4 things I think about the Rams before they start 2024 campaign

Is this the last year in LA for Matthew Stafford and/or Cooper Kupp?

It’s nearly time for the Los Angeles Rams to kickoff the 2024 season against the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football. This time of year brings excitement and a renewed sense of optimism for fans of all 32 teams.

The Rams have hopes of returning to the postseason and adding another banner next to their 2021 world championship title. The past few months have been nothing short of interesting for LA. They’ve come out on the other side of contract negotiations for their franchise quarterback, Matthew Stafford, while tensions ran high with their defensive signal caller, Ernest Jones, before the team traded him to the Tennessee Titans. We saw Sean McVay handoff the head coaching headset for the first time in his career to Aubrey Pleasant.

This isn’t the end of the journey but merely the start, and we have so much more to learn about this year’s version of the Rams.

On the eve of the regular season, these are 4 things I think about Los Angeles before we find out more about the team:

1 – This is Matthew Stafford’s last year in horns

The context of Ernest Jones’ contract negotiations gone bad that saw him sent to Tennessee in a mid-round pick swap has made me re-contemplate Stafford’s deal with the Rams on the eve of training camp. Tensions were high that LA’s franchise QB might not report to camp without changes to his deal—reported at the time to be additional guaranteed dollars in future years. Reports leaked during this past spring’s NFL Draft that Stafford wanted said changes to his contract, and a resolution wasn’t reached until late July.

Did the Rams send Stafford a similar message to what they told Jones, i.e. play out the 2024 season and then we’ll make up our mind whether you’re part of the team moving forward?

While Stafford’s adjusted deal does make it more difficult for the team to move on by prorating money into the remaining years of his deal, it’s still possible to cut ties and look in a new direction at quarterback.

Stafford helped McVay and the Rams reach new heights with a Super Bowl victory in 2021, but it’d be difficult to see them meet the same pinnacle again with Stafford—who’s already age 36 and only counting. LA boasts one of the youngest rosters in football. It’s time they draft and develop a quarterback that resembles the profile of the rest of the team.

2 – This is Cooper Kupp’s last year in horns

While the financial implications and dollars suggest it’d be wise for the Rams to call it quits with Kupp after this season, I have a tougher time imagining him in another uniform than I do with Stafford. Kupp embodies what it means to be a Ram in the McVay era, and he’s effectively served as an on-field coach since joining the team in 2017.

From an incredible triple crown year to the game-winning catch of Super Bowl LVI, Kupp defines this era of Rams football as much as anyone save for Aaron Donald.

But all good things must come to an end, and it seems unwise for the Rams to commit nearly $30M in cap space to Kupp when they’ve been able to identify talented wide receivers at the back of the draft that outperform their draft position and fit the team’s mold, see Puka Nacua and Jordan Whittington. Cutting Kupp after the season would result in a dead cap hit of $22.3M and a savings of $7.5M. Managing a trade would improve the savings to $12.5M.

While the heart says not to move on from Kupp, the finances say it’s a no brainer.

3 – Jared Verse and Braden Fiske will be foundational defensive pieces

Jared Verse is the Rams’ earliest draft pick since 2017, and much has been made of that fact. Aside from Steve Avila, who was chosen at pick 36, Braden Fiske would be the next earliest pick over that same span after being chosen at 39th overall.

This is the biggest influx of young talent that we’ve seen in Los Angeles in a long time. Last year’s third round picks Byron Young and Kobie Turner were impressive, but Verse and Fiske have much stronger pedigree and should serve as building blocks for this defense into the future.

Still, if both players fare well this season, it will be extremely difficult for either to win the league’s defensive rookie of the year award as they’ll likely split votes. Laiatu Latu entered the draft as the most prolific pass rusher, and he’ll head into the season as the favorite for the award with the Indianapolis Colts.

4 – Chris Shula’s defense will be a departure from the last three years

Raheem Morris was a great defensive coordinator for LA. He played a big part in the championship season in 2021 and helped keep the team from spinning apart during the struggles of the 2022 campaign. The Atlanta Falcons were smart to bring Morris back into the fold of their organization, and the team seems to be headed in the right direction.

But the early signs from Chris Shula tell us the team is headed in a much different direction. While Ernest Jones was a focal point in the middle of Morris’ defense, the Shula group seems like it will be multiple in the sense of possibly rotating linebackers and pulling coverage players from the secondary.

There may no longer be a need for an every down linebacker that excels in run defense and blitzing but can at times be a liability against the pass. Christian Rozeboom and Troy Reeder can manage the early down work and obvious running downs. Jake Hummel can lend his athleticism and pass coverage skills in late game scenarios and on long distances. I also wouldn’t get used to seeing multiple off-ball linebackers on the field at once outside of running down and in the red zone, as the Rams could lean heavily on hybrid safeties to fill gaps in coverages. Quentin Lake, Kamren Curl, and Russ Yeast are all capable of filling such a role and they’ll likely align in various parts of the field with varying responsibilities.

The Rams could easily miss having Ernest Jones this season, but it sure seems they are aiming for something higher. Will they hit the target?