The Rams lost Aaron Donald to retirement, but a young defense and rejuvenated Sean McVay should prevent a step back in 2024. If you like the analysis here, consider signing up for our free newsletter to get can’t-miss NFL news and insights straight to your inbox every week.
- 2023 finish: 10-7 (second in NFC West); lost to DET in WC Round
- Over/under: 8.5 wins
Notable additions
QB Jimmy Garoppolo, RB Boston Scott, TE Colby Parkinson, G Jonah Jackson, OL Conor McDermott, DL Carlos Watkins, CB Tre’Davious White, CB Darious Williams, S Kamren Curl, DC Chris Shula
Notable losses
QB Carson Wentz, RB Royce Freeman, WR Ben Skowronek, WR Austin Trammell, TE Brycen Hopkins, OL Tremayne Anchrum Jr., C Coleman Shelton, C Brian Allen, DL Aaron Donald, DL Jonah Williams, CB Ahkello Witherspoon, CB Duke Shelley, S Jonah Fuller, K Brett Maher, DC Raheem Morris
2024 draft class
OLB Jared Verse (1.19), DL Braden Fiske (2.39), RB Blake Corum (3.83), S Kamren Kinchens (3.99), OLB Brennan Jackson (5.154), DL Tyler Davis (6.196), K Joshua Karty (6.209), WR Jordan Whittington (6.213), C Beaux Limmer (6.217), G KT Leveston (7.254)
Projected starters
QB: Matthew Stafford
RB: Kyren Williams
WR: Cooper Kupp
WR: Puka Nacua
WR: Demarcus Robinson
TE: Colby Parkinson
LT: Alaric Jackson
LG: Jonah Jackson
C: Steve Avila
RG: Kevin Dotson
RT: Rob Havenstein
DL: Kobie Turner
DL: Bobby Brown III
OLB: Byron Young
ILB: Ernest Jones IV
ILB: Christian Rozeboom
OLB: Jared Verse (R)
CB: Tre’Davious White
S: Kamren Kinchens (R)
S: Kamren Curl
SCB: Quentin Lake
CB: Darious Williams
2024 outlook
The Rams firmly re-established themselves as a contender last year to rebound following a Super Bowl hangover in 2022, and Sean McVay’s comments this offseason—emphasizing how energized he is by the current core and basically admitting he can’t believe he considered retiring a couple of years ago—were largely due to a remade roster thanks to all the young talent drafted by general manager Les Snead. Of course, McVay and his coaching staff deserve a ton of credit for identifying and developing players on both sides of the ball, and I also love what they did in free agency this offseason.
One of the additions that could prove to be a bargain is Colby Parkinson, who I’ll get to as a breakout candidate in 2024. Mostly, though, the offense will run through Kyren Williams, Cooper Kupp, and Puka Nacua with Matthew Stafford’s powerful right arm putting the ball wherever McVay wants, and Jimmy Garoppolo (43-20 career record) would be positioned to thrive if forced into the starting lineup due to injury (Stafford is now 36 and has missed ten games over the past two seasons). I’m also excited to see how Blake Corum is incorporated behind Williams after 59 total touchdowns over the past three years at Michigan.
On defense, the rookies could provide a massive impact with Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, and Kamren Kinchens set to be key contributions—joining a young core that already included Kobie Turner, Byron Young, and Ernest Jones IV, among others. No longer having an all-time great in Aaron Donald will have many down on the Rams defense, but the acquisition of Tre’Davious White hasn’t been talked about enough, as he remained a top cornerback when healthy last year with Buffalo. Overall, the unit being better post Donald is a real possibility.
Position battle to watch: Safety
The Rams recently re-signed John Johnson III and have him listed as a starter, but Kamren Curl and Kamren Kinchens were both brought in this offseason—with Curl settling for a two-year, $9 million deal when there was talk of him wanting top-of-the-market money last offseason, and Kinchens being a home-run value in Round 3 as someone I thought should have at least been taken in the early second round. The playmaking instincts of the rookie (who can also tackle) makes him another young defender that will be included when discussing their bright young core.
Breakout candidate: TE Colby Parkinson
Tyler Higbee (knee) suffered a major injury in the playoff loss to Detroit, and limited news about his recovery timeline seems to put the entire season in jeopardy. Either way, Parkinson was signed to a three-year, $22.5 million deal this offseason to be a key part of the offense—both as a blocker and underrated pass-catcher with untapped potential in a six-foot-seven frame. Look for him to be a factor in scoring territory.
Circle on the calendar: Week 15 (@ SF) | Thursday, December 12 – 8:15 PM ET
Starting with another trip to Detroit in the opener, Los Angeles has a ton of games that could be circled this year—but I’m mainly looking at the December matchup versus the 49ers. Not only does it come late in the year to carry huge importance in the NFC West, but it also happens on a short week between matchups versus the Bills and Jets. And the intensity of the rivalry with San Francisco takes Rams-49ers to another level.
Bottom line
The Rams are clearly back to being a Super Bowl contender after returning to the postseason in 2023, and there is plenty of reason to be excited about both sides of the ball. Sean McVay and Les Snead should be getting more credit for the on-the-fly retooling through the draft over the past couple of years.