10 takeaways from Rams first week of free agency

How did the Rams do in the first week of free agency?

One week of free agency has officially came and went and as expected, the Los Angeles Rams made a few splashes, including the signing of Jonah Jackson and then supplementing the roster with Kam Curl and Darious Williams. Overall the Rams had a pretty solid first week of free agency, setting themselves up well for the rest of the offseason. Here are my 10 takeaways.

1. Jonah Jackson was clearly a top priority for Rams and offense

Some, including myself, were expecting the Rams to sit back and let the free agent market take shape before making any big moves. That’s typically how they’ve handled free agency under Les Snead. The first few days have been to allow their own free agents to find their value and report back. However, with Kevin Dotson re-signing days before free agency, the Rams were able to hit free agency running.

With Aaron Donald retiring, the team-build is now clear. Surround Matthew Stafford with as much talent as possible and increase your chances of winning. The Rams did that by re-signing Dotson. However, their next move was a bit surprising when they signed Detroit Lions left guard Jonah Jackson. The Rams agreed to terms with Jackson pretty early in the free agency period and beefing up the offensive line, almost 1000-pounds of beef to be exact, was priority number one.

2. Colby Parkinson gives the Rams some physicality at tight end

It will be interesting to see how the Rams opt to use Colby Parkinson. Throughout Sean McVay’s tenure, the Rams have primarily been an 11 personnel team. However, ever since Johnny Mundt left to go to the Minnesota Vikings, the Rams have also lacked that physicality at the position. Parkinson brings that physicality.

The Rams did bring back Demarcus Robinson and there have been rumors that they could be looking to move up in the draft. With that being said, if Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are the primary two wide receivers on the Rams roster with Robinson as the only proven guy behind them, they may look to add some more 12 personnel to the offense. Parkinson gives them a physicality and excellent block at the tight end position that they simply haven’t had in awhile.

3. Offensive signings lean into Rams new identity. What does that mean?

Last season, the Rams added a physicality element to their offense. While they still ran zone in the run game, they also implemented a lot more gap scheme runs. Instead of running horizontally and looking for a cutback lane, the Rams ran at defenses. Rather than avoiding contact, the Rams began to embrace it, running a lot of duo inside the trenches. As Nate Tice from Yahoo Sport wrote,

“The Rams are embracing their identity shift of the past year and fully leaning into the newer, beefier them…This wall of humanity, oh the humanity, will provide the Rams size and talent to handle the game-wrecking defensive tackles and lines that NFL offensive lines have to face on a weekly basis…There is also a meta element to having this mass in the middle, as defenses use lighter bodies and also shift their players more and more after the snap. So simply plowing forward with all-answer runs is an effective way to blast through moving-picture looks.”

The Rams signed Jonah Jackson so that they could move Steve Avila to center. The interior of the offensive line will be one of the heaviest in the NFL. Add in Colby Parkinson who is a great blocking tight end and we could see more 12 personnel, especially in the run game.

4. Kam Curl could be the “steal” of free agency

Every year there are a few low-value free agents that end up being the steal of free agency and playing above their value. One of those players this season could end up being Kam Curl. After losing Jordan Fuller, the Rams needed experience at the safety position. After a relative down-year in 2023 and playing for the Washington Commanders, Curl gives the Rams high upside, but wasn’t expensive as he didn’t get some of the attention that he deserved in Washington.

Curl will give the Rams a sure-tackling safety that can wrap up on the spot and give them some Nick Scott physicality that they were missing last year. There are concerns about his ability to make plays on the ball in terms of pass breakups and interceptions. With that being said, he makes plays in other ways and he may be a fan favorite by the end of the year. Curl’s ability to play anywhere will give the Chris Shula some flexibility as a defensive coordinator and his leadership will be needed after losing Fuller.

5. Darious Williams gives Rams experience, but still has concerns

The Rams needed some experience at the cornerback position and they needed an upgrade over Ahkello Witherspoon and Derion Kendrick. Darious Williams certainly gives them that and he will have experience in the system. Looking at the PFF Grades, the Rams signed one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks from last season. However, that’s also not to say he doesn’t come with his concerns.

