from NFC West Report Card: Rams, 49ers Follow Seahawks’ Blueprint: https://www.si.com/nfl/nfc-west-report-card-rams-49ers-follow-seahawks-blueprint#inline-text-9

…

Los Angeles Rams
Offseason grade: A-

Key additions: TE Max Klare, CB Trent McDuffie, QB Ty Simpson, CB Jaylen Watson

Key subtractions: WR Tutu Atwell, CB Cobie Durant, QB Jimmy Garoppolo, OT Rob Havenstein, CB Roger McCreary, CB Ahkello Witherspoon

The splash moves that the Rams made in free agency were quickly forgotten after their shocking decision to use the No. 13 pick on Simpson. Maybe it was a reach to take the Alabama product that high, and quarterback certainly wasn’t a need with Matthew Stafford coming off an MVP season, but L.A. could afford to look to the future after addressing its biggest weakness with the additions of McDuffie and Watson.

Those two moves alone put the Rams in an ideal position to win the Super Bowl this season, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that coach Sean McVay has the best roster in football. But if injuries hit this team at the worst time, many will be pointing at the fact that GM Les Snead didn’t use his first-round pick on a player who could make an immediate impact and provide depth at a position. Still, it’s understandable as to why Snead got risky in the draft, especially because of how much better this defense could be with a cornerback as versatile as McDuffie, a potential chess piece for defensive coordinator Chris Shula.

It was also a gamble for the Rams to cough up a first-round pick to the Chiefs and immediately sign McDuffie to a market-setting, four-year, $124 million contract extension. If McDuffie delivers and the Rams make a run at the Super Bowl, the Simpson pick will likely be forgotten until it’s his time to take over for Stafford.

Moving this here.

Mina/Barnwell on the Rams new secondary

The NFL keeps raiding the LA Rams front office…

Brad Holmes ➡️ Lions GM
James Gladstone ➡️ Jaguars GM
John McKay? 👀

That’s a front office tree. pic.twitter.com/a33u7ZJHZX

— LAFB Network (@LAFBNetwork) May 8, 2026

from The Athletic, NFL projection model ranks all 32 rosters following 2026 draft: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7252937/2026/05/08/nfl-draft-2026-roster-rankings-projections/?source=targetedemail&source=athletic_targeted_email&campaign=17601715&userId=603890

1. Los Angeles Rams

Although I didn’t love their draft (and they couldn’t overtake the Seahawks last year), I think the Rams have the best roster in football. It starts with the quarterback, of course, and Matthew Stafford is still playing at an elite level despite nearing retirement. The Rams also have the NFL’s best receivers room, led by Puka Nacua, plus a top-five interior offensive line, defensive line and cornerbacks room.

That’s quality up and down the roster, both young players and veterans. There are some concerns at offensive tackle, but the rest of the roster is top-notch.

Ari Meirov@MySportsUpdate
The NFL has yet to officially announce when the 2026 schedule will be released, and part of the holdup has been extra game inventory that still needed to be sold.

One of those games is now finalized, with the Week 1 #Rams vs. #49ers game in Australia headed to Netflix.

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/rams/2026/05/04/rams-emmanuel-forbes-option-takeaways-roster/89925240007/?taid=69f8894e563ff900012b0ae0&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter

Before the deadline hit on May 1, the Los Angeles Rams made the decision to decline Emmanuel Forbes Jr.’s fifth-year option for 2027, setting the cornerback up to be a free agent next offseason. After the Rams added both Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson this offseason, Forbes finds himself in a peculiar place.

…While Forbes is out of contract after this season, his stock as a player has never been higher. A redemptive season in 2025, Forbes went toe to toe with the best, displaying a specialty against smaller route runners, rebounding from early narratives of his career. His performances against Jaxon Smith-Njigba speak for themselves.

Even if Forbes is entering the final year of his contract, he could be in a position to still make an impact as he’ll likely be in rotation with McDuffie and Watson. Forbes might be offered a prove-it extension after the season, similar to the deal Kam Curl signed when he first came to the Rams. However, he could make a pretty penny on the free-agent market if he has another strong year.

