Since the calendar flipped to March, the Los Angeles Rams have been busy. They made a big move for Trent McDuffie on the trade market and then proceeded to sign both Tyler Higbee and Kam Curl to multi-year extensions before free agency.
With free agency set to begin on Monday, the Rams are in excellent shape, both financially and roster-wise. They don’t need to force any one position in free agency or the draft, keeping all things open by solidifying many of their top needs.
After their initial wave of moves this past week, here’s a re-ranking of the Rams’ biggest roster needs approaching free agency.
Wide receiver
Wide receiver jumps to the top of the Rams’ positional needs after the additions of McDuffie and Curl at corner and safety, respectively. And for anyone thinking the Rams aren’t looking for wide receiver help, consider the report that they discussed a potential trade for A.J. Brown.
With Davante Adams getting older and only having a year left on his contract, and with no clear-cut WR3 on the roster, the Rams will look to give Matthew Stafford another weapon for what could be his last season in L.A.
Drafting a wide receiver at No. 13 overall remains a very real possibility, and may even be the likeliest scenario at this point. Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon or Jordyn Tyson could all be first-round options for L.A.
Cornerback
As big as the McDuffie addition is, it doesn’t solve all of the Rams’ problems at cornerback. It leaves Emmanuel Forbes Jr. as the No. 2 cornerback, which is a risky proposition with no fallback plan or better option on the roster.
Cornerback will still very much be on the board at No. 13 overall in the draft, and the Rams could take care of this spot again in free agency by signing someone like Jamel Dean, Jaylen Watson, Alontae Taylor or Riq Woolen.
A defense can never have too many starting-caliber cornerbacks and at this moment, the Rams don’t have enough of them. It remains a primary need and could still be the first position they address in the draft – if they don’t add a veteran in free agency or re-sign one of their own corners.
Inside linebacker
Nate Landman is penciled in as one starter at linebacker after signing a three-year extension last season, but Omar Speights’ limitations came into focus late in the year. The Rams could upgrade that spot by adding a rangy linebacker who can cover sideline to sideline and help more in the pass game.
Free agency is one place they could add to their linebacker corps but for a team that rarely pays players at the position, they may not want to dish out another sizable contract. Instead, they could look to address it in the draft where there will be a wide variety of linebackers with differing skill sets.
Offensive tackle
The re-signing of David Quessenberry won’t preclude the Rams from adding another tackle, either in free agency or the draft. It could be someone to compete with Warren McClendon Jr. at right tackle, or a guy who slides in as the swing tackle to replace D.J. Humphries.
Either way, the Rams need a better option at OT3 because as good as Alaric Jackson and McClendon are, it’s important to have a quality backup behind them. Injuries happen all the time and as we saw against the Falcons last year, having a below-average backup tackle can derail an offense.
Quarterback
Les Snead said the Rams are “not desperate” to address quarterback behind Matthew Stafford, which they shouldn’t be. They know Stafford will be back for another year, so they can afford to wait on a succession plan.
What they do need, though, is a backup. Jimmy Garoppolo is a pending free agent and could draw significant interest from other teams. Stetson Bennett also doesn’t appear ready to be the No. 2 quarterback behind Stafford.
The Rams will need to either re-sign Garoppolo, draft a prospect or sign another veteran in free agency to back up Stafford and potentially take the reins in 2027.
Tight end
The Rams pushed tight end down their list of needs by re-signing Tyler Higbee to a two-year extension, but that doesn’t take it off the list completely. Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen are only signed through 2026, and even though Higbee’s deal is for two years, he’s year to year with retirement on the horizon.
The most logical thing to do would be to draft a tight end who can be a long-term contributor with Higbee, Parkinson and Allen all facing uncertain futures in 2027.
Other needs
Edge rusher: Jared Verse, Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart are a great trio to have but Young is entering the final year of his deal and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a quality No. 4 on the roster to compete with Desjuan Johnson.
Defensive line: Ty Hamilton hasn’t panned out yet as a backup defensive lineman but there’s still time. Even still, the Rams could use some additional depth up front.
Kicker: While Harrison Mevis has been assured a spot on the offseason roster after being tendered as an ERFA, the Rams should add some competition to find the best kicker possible.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Re-ranking Rams’ biggest needs after initial offseason moves
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
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