The Los Angeles Rams made bold moves in free agency, but have earned some positive praise throughout the NFL community.
Another supporter is ESPN’s Ben Solak, who ranked the Rams’ as the second-most improved roster following free agency. He didn’t just rank teams based on the money they spent or who they signed, but a combination of both.
Solak wrote that he loved “just about everything” the Rams did, which included retaining left tackle Alaric Jackson before the market exploded, adding Poona Ford in the middle of the defense and pairing Puka Nacua with Davante Adams instead of Cooper Kupp.
“The Rams lost a solid amount of depth and must continue to reload through the draft,” Solak wrote, “but they’ve retained the franchise cornerstones necessary to continue contending in the NFC.”
However, Solak wasn’t a fan of the Rams’ decision to keep Tutu Atwell over Demarcus Robinson, who signed with the NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers.
“I understand Atwell has a trump-card trait — speed — that Robinson doesn’t have. But if I’m filling the WR3 speedster role on an offense funneling most targets to Nacua and Adams, I’d prefer to do it in the draft or in the bargain bin of free agency,” Solak added. “… He might create bigger plays in theory, but he averaged fewer yards per reception last season (13.4) than Robinson did (16.3). I understand the argument for Atwell’s upside, but it is my least favorite part of an otherwise impressive class.”
The Rams are pushing to contend in the NFC again in 2025 while Stafford remains the team’s starter, and the moves they made reflect that. There are still more options on the table, but L.A. might save them for the 2025 NFL Draft where they can fill some needs — specifically at cornerback and linebacker.
At the very least, L.A.’s most on paper are looking good for the upcoming season.