***

1st & Tuna@1standtuna
Rams decline Emmanuel Forbes’ fifth-year option. Some guys perform their best when they are in those “prove it” years.

Very excited too see what Forbes puts on field this year.

short version:

“Simpson can make plays with his legs…it's NOT as if he's going back to what Goff was.”

“We've kind of LOST the ability to celebrate quarterbacks that actually drop back, throw the ball to the RIGHT receiver at the RIGHT time with the right kind of throw and do that… pic.twitter.com/cE0YRZapjf

— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) May 7, 2026

long version (which starts at 9:33 in):

“The team didn’t make a mistake. All the team did is evaluate a player differently than you did. Nothing’s a mistake right now. This is how the Niners evaluated De’Zhaun Stribling.”

Over 40 minutes on the 49ers with Greg Cosell: pic.twitter.com/3qdrCR4Jee

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) May 7, 2026

LAFB Network@LAFBNetwork
Jared Verse and Braden Fiske combined for 23.5 sacks in 2024, but that number dipped to 10.5 in 2025 as both dealt with injuries and more offensive attention.

With an improved secondary and another year of development, the Rams are betting on a big Year 3 jump from their young pass rush duo.
…
Kobie Turner and Poona Ford both finished top 15 in Pro Football Impact’s DT Impact Ratings last season.

The metric combines pass rush production, run defense, pressure rate, win rate, missed tackle rate, snap volume, and overall efficiency into one score to measure true defensive tackle impact.

Kobie finished No. 4 overall, Poona finished No. 12. Quietly one of the most impactful DT duos in football.

A tiger in the trenches. 😤 pic.twitter.com/j8i4McHNgk

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) May 6, 2026

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/rams/2026/05/06/rams-rob-havenstein-film-beakdown-pass-blocking/89959372007/

…this film breakdown of a play against the Houston Texans [is] outstanding. He explains the logic behind aggressively kicking out and going to get Will Anderson Jr., rather than dropping back and waiting for him to attack.

Knowing he had Kevin Dotson to the inside, Havenstein tried to funnel Anderson that way. It was something he and Dotson talked about before the snap.

“I know I have K-Dot’s eyes right away and I’ll let K-Dot know that, too. Like, as we’re going to the huddle, be like, ‘Hey, if I get a good look here, I’m jumping and I need your eyes.’ ‘All right, cool. Got you.’”

Havenstein said he tried to use his help as much as he could, knowing how good some of today’s edge rushers are.

“Try to use my help as much as possible because some of these guys out there on the edge definitely warrant where you’re going to need some help,” he added.

The full video, which is nearly an hour long, can be seen below.

***

What NFL Tackles See That You Don’t | Tape Talk: Rob Havenstein

Former Los Angeles Rams team captain Rob Havenstein joins Film Watchers to provide expert insights into offensive line play. The discussion examines specific pass protection techniques, maneuvering against various defensive fronts, and the strategic communication required between teammates to successfully manage stunts, blitzes, and complex pass sets throughout a game.

We split this educational film breakdown into 3 parts:

Part 1: How to Pass Set in Different Situations and Against Different Looks

Part 2: The Technique and Mental Game of Pass Protection

Part 3: Run Blocking Overview

zn wrote:

Negotiations between the NFL and NFL Referees Association have progressed

MarkMaske@MarkMaske
The NFL and the NFL Referees Association are “working [through] a few economic items,” source says, as they attempt to finalize an agreement on a new labor deal ahead of the May 31 expiration of their current CBA, amid meaningful progress in their negotiations.

NFL Researcher@NFL_Researcher
Defensive 3 and out rate forced in 2025…

Best
1. Texans – 29.4%
2. Broncos – 27.1%
3. Raiders – 25.8%
4. Rams – 24.9%
4. Browns – 24.7%

Worst
28. Giants – 15.0%
29. Colts – 14.8%
30. Saints – 14.4%
31. Cardinals – 13.9%
32. Ravens – 13.3%

wv wrote:

I am not happy with this –> CJ Daniels, Konata Mumpfield, Jordan Whittington, Xavier Smith.

Why cant i have Keenan Allen? Stephon Diggs? DeAndre Hopkins?

w
v

I think you underestimate Daniels.

But we’ll see if time will tell on that.