbacks

Matthew Stafford: The question is no longer about whether he’s elite, just how long he can keep it going. At age 38, fresh off his first MVP, a step back in production would only make sense. But Stafford is aging like fine wine, as long as the Rams can keep hits off of his ailing back. Expect another summer of management to reflect that understanding.

Ty Simpson: Development will be the buzzword all season long for the No. 13 pick. Simpson is competing with Stetson Bennett for a backup role that the Rams never underrated with Jimmy Garoppolo, but he has much to learn to improve his readiness after starting just one college season before transitioning to Sean McVay’s complex playbook. One encouraging sign: He said he plans to essentially live in the Rams’ facility during the five-week break between the offseason program and training camp, even though few if any veterans will be around.

Stetson Bennett: If Bennett wants a chance to stick as a No. 2 quarterback, this year is his best opportunity. He needs to capitalize on his experience in McVay’s system as his edge over a rookie.

Matthew Caldwell: College backups rarely get an NFL opportunity like this, even just for the offseason. Caldwell was Arch Manning’s backup at Texas, which is one of the most pro-style systems in the college game. If he can impress, he could earn a longer look on the practice squad as a potential future No. 3 option here.

Running backs

Kyren Williams: Williams isn’t the flashiest runner, but all he does is produce consistently. He did so again with 1,252 rushing yards and 10 scores last season. I still think there’s more to tap into here as a receiver, and the Rams should transfer more of his touches to that department with Blake Corum’s emergence as a second rushing option.

Blake Corum: Corum’s growth was mighty impressive last season, as he went from 207 rushing yards and no touchdowns on 3.6 yards per carry as a rookie to 746 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 5.1 yards per carry last season. He’s found a great feel for the run game, and another step as a receiver and pass protector could pull him close to a 50-50 split with Williams.

Jarquez Hunter: The Rams drafted Hunter in the fourth round in 2025 to prepare for any time missed by Williams or Corum, and both managed to play every game. He’s in a similar spot this season unless he can show enough growth to be an option on special teams (where he played only 22 snaps as a rookie).

Ronnie Rivers: Rivers has the special teams background, which gives him a legitimate chance to crack this roster again. It’s also worth noting that, on tiny samples, he has increased his yards per carry each season from 2.3 to 4.0 to 4.5 to 5.1.

Jordan Waters: He’s back for a second look this summer after he signed as an undrafted free agent a year ago, got cut, went to the United Football League and signed back on a futures deal this spring. At 6 feet and 225 pounds, he’s a power back type.

Dean Connors: Connors should be a fun undrafted free agent to watch this summer for his receiving ability alone. He had 1,166 receiving yards at Houston and could be interesting in the screen game. Could he show something as a kick returner, too?

Wide receivers

Puka Nacua: Nobody on this team is facing a bigger season for the long-term than Nacua, who led the NFL last season with 129 receptions but will have to show growth after a trip to holistic care this offseason to earn the kind of contract his play and position justify. On the field, the only question is whether he can withstand the brutality of his playing style and high volume to continue to be the No. 1 option the Rams need.

Davante Adams: This could be Adams’ last crack at reaching the Super Bowl as a top option on a team. He turns 34 in December, and he’s now 0-5 in the NFC Championship Game. But the Rams doubled down on him by passing on a trade for A.J. Brown, because of his lethal play in the red zone and his ability to coach up younger receivers, of which the Rams have many vying for their No. 3 role.

CJ Daniels: The Rams liked Daniels enough to treat him as their lone receiver addition this offseason after trading up for him in the sixth round. Given his college experience and the Miami program he came from, blocking could be his best route to early playing time, but he has some contested-catch ability, too.

Jordan Whittington: Whittington’s play on special teams and as a blocker will continue to keep him active. He’ll see more targets if he can get back to the efficiency of his rookie season, when he posted 10.5 yards per target before that number dropped to 6.8 despite lower volume last season.

Xavier Smith: The Rams showed him a signal of faith in not adding much competition for his punt return job after the muffed punt in the NFC Championship Game. This is his time to reward that faith, in addition to earning some snaps as a gadget wide receiver with an active spot on game days.

Konata Mumpfield: The Rams like the potential of last year’s seventh-round pick as a developmental outside receiver, and he’s gotten close with Adams. He could be the primary backup on the perimeter if either Adams or Nacua misses time.

Tru Edwards: Did you know that Edwards is the son of former first-round wide receiver Troy Edwards, who played for the Rams in 2002?

Brennan Presley: Presley has return experience with 61 kick returns and 51 punt returns at Oklahoma State, but he’ll have to really flash in the summer to get a true look at that role.

Tyler Scott: Scott was a fourth-round pick by Chicago in 2023 after a big season at Cincinnati, when he caught 54 passes for 899 yards and nine touchdowns, but he’s bounced around practice squads since.

Mario Williams: He’s a slot by nature, but he did have a nice final season at Tulane in 2024, when he caught 60 passes for 1,031 yards and six touchdowns.

