Building an NFL team is hard. Not only do front offices have to create a cohesive unit that fits a particular coaching system, but they’re also constrained by the NFL’s salary cap every year.
NFL.com’s Tom Blair attempted an intriguing exercise where he put together the best 53-man roster he could from the roster of NFL players, as long as it adhered to the 2025 salary cap of $279.2 million.
While it would be easy to pick the best players on rookie contracts, Blair made a rule for himself that he could only use 24 players on rookie deals: four first-rounders, four second-rounders, four third-rounders and up to 12 players from Rounds 4-7 (excluding rookies on fifth-year deals and undrafted free agents).
Four Rams players made Blair’s roster, including three players on rookie deals: receiver Puka Nacua, defensive tackle Kobie Turner, safety Kamren Kinchens and defensive tackle Poona Ford.
Nacua, Turner and Kinchens made a ton of sense because of their contracts, skillset and production. Nacua will only count $1,091,245 against the salary cap in 2025 as one of the most valuable contracts in the NFL, Turner will only count $1,470,401 and Kinchens only costs $1,271,889. All three have been among the most effective young players at their position since entering the league.
As a former fifth-round pick heading into Year 3, Puka Nacua’s hit is so low ($1.1 million) and his on-field presence is so impactful (his 1,157 career yards after the catch rank fourth-highest in the NFL over the past two seasons) that I basically had no choice but to pencil him in across from Jefferson. Kobie Turner, meanwhile, finished the playoffs with the highest pressure rate (15.4%) of any player to log 50-plus pass-rush snaps. Though Jared Verse might have seized the spotlight in L.A. with his Defensive Rookie of the Year award, Turner is still a centerpiece of the Rams’ recent defensive rebuild, having logged 17 sacks over the past two seasons.
Ford is an interesting pick, though. He isn’t a game-wrecking player, but Blair couldn’t miss an opportunity to add another bargain to the roster who can also make a decent impact on the defense. Ford will also only count $5,083,333 against the cap on this roster. “Poona Ford graded as the third-best run-stopping interior lineman (and fifth-best interior lineman overall) in the NFL last season, per PFF,” Blair added.
This is a testament to how well Les Snead rebuilt the Rams to remain contenders despite roster upheaval throughout his tenure. The Rams had the third-most players on Blair’s list, trailing only the Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. The next phase, though, will be paying for these good young players in the near future.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: 4 Rams make NFL.com’s best 53-man roster under the 2025 salary cap
Reporting by Tyler Greenawalt, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
