Are Rams better or worse through 2024 offseason so far?

Will free agent additions offset Rams’ loss of Aaron Donald?

No team could adequately prepare for the loss of a great like Aaron Donald, especially when he clearly still had more to give as one of the NFL’s top defensive tackles again last season, but the L.A. Rams have at least had a couple of months to try. The Rams re-signed Kevin Dotson to a near top-of-the-market contract at guard, then doubled down by signing Jonah Jackson and Colby Parkinson on the first day of free agency.

Since then, Les Snead and company have added a few secondary players and replaced the backup quarterback with someone who they feel is an upgrade. With all the adds and losses counted, do the 2024 Rams so far look better than the 2023 Rams before we get to the draft?

Additions: G Jonah Jackson, TE Colby Parkinson, CB Darious Williams, CB Tre’Davious White, S Kamren Curl, QB Jimmy Garoppolo

The Rams obviously wanted to overhaul the secondary and to continue to improve the offensive line. Signing Jackson allows Steve Avila to move to center, meaning that the team might have upgraded two interior offensive line positions with one move; in theory, Avila should be an upgrade over Coleman Shelton.

Subtractions: DT Aaron Donald, C Coleman Shelton, QB Carson Wentz, CB Ahkello Witherspoon, S Jordan Fuller, DE Jonah Williams, S John Johnson, LB Troy Reeder, RB Royce Freeman, TE Brycen Hopkins, G Tremayne Anchrum

If White is healthy, do he and Williams represent a significant upgrade in the secondary over Witherspoon?

There hasn’t been any movement yet on adding a defensive end or defensive tackle, so the massive hole left by Donald is just as massive as the day he retired. Does this indicate a first round pick on a defensive tackle or simply that Snead isn’t in any rush to do the impossible?

Surprisingly, one name that hasn’t gone anywhere is Joseph Noteboom. The $20 million utility backup is perhaps too expensive to release for only $5 million in savings, but that’s a name that could be on the trade block all summer.