It is hard not to be excited for the Los Angeles Rams this season after finishing 10-7 the previous year and giving the Super Bowl favorite Detroit Lions all they could handle in a (24-23) playoff loss. Much of that excitement stems from the youthful rejuvenation that began with the Rams roster remodel in 2023. Rookies Puka Nacua and Kobie Turner gave life to a team that was thought to be in contention for the first overall pick while skilled veterans showed the 14 new rookies coming out of the draft how to be professionals in the NFL.
That was 2023. What are your early expectations for the L.A. Rams in 2024 based on all the information now at our disposal before preseason begins?
It wasn’t pretty at first—a 3-6 start had analysts quickly clambering to their respective medias to tell the world “I told you so.” That mantra wouldn’t sick as Matthew Stafford began to play out of his mind in the last half of the season and an Aaron Donald lead defense did just enough to keep LA in play make it to the playoffs.
A year later and the roster is still young, still talented, but still unproven. The offense looks stacked and likely will be the catalyst to this season’s success with Stafford throwing to what could be the most dangerous one-two-punch at receiver in Cooper Kupp and Puca with another deadly duo in the backfield lead by Kyren Williams and rookie third round pick Blake Corum. Apart from some recent injuries to the Rams big-bodied offensive linemen, there is not much to dislike offensively.
On the defensive side of the ball there are plenty of question marks of how new defensive coordinator Chris Shula will change Raheem Morris’ scheme to fit the new regime of players and the loss of a legend, but reports out of camp seem promising. Kamren Curl may be one of the biggest free agent steals (and one of the cheapest at just a $9,000,000 cap hit in 2024) in recent memory after receiving high praises by Shula.
Rookies Braden Fiske and Jared Verse have been as disruptive as advertised—though they may need to dial it down before they take out the entire offensive line before the season even starts—and Kobie “the Conductor” Turner is looking to build off of an impressive season where he could have, maybe even should have, been voted defensive rookie of the year. Lead by fourth year Linebacker Ernest Jones and LA’s veteran free agent signing Tre’Davious White, the unit on paper looks like it can be efficient enough to win games for LA.
“Aaron Donald’s gone,” Peter Schrager said during his recap of Rams camp. “You didn’t notice it yesterday. Chris Shula, he’s now the new defensive coordinator as Raheem Morris goes to Atlanta, this D looked good. And Jared Verse is a rookie, going to be wearing No. 8, he was everywhere. Flying all over the field. He was their first pick at 19 overall. He is the dude to watch and Braden Fiske, the other one, they were college teammates at Florida State, they’re both going to play a big role.”
All of that is to say, what are the expectations for the Rams this season? If you ask Vegas oddsmakers (who have LA at +/- 8.5 wins) they see a team that is middle of the pact. Other see Los Angeles in the playoffs, like Sports Illustrated who see the team as a potential Wild Card at a 10-7 record. Of course there are those that LA will regress mightily and gone on tirades to prove their point—that of course being Yahoo Sports own Jason Fitz in which he called Stafford “old as ass.’ You won’t find many betting on the Rams to take it all, however, those that are close with the team are hyping up the newly formed squad of 2024.
“You’re going to win another freaking Super Bowl aren’t you? Is this going to happen again?” asked an excited Kay Adams during an interview with McVay.
Will the Rams be able to build off of the momentum from last year and make a deep playoff push? Will they regress and be on the outside looking in? Does the young team have it in them to win it all? Every team is a contender when there hasn’t been a single ball thrown in the regular season, but a re-energized McVay and the excitement of the unknown has built a subtle confidence in this roster as the season nears.
Injuries have been piling up, however. The team may have gotten lucky with just a minor injury to Nacua over the weekend, but three of their lineman and their two of their corners have also already hit the injury list this offseason. LA had a historically awful season following their Super Bowl win against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022 due to many of their starters getting hurt early in the season, turning to Baker Mayfield to make the team at the very least watchable midseason. Just like that season LA has all the tools to be a playoff-bound team but will if the injuries continue to pile up, especially on the offensive line, the season is on the precipice of Deja-vu.
If you ask me, the Rams have every tool to make a deep playoff run in 2024 and as the saying goes, anything can happen in any given game in the NFL—why not LA in the Super Bowl again?
What are your expectations this year? Is it similar to last year or as high as the year LA went to the Super Bowl? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
