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The Rams were a pleasant surprise in 2023. After winning the Super Bowl and tearing down the roster, they overachieved just two seasons later and got back to playoffs. They found gems in Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, Kobie Turner, and others.
With playoffs in sight once again, let's see how my 13th ranked team built upon last season and set themselves up for success.
Photo: Gary A Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports
Strengths
Sean McVay
Improved Secondary
Interior Offensive Line
Looking back at this roster at the start of 2023, the Rams had no business finishing 10-7. Besides Aaron Donald, this defense was atrocious on paper, and the offense didn't look much better. They had holes along the OL, no clear threat at RB, and a 5th round rookie was getting significant reps as their WR2. In McVay they trusted, and it worked out beautifully once again. Puka Nacua went on to break rookie records, some studs on defense came shining through, and the OL was serviceable enough for this offense to function. McVay deserves all of the flowers for getting this team into the postseason.
This secondary was horrid last year, as they finished with a 50.0 team coverage grade, the second worst in the entire league. They needed significant changes, and those changes were made. They brought back Darious Williams, signed Tre'Davious White and Kamren Curl, and drafted Kamren Kinchens. If Tre can stay healthy, and Kamren Kinchens pans out the way I believe he will, this unit could go from bottom three to top ten within one season.
The Rams have some promise on the interior of their OL. Kevin Dotson was great last season, posting 85.2 and 88.8 overall blocking and run blocking grades respectively. He also allowed just 1 pressure on every 26 pass block snaps, making him one of the most effective guards in the league. Steve Avila was just above average his rookie season, with a 61.1 overall blocking grade. Moving him to center and adding Jonah Jackson off free agency should help him with his pro development.
Weaknesses
Losing Aaron Donald
Secondary Depth
Run Defense
It can't be overstated enough how much Donald meant to this team. He elevated this defense time and time again, and he is arguably the most dominant defender of all time. They did add Braden Fiske and Tyler Davis through the draft, but even the two of them combined wouldn't make up for the loss this team is going to feel without him.
If any of these secondary starters go down, the second string isn't looking too good. It's mostly comprised of returning starters from a year ago, but we saw how that turned out for this team. Between Derion Kendrick, Cobie Durant, and Russ Yeast, they allowed a combined 94 catches for 1,371 yards and 6 TDs on 146 targets. That comes out to a 64.38% completion rate allowed and 14.59 yards allowed per catch. They also missed 24% of their tackles combined, which is just plain bad.
Speaking of missed tackles, this run defense lost four of its' six best run defenders. To make matters worse, they added Braden Fiske, who was one of the worst defensive tackles I scouted against the run. They didn't replace Christian Rozeboom either, who was pretty terrible overall, as he posted a 49.0 defensive grade and a 42.4 run defense grade. Despite boasting a top 8 unit in this category a year ago, I think they'll feel a massive drop-off in this area - especially without Aaron Donald.
Key Additions
Darious Williams - Cornerback
Kamren Kinchens - Safety
Tre'Davious White - Cornerback
Darious is one of the best zone corners in this league, as he's posted 70.3 and 89.4 zone grades in the past two seasons. Last year alone, he recorded 2 INTs and 11 pass breakups in zone. He had a chance for 6 total INTs, as he dropped 4 of them. Rams corners were in zone the vast majority of the time in 2023, and that shouldn't change in 2024.
To give these corners support on the backend, they added Kamren Kinchens who, despite his below average athleticism (2.35 RAS), is one of the rangiest safeties in this class and can cover a ton of ground with minimal strides. He's one of those guys who plays much faster than he tests, and he should thrive in 1-high coverage looks like he did in college.
To make this all gel together, this secondary hangs in the balance of Tre White. He's missed significant time over the past several seasons, playing on just over 1,100 snaps between 2021 and 2023. He's still got the goods, as he's broken up 9 passes and hauled in 3 INTs in that time, and allowed a 54.37% completion rate and 9.98 yards per reception. I hope he comes back healthy; he's one of the best in the league when he is.
Dark Horse
Kobie Turner - Interior Defensive Lineman
Kobie was impressive as a rookie, as he recorded 11 games with a 68+ overall defensive grade. He finished with an 83.8 mark on the year, and was complimented by a strong 80.5 pass rush grade. He really turned it on at the end of the season, as he recorded a 15.96% pressure rate through the last seven games. He did have an incredible 10 pressure game against the Giants in Week 17, but even if we remove this game, he still had a 14.37% pressure rate on the season - which is still incredible for a defensive tackle, let alone one in his rookie season. I don't think he'll fill the void left by Donald, but he's as close as they're gonna get to that.
Photo: Matt York/Associated Press
Record
10-7
The Rams will be a playoff team once again in 2024, and may make a deeper run this postseason. They start off with some up and down matchups in terms of favorability, as they take on the Lions, Cardinals, 49ers, Bears, Packers, and Raiders in their first six games. They also take on the Eagles, Bills, Jets, and 49ers again later on. I think they split games with the Cardinals and Seahawks, and pick up most of their favored matchups against the Vikings, Patriots and Saints. If they win the majority of games in that early stretch, and steal a win in those less favorable contests later in their schedule, this team will battle their way to 10 wins.
Final Notes
Matt Stafford and the Rams recently agreed to a contract restructure, which essentially makes it a 1 year, $40 million deal. Once the season is over, the Rams will have a chance to reassess where they are at, and make an ultimate decision on the path of the franchise this upcoming offseason. Hopefully it works out for them, whether Stafford is on roster or not in 2025 and beyond.
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