Go beyond the scoreboard
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No more rebuild, remodel, reframe or however the Rams defined their frugal 2023 spending approach.
After achieving an unexpected 10-7 record and earning a playoff appearance, the Rams in the upcoming season will be regarded by some as potential Super Bowl contenders.
And they are flush with salary-cap space to build the roster.
Last week, the salary cap was set at $255.4 million, an increase of more than $30 million from 2023. The Rams currently have about $40 million in cap space, according to overthecap.com.
The NFL scouting combine begins Monday in Indianapolis, free agency opens in March and the draft will be held April 25-27 in Detroit.
Coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead, for the third year in a row, will be absent from the combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Instead, McVay, Snead and pro and college scouting personnel will review game video, and video from the combine, workouts, pro-day workouts on college campuses and in-person workouts.
It’s a predraft approach that works for the Rams.
Last year, they netted receiver Puka Nacua, guard Steve Avila, nose tackle Kobie Turner and outside linebacker Byron Young, all of whom played significant roles.
Dave Ragone, former Falcons’ offensive coordinator, and Nate Scheelhaase, Iowa State’s former offensive coordinator, are joining the Rams’ coaching staff.
The Rams hold the No. 19 pick in the draft, but there is no guarantee Snead will make a first-round pick for the first time since 2016. History suggests he will trade back for more picks.
The Rams also have a pick in the second, third, fifth and sixth rounds. They will be awarded a compensation pick for Raheem Morris’ departure to become coach of the Atlanta Falcons, and they are expected to receive compensation picks for the free-agent departures of Baker Mayfield and Matt Gay, and possibly Nick Scott and A’Shawn Robinson.
Here are five questions facing the Rams as they prepare for free agency and the draft:
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Should the Rams invest long term in a star edge rusher?
Dante Fowler Jr. Leonard Floyd. Von Miller.
They all played for the Rams, but the team under McVay has not signed a marquee edge rusher to a long-term deal. The philosophy has worked — the Rams made Super Bowl appearances to cap the 2018 and 2021 seasons — but adding a proven player to complement star tackle Aaron Donald and the emerging Young could help new defensive coordinator Chris Shula make his mark.
The Michael Hoecht experiment at outside linebacker in 2023 did not pan out, so the Rams might be poised to make a move.
The Rams reportedly flirted in the past with the Carolina Panthers about Brian Burns, and now the 25-year-old is a free agent. So is Jacksonville Jaguars star Josh Allen (26), the New York Jets’ Bryce Huff (25) and and the San Francisco 49ers’ Chase Young (24).
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Do the Rams require a lockdown cornerback to be a serious contender?
In 2018, the Rams made a Super Bowl run with cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib. In 2021, star cornerback Jalen Ramsey led the secondary.
Last season, the Rams attempted to get by with Ahkello Witherspoon, who played on a veteran-minimum contract, and second-year pros Derion Kendrick and Cobie Durant.
Ramsey’s former Miami Dolphins teammate Xavien Howard, 30, was released last week. He joins a free-agent class that includes Jaylon Johnson, L’Jarius Sneed. Kendall Fuller, Chidobe Awuzie and Stephon Gilmore.
Rams safety Jordan Fuller, a team captain, is a pending unrestricted free agent. The Rams are likely to let him test the market before deciding whether to re-sign him.
Rams defensive back Jordan Fuller (4), celebrating with teammates after an interception against the Raiders last season, is a free agent.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Is now the time to address the quarterback of the future?
Matthew Stafford, 36, cannot go on forever — though he is signed through 2026 and, based on his 2023 season, there is no reason to anticipate a dropoff in performance.
The Rams thought that they found Stafford’s backup and possible successor when they drafted Stetson Bennett in the fourth round last year. But the former Georgia star spent his rookie season on the nonfootball injury/illness list for an undisclosed issue. His future with the team is uncertain.
Will Snead trade for, sign or draft another quarterback?
With the Rams picking at No. 19, USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye appear out of reach. But Snead has proved — see Jared Goff in 2016 — he is capable of engineering historic draft feats.
Louisiana State’s Jayden Daniels, Oregon’s Bo Nix, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy and Washington’s Michael Penix are other prospects that could learn and develop behind Stafford.
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Are the Rams willing to pay a premium for an interior offensive lineman?
On the eve of last season, the Rams’ traded two midround draft picks to the Pittsburgh Steelers for guard Kevin Dotson.
It turned out to be a huge coup for the Rams.
Dotson started 14 games at right guard and is now regarded as perhaps the top free agent at his position, putting him in line to cash in.
Rams guard Kevin Dotson, who was a stellar acquisition last offseason, blocks Detroit’s James Mitchell during a playoff game last season.
(Duane Burleson / Associated Press)
Dotson said near the end of last season that he would love to stay with the Rams, but the Rams under McVay have never paid a premium for a guard. With Avila’s success as a rookie on the left side, the Rams could opt to repeat the success on the right through the draft.
Left tackle is another position of intrigue.
Alaric Jackson, who beat out Joe Noteboom and started 15 games, is a restricted free agent. The Rams can tender an offer to Jackson and will have the right of first refusal if he receives offers from other teams. The versatile Noteboom, carrying a salary-cap number of $20 million, is a candidate for a restructured contract or, possibly, a release.
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Can the Rams find a current and/or future replacement for tight end Tyler Higbee?
Higbee, 31, suffered a major knee injury in the Rams’ wild-card playoff loss to the Detroit Lions.
The eight-year veteran is expected to work his way back, but it remains to be seen how soon a player who will carry a $12.1 million salary-cap number can be at full strength.
Davis Allen, a 2023 fifth-round pick from Clemson, showed promise as a rookie. The Rams are not expected to re-sign Brycen Hopkins.
Dalton Schultz, Hunter Henry, Noah Fant and former Ram Gerald Everett are among available free agents.