Williams is 31. Last year, there were three starting outside cornerbacks age 31 or older. Cornerbacks simply do not age well and when they hit the wall, they hit the wall hard. There’s a reason that the elite cornerbacks move to safety later in their careers. Additionally, Williams is just 5’9. The Rams severely lack size at the cornerback position. That’s an element they need to add in the draft. The Rams are essentially tied to Williams for just this year and then can move on. The best way to describe his role would be duct tape on what is a larger problem. He buys the Rams some time.

6. Major questions remain on defense

Despite significant holes and a pending Aaron Donald retirement, the Rams opted not to spend on the defensive side of the ball. They added pieces such as Williams and Curl. However, they still have some major questions. One of those questions is who’s going to be able to get to the quarterback. Byron Young hit a rookie wall towards the end of last year and the Rams haven’t addressed the edge rusher position in free agency. They also didn’t sign a defensive lineman to fill the massive hole left by Donald.

The Rams still need to add a pass rusher of some sort. There needs to be someone on the defense that can be relied on to get to the quarterback and disrupt an offense when it matters. Is that player currently on the roster? Kobie Turner and Young both have upside. Still, the Rams need a premier pass-rusher on the edge or the interior that can be relied on to make plays outside the scheme.

7. Jimmy Garoppolo still isn’t a good quarterback

Garoppolo’s contract with the Rams has a base value of $4.5M with a max value of $12M based on incentives. That’s a little more than some would have hoped that they would have paid for Garoppolo. It’s true that the Rams needed to invest more in the backup quarterback position this offseason. However, when the bar has been set at Brett Rypien, that’s not a very high bar.

At the end of the day, Garoppolo still isn’t a very good quarterback. Last season, he ranked 33rd out of 43 qualifying quarterbacks in EPA while throwing more interceptions than touchdowns. He’s coming off of a foot injury that almost caused him to fail his physical with the Las Vegas Raiders. After suffering a back injury, he started one more game before being benched for Aidan O’Connell. Garoppolo has familiarity with the system and hopefully he never sees the field. He has proven that he can win games in the NFL, but had a disastrous year with the Raiders and gives no element of mobility. There’s a narrative that the Rams got the best backup quarterback available. If the Rams did that, they would have signed Jacoby Brissett or Tyrod Taylor who both signed for under $10M.

8. Rams haven’t financially locked themselves to one player

One of the biggest mistakes that teams can make in free agency, is financially tying themselves to a player long-term, making it difficult to get out of that contract if things don’t work out. The Rams haven’t done that. All of the contracts that they’ve put together are structured as one or two year deals with a potential out that doesn’t leave them with significant dead money.

In one sense, that’s a good thing as it gives them flexibility post-2025. On the other hand, this is also means that the Rams aren’t necessarily building long-term and want to capitalize on the current window with Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp.

9. Letting Coleman Shelton and Jordan Fuller walk was the right call

There was some speculation that the Rams might bring back Coleman Shelton, especially after Sean McVay and Les Snead’s comments after the season. With that said, that may have never been in the cards. Shelton voided his contract and signed a one-year, $3.5M contract with the Chicago Bears. Shelton allowed the most pressures among centers last season and as the Rams look to get bigger on the offensive line, moving on was the right decision.

It’s tougher to see a player like Jordan Fuller leave the building. However, the Rams needed to re-build the secondary after last season and that means bringing in new faces where it makes sense. Fuller was a good player and a leader in the secondary, but they also replaced that perfectly with Curl. Again, it’s tough to see these players walk, but as the Rams work towards their current team-build and filling holes on the roster, it was best to move in another direction.

10. What needs still remain heading into the draft?

The Rams could still sign a player or two and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they did just that. In fact, they met with cornerback Tre White this week. However, for the most part, the focus will be on the draft. The roster still has a lot of needs and it’s a good thing that the Rams could have upwards of 10 selections in the draft to fill those needs.

Again, Los Angeles still needs a pass rusher on defense. They need someone that can complement Byron Young and take some pressure off of the interior in Kobie Turner. There is still a significant need at cornerback. The Rams have to find a player opposite of Darious Williams who can be the guy next year. Wide receiver will be a need as L.A. has two wide receivers set to be on the 2025 roster. There are plenty of needs left to fill, but Les Snead and co. did a good job in free agency supplementing the roster.