After a Super Bowl LIII appearance, the Rams took a step back and fell to third place in the NFC West with a 9-7 record. The Rams made some moves this offseason by locking up Jalen Ramsey to a massive five-year contract extension. However, their defense took some big hits during free agency.
Key Additions: LB Leonard Floyd and DT A’Shawn Robinson
Key Departures: LB Corey Littleton, EDGE Dante Fowler Jr., RB Todd Gurley, WR Brandin Cooks, CB Nickell Robey-Coleman, S Eric Weddle, and K Greg Zuerlein
With the loss of multiple big name players for the Rams, let’s look at the team’s starters.
Offensive Starters:
- QB: Jared Goff
- RB: Malcolm Brown
- WR: Robert Woods
- WR: Cooper Kupp
- WR: Josh Reynolds
- TE: Tyler Higbee
- LT: Andrew Whitworth
- LG: Joe Noteboom
- C: Austin Blythe
- RG: Austin Corbett
- RT: Rob Havenstein
Defensive/Special Teams Starters:
- DE: Michael Brockers
- NT: Sebastian Joseph-Day
- DT: Aaron Donald
- LOLB: Samson Ebukam
- LILB: Micah Kiser
- RILB: Troy Reeder
- ROLB: Leonard Floyd
- CB: Jalen Ramsey
- CB: Troy Hill
- SS: Taylor Rapp
- FS: John Jonson III
- K: Sam Sloman
- P: Johnny Hekker
Strongest Position: Safety
The safety duo for the Rams is really solid. John Johnson has been really good for the Rams when healthy. In 2018, he was a beast, recording over 100 tackles with 11 passes defensed and four interceptions. Johnson looks to return to 2018 form after only playing in only six games that season, recording 51 tackles and one interception. Taylor Rapp started 10 games last season as a rookie for the Rams and played well. He recorded 100 tackles, eight passes defensed, and two interceptions. Johnson and Rapp are going to play big roles win the defense this year and will have to step up to make up for big losses on defense.
Weakest Position: Linebacker
The reason I say that the linebacker position is the weakest, is because of the losses during free agency. They lost Littleton, Fowler, and Matthews, who all played big roles in the defense last year. The team still has Ebukam and newly-signed Leonard Floyd, but the production from the linebacker unit will take a hit this year with the loss of two of their top defensive players.
The Rams disappointed last season and are looking to get back on track this year. The offense still has two great options at receiver with Woods and Kupp, along with two threats at tight end with Higbee and Gerald Everett. The defense will take a step back, but will still be a top-20 defense in the league. I expect them to be fighting for a Wild Card spot in the playoffs this year.
