When looking at offseason team needs, fans and the media tend to look at the immediate. While all teams have immediate needs, those are the issues that should be handled in free agency. However, looking at the draft, teams shouldn’t necessarily be drafting for the immediate. Free agency and the trade market are there to build for the now while the draft should be approached with a three-year plan.
The Rams are currently in a spot where they are building for the now and trying to capitalize one more time with Matthew Stafford at quarterback. That’s evident in their current team build with only eight players under contract for 2028 and three of those players having outs in their contracts.
Breaking down the roster through this lens and the needs heading into the 2026 offseason become that much clearer. Looking at the offensive side of the ball, the Rams have two starters under contract for 2027. Key offensive starters such as Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, and Davante Adams are all in the final years of their contracts. On the offensive line, Alaric Jackson is the only player under contract beyond this season.
In a sense, this allows the Rams to be more flexible in the draft and truly approach it with a “best player available” mindset. At the same time, they have a lot of future gaps to fill outside of running back. The Rams don’t have a single quarterback under contract beyond this season. Drafting one at some point makes a lot of sense. The same can be said at wide receiver with Nacua and Adams on expiring contracts.
Additionally, the tight end position looks thin beyond 2026 as well. Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen are on expiring contracts, making Terrance Ferguson the only tight end under contract beyond 2026. The offensive line and its depth look extremely bleak. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Rams draft one, if not two offensive linemen, even after re-signing David Quessenberry.
The defense tells a much different story. Due to the investment on that side of the ball in recent years, there aren’t as many future holes. It wouldn’t be surprising to see an offensive-heavy draft. There are still needs, but they are more immediate. The Rams have future depth on the defensive line and on the edge. Nate Landman’s extension last season took away an immediate need as well.
If the Rams do have an immediate need, it’s at cornerback. Darious Williams will likely be a cap casualty, leaving only Emmanuel Forbes as someone who took significant snaps on the outside last year. Given the immediate need, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Rams sign at least one cornerback in free agency and also address the position in the draft.
Looking at the Rams roster through this lens, the needs are much deeper than just needing a cornerback, third wide receiver, and kick returner. The 2026 season may be a bit of a reset, but there are a lot of holes, especially offensively, where the Rams need future starters developing.
While cornerback may be the most obvious immediate need, the larger concern lies on the offensive side of the ball. Viewed through a multi-year lens, the Rams are able to approach the draft with flexibility and not chase short-term fixes. At the same time, with so many core offensive players nearing the end of their contracts, there does need to be a targeted approach to that side of the ball. It’s easy to reduce team needs to a short checklist, but a multi-year lens is better able to show how complex the team building process can be.
