Strong offseason will put Rams in contender status in 2024

ESPN says Rams

The Los Angeles Rams will be looking to take the next step in 2024 after making a surprise playoff appearance last season. With cap space and draft picks, the Rams will have every opportunity to improve their roster to compete with the NFL’s top contenders.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler put each team into tiers heading into the offseason, ranking them from major contenders to rebuilding. Landing in the “heading on the right track” tier was the Rams. Said Fowler,

“The Rams’ offense will be humming behind a healthy Matthew Stafford and a trio of playmakers: Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams. Re-signing ascending guard Kevin Dotson would be prudent. Also on the offensive line, the Rams can save $5 million by releasing tackle Joe Noteboom. They should spend adequate resources to support a very young defense with the right players. L.A. once tried to trade for pass-rusher Brian Burns, who will likely be franchise-tagged by Carolina. A sign-and-trade might be just what general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay need.”

Also landing in the “heading on the right track tier” was the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the tier above the Rams was the “teetering contenders” tier that included the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals.

The Rams seem to be more in that tier than the “heading on the right track” tier. Los Angeles was in the Super Bowl two years ago and will be reloading the roster this season. Depending on how those resources are spent will determine which direction the Rams go. There are fewer teams sitting on the “contender see saw” than the Rams. A bad offseason and this does turn into more of a rebuild than re-load. However, a good offseason and the Rams are right back in the thick of it and in contender territory.

Last offseason, the Rams reset their cap so that they could make a final push over the next two years with Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Aaron Donald. Those are the “three pillars” as Les Snead called them at this time last year. With all three players entering the twilight of their careers, the Rams will need their younger start to step up and have a high hit rate with how they spend their resources in order to make that final push and compete for a title in 2024 and 2025.