Why Rams Are Last in NFL in This Category

Many observers point to the Rams as the most likely NFC team to dethrone the Super Bowl champion Eagles. But before anyone kicks off a game, Los Angeles has already beaten the Eagles in one category.

By a large margin, the Rams rank last in the league in spending on defensive players. Curiously, according to analyst Bill Barnwell, the next-closest team is Philadelphia.

“In a league in which the 31 other teams are averaging more than $136 million on their defense,” Barnwell wrote this week, “the Rams are spending just over half -- $71 million -- on that side of the ball.

“Can they win that way? Just ask the 2024 team. Last season, after the retirement of franchise legend Aaron Donald, the Rams spent just under $49 million on their defenders. The Cowboys ($41.3 million) and Raiders ($38.2 million) each spent less, but as of right now, no team is close to the 2025 Rams for saving money on defense.”

Assuming the Cowboys can agree to terms with Micah Parsons on a contract extension, their defensive spending should increase significantly. But the Rams – at least since they pivoted after winning the Super Bowl in 2021 – do share a draft-and-develop philosophy with the Cowboys.

Los Angeles has drafted extremely well, especially on defense, since that Super Bowl. Last year, the Rams landed NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse as well as Braden Fiske and Kamren Kinchens. They got Byron Young and Kobie Turner the prior year, and drafted Cobie Durant and Quentin Lake in 2022.

This spring, Les Snead added another pass rusher to the defensive rotation, outside linebacker Josaiah Stewart from Michigan. In fact, three of the team’s six draft choices were on defense, including defensive tackle Ty Hamilton and off-ball linebacker Pooh Paul, both in the fifth round.

All of those defenders come with affordable rookie deals. That’s especially true of the Day 3 selections taken in the fourth-seventh rounds, thanks to the current collective bargaining agreement.

A year from now, Young, Turner and Pro Bowl wide receiver Puka Nacua will be eligible for contract extensions. So, the Rams can’t keep kicking the can down the Los Angeles freeway.

But give them credit because, at least to date, they’ve navigated Donald’s retirement and groomed another potential Sean McVay head coach in defensive coordinator Chris Shula. They’re also legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and they’ve done it with a formula that has worked well so far.

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