Los Angeles Rams 2026 Offseason Outlook

It’s easy to forget that the Los Angeles Rams spent most of last summer in panic mode, as 37-year-old quarterback Matthew Stafford was nursing a bad back. How far could this team go if Stafford would be limited in any way?

Fortunately for the Rams, they never needed to address that question. Not only was Stafford healthy all season, he had a career year and was crowned league MVP. The Rams flirted with a No. 1 seed, but consistent special teams problems cost them the NFC West title. Sean McVay’s squad still finished 12-5 and went down to the wire before losing the NFC title game to the Seattle Seahawks.

So with Stafford, now 38, returning for 2026, McVay and general manager Les Snead are clearly in win now mode. They’ve already made several key offseason moves. While they promoted passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase to offensive coordinator (replacing Mike LaFleur, who became head coach of the Arizona Cardinals), they also hired offensive guru Kliff Kingsbury as assistant head coach. Defensively, the Rams pulled the trigger on a major trade to acquire Pro Boel cornerback Trent McDuffie from the Kansas City Chiefs. They also re-signed safety Kam Curl, the team’s leading tackler, days before free agency.

The Rams will enter 2026 as favorites to win Super Bowl LXI... they just need to avoid those pesky special teams miscues.

2025 recap

Bad back? What bad back? Not only did Stafford start all 17 games in 2025, he led the league in passing yards (4,707) and touchdown passes (46, 12 more than the second-place finisher). He completed 65% of his passes and his passer rating of 109.2 was second in the league. He took full advantage of an elite receiving duo. Puka Nacua caught 129 passes for 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns. Davante Adams, even though he missed three games late in the season with a hamstring, led the NFL with 14 TD receptions. With running back Kyren Williams adding balance to the attack, the Rams led the NFL in total offense and scoring offense.

The defense held its own, ranking 17th in total defense but 10th in scoring defense. Outside linebackers Byron Young (12 sacks) and Jared Verse (7.5) anchor a solid front seven. Newcomer Emmanuel Forbes was a key addition to the secondary, tying cornerback Cobie Durant for the team lead with three interceptions.

Still, it was the special teams that sabotaged the Rams’ season. A blocked field goal, a missed field goal and a punt-return touchdown cost the Rams three games last season, and they still finished 12-5. Those miscues were the difference between home-field advantage in the playoffs and needing three road playoff wins to reach the Super Bowl — something they might have pulled off if not for a muffed punt in that title game loss to Seattle.

Key free agents

WR TuTu Atwell
TE Tyler Higbee
QB Jimmy Garoppolo
CB Roger McCreary
CB Cobie Durant

Rams salary cap space

$48,214,355

2026 draft needs

Even though they traded their first-round pick as part of the package to acquire McDuffie, the Rams still have the 13th overall pick, which was the compensation they acquired last year when the Atlanta Falcons traded up to draft James Pearce Jr. The Rams don’t have many pressing needs, but that first-round pick might be well suited for an offensive tackle, seeing that veteran tackle Rob Havenstein announced his retirement. The wild card here for the Rams is what they might be thinking in terms of a quarterback to (eventually) replace Stafford. Do they take a flier on a quarterback in this draft... or do they trade that first-round pick with the idea of building capital to make a move in a 2027 draft that has better QB prospects?

2026 opponents

Home:Arizona, San Francisco, Seattle, Buffalo, Dallas, Green Bay, Kansas City, L.A. Chargers, N.Y. Giants

Away:Arizona, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Washington