Tight ends

Tyler Higbee: Despite becoming a healthy scratch in the playoffs last season, Higbee returned to the Rams on a two-year deal this offseason. That signals he might never have gotten fully healthy last season, and that Stafford values his long-term safety valve in a room that is still rather light on total experience.

Terrance Ferguson: I listed him as my top breakout option for the Rams this season, and if you’ve noticed, they’ve cleared the path for that by their lack of moves at the third wide receiver spot. That’s because Ferguson essentially took that role over in a 13-personnel world last season, when he averaged more than 21 yards per catch on 11 receptions.

Colby Parkinson: Parkinson’s ability to offset some brutal drops with acrobatic contested catches is pretty fascinating to watch. After an eight-touchdown season, he’ll continue to be a focal point on third downs and in the red zone in this three-tight end offense.

Davis Allen: Allen showed enough promise last year in the red zone, with three touchdowns, to intrigue as a re-sign candidate after this year, when Parkinson will also be a free agent. He might be the best blocker the Rams have at the position.

Max Klare: I think the Rams selected Klare in the second round this year to get ahead of the learning curve that would come next year if they drafted to replace up to three tight ends then. In the meantime, I think we’ll see him on some yards-after-catch designs and wrinkles this season.

Mark Redman: If the Rams have multiple injuries at tight end this season, perhaps Redman can see a call-up after spending last year on the practice squad. He has a big catch radius at 6-6.

Dan Villari: Villari moved from quarterback to tight end at Syracuse and spent three seasons developing there in college. His breakout came back in 2023, so it’ll be interesting to see if the Rams can tap back into that now with an undrafted rookie.

Rohan Jones: Did you know Jones was the No. 8 pick in the Canadian Football League draft in April?

Offensive line

Alaric Jackson: Jackson is the single biggest question mark on this roster following his June arrest on suspicion of domestic violence, which could trigger a second suspension under the NFL’s personal-conduct policy. He’ll be granted due process with the legal system, but it’s time for him to show the Rams he can be a left tackle to believe in for the future, with every other offensive line starter entering a contract year.

Steve Avila: Avila has made it clear he wants to stay with the Rams on his next contract, and he’ll be battling with fellow guard Kevin Dotson to earn an extension. The talent is not in question, but Avila does need to get off to a stronger start than he did last season, when he missed two games and was a backup for two more as he had to work back into the right playing shape.

Coleman Shelton: His chemistry with Stafford on pre-snap audibles and protection adjustments has become his superpower. If Shelton can maintain his play at age 31 this season, he could be a nice fit for a new contract that benefits the player and the team with so much to juggle regarding the future of this group.

Kevin Dotson: Pound for pound, he’s the Rams’ best offensive lineman. Dotson is such a key to their run game with the way he helps both Shelton and Warren McClendon Jr. If he can turn in a healthy season, he’ll almost beg Los Angeles to bring him back rather than accept clear regression to such a critical part of the team.

Warren McClendon Jr.: Outside of Nacua, no player has more to gain financially from this season than McClendon. If he can repeat what he did last season — like allowing a sack on just 0.5 percent of passing plays — on a larger sample size, he’ll be in line to join the more than 20 tackles in the NFL making more than $20 million per season.

Keagan Trost: The third-round rookie out of Missouri suddenly looks more important than ever with Jackson’s situation, not to mention how many future questions are up front. The wonder is: Will he get to show enough at any one position this year to earn a starting spot next year, when at least one should come available?

David Quessenberry: The Rams re-signed Quessenberry as their swing tackle this season, which was a curious shift after they did not call on him when either of their tackles got hurt a season ago. He could become very important if Jackson ends up missing time, and he does have 30 career starts, but the last one came in 2023, and he turns 36 in August.

Justin Dedich: Dedich did an admirable job filling in for Avila and Dotson last season, and he might be in a position to replace one of them as a starter next season if the Rams look to a lower-cost version of keeping this offensive line somewhat together.

AJ Arcuri: I actually covered Arcuri’s final college season at Michigan State in 2021, when he paved the way for a Kenneth Walker III breakout and jumped onto NFL radars. At 6-7 and 312 pounds, he has a frame to work with on the practice squad.

Austin Blaske: Blaske spent six seasons in college before signing with the Rams as an undrafted rookie this spring. Four of those came at Georgia, which is a good offensive line pipeline to tap into.

Wyatt Bowles: Bowles allowed just one sack in his final season at Utah State in 2024.

Bryce Henderson: Henderson signed as an undrafted free agent this spring and has a massive frame at 6-8 and 325 pounds. The Rams love looking for diamonds in the rough at tackle, and he fits that kind of search.

Beaux Limmer: Limmer didn’t look quite game-ready when he had to step in after a pair of injuries at guard early last season, but he could get another chance this season as the fourth or fifth guard option.

Dylan McMahon: The Eagles once drafted McMahon as an undersized center to learn and develop after the retirement of Jason Kelce. It obviously didn’t stick, but that interest alone is enough for a look from someone else.