When the Los Angeles Rams ended their 2024 NFL season, there were many reasons to feel good about the past season, and to feel optimistic about the future. The team had just won the NFC West Division title, had advanced to the Divisional Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs, and nearly defeated the eventual Super Bowl LIX winners, the Philadelphia Eagles. With a team that was at little risk of losing key starters to free agency, fans were on the right track to set expectations on bigger and better things for the team in 2025.
While there is plenty of work remaining to fill the Rams roster to the 90-player limit, the initial roster moves have been rather solid.
I won’t pretend to know everything possible about how the Rams coaching staff plans to use the players who have been extended or new players who have been added to the Rams roster. But even early in the 2025 NFL Free Agency market, there is plenty of background information to determine how the team might plan to use new players. And fans and NFL analysts alike do not need to chart plays on a white board to interpret the Rams depth chart after signing new players.
Whether a casual NFL fan of the Rams, or a meticulous researcher who can create your own next generation statistics and data analytics, we all are subject to forces beyond our control. Will the player stay healthy? Will players enjoy the roles assigned to them by the Rams coaching staff? Will the player get an appropriate amount of work to optimize their production?
Is the player a depth addition to afford the team more flexibility in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, or does the addition signify production on offense or defense? And how much work will the team benefit from that particular player?
We graded early free agency signings as the 2025 NFL Free Agency market opened for business. This is the sequel to those early grades..
It’s a cascade of unknown variables that we all must take our best guess at. Admittedly, we may all be wrong, or right, with our offseason speculation. Still, there are plenty of analysts that wade into the pool of unknowns fearlessly. For my part, I have tried to read and understand the perspectives of many NFL analysts. Here is my best compilation of what those analysts have to say about the Rams signings so far.
(1) – WR Davante Adams | 2-years, $44 million
The biggest headliner to sign with the Los Angeles Rams so far is former New York Jets veteran wide receiver Davante Adams. Adams signed a two-year contract with the Rams that equates to a two-year contract for up to $44 million. His 2025 salary cap hit is merely $12 million. But the Rams have tacked on a void year in 2027 to spread $4 million of the compensation into the next year.
I won’t repeat myself. I dove into the Rams’ signing of Adams when it was first reported, acknowledging the upside of his addition as well as the significant challenges of optimizing his performance in this offense. The biggest challenges to the perfect ‘fit’ of Adams in the Rams’ offense are his questionable blocking ability, his bad-blood history with Rams backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, and his need for a significant number of targets to truly be effective.,
Adams best production occured when he was targeted 169, 180, 149, 169, and 175 times respectively. Since hiring Sean McVay as the Los Angeles Rams head coach, the most targets receivers have gotten are:
- 2021 – 191 targets to Cooper Kupp
- 2023 – 160 targets to Puka Nacua
- 2019 – 134 targets to Cooper Kupp
- 2018 & 2019 – 130 targets to Robert Woods
With the team intending to blend Davante Adams with Puka Nacua, you have to at least pose the question of who gets more targets. I suppose it will depend on who is the more effective receiver. Still it’s the type of practical questions that are not typically asked when a player is added.
On the other hand, many experienced NFL analysts have pulled out all the stops in applauding the Rams addition of Davante Adams. As far as bringing a completely new skill set to the offense, they are on track. Adams has amazing abilities to create his own level of separation. Paired with HC Sean McVay’s motions, formations, and route designs, he could be as significant to the Rams offense as the addition of veteran QB Matthew Stafford was in 2021:
If the Rams can figure out a way to keep feeding the football to both Davante Adams and Puka Nacua, while still throwing enough to other receivers to keep them involved, this could be an outstanding addition to the Rams roster. But the Rams have struggled to keep everyone busy at appropriate levels in the past. So I will remain a bit skeptical for now.
Grade for signing WR Davante Adams: B+
(2) – NT Poona Ford | 3-year deal for $27.6 million
With the exodus of both NT Bobby Brown III and NT Neville Gallimore, I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about the chances of Rams GM Les Snead addressing the nose tackle role effectively before the 2025 NFL Draft. Well, I could not have been more wrong. The Rams not only addressed the nose tackle role but appear to have upgraded the position with the signing of former Los Angeles Chargers NT Poona Ford.
Poona Ford is a 5-foot-11 nose tackle who tips the scales at 310 pounds. He is a powerful and incredibly agile nose tackle who is a superb run-stuffer in 2024 who added a dash of pass rush to boot. Best of all, he was one of the toughest NTs that Philadelphia Eagles Jason Kelce ever faced in his career. Ford’s short stature combined with long arms affords him remarkable leverage to win at the line of scrimmage.
Entering his eighth season, Ford is hitting his stride at the age of 29 years old. And his ability to dominate at the line of scrimmage at the nose tackle position is a key factor to view the Rams defense with renewed optimism in 2025. Ford’s presence feels like a solid anchor to a defensive front that has already proven to strike fear into the hearts of opposing quarterbacks with 16 quarterback sacks in two games in the 2025 NFL Playoffs. With Poona Ford in the trenches, the Rams defensive front can be every bit as dominating at stopping the run.
Grade for signing NT Poona Ford: A+
(3) – Former C Coleman Shelton | 2 years worth up to $12 million
The Los Angeles Rams traded away IOL Jonah Jackson to the Chicago Bears. His exodus, plus the release of IOL Logan Bruss, the expired contract of swing-tackle Joe Noteboom, plus the New England Patriots claiming former Rams OL Zachary Thomas off the Rams waivers has left the depth along the offensive line a bit shallow.
By signing former Rams starting center Coleman Shelton, GM Les Snead kills two birds with one stone. While rookie center Beaux Limmer made the best of starting in a difficult situation, he struggled at times in 2024. You might think a center would be the least penalized of starting offensive linemen, but Beaux Limmer is the exception to the rule. In 916 offensive snaps, he allowed just one quarterback sack but was penalized a horrendous nine times. His Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade of 42.9 is particularly alarming.
Coleman Shelton is a veteran who is very familiar with the Rams coaches, players, and offense. In 2024, he played 1,121 offensive snaps and surrendered three quarterback sacks plus four penalties. But a review of the Chicago Bears offensive line in 2024 reveals that Shelton was sandwiched between two struggling offensive guards. Shelton can plug-and-play at any position between offensive tackles.
Shelton brings instant depth and competition to the Rams roster. His 2025 salary cap hit of $4.5 million is a solid value for what could turn into a starting center for the team this season.
Grade for signing C Coleman Shelton: A
(4) – ILB Nathan Landman | Terms of the deal undisclosed
The Los Angeles Rams roster expected to lose veteran ILBs Christian Rozeboom, Jake Hummel, and Troy Reeder. The team has already lost Rozeboom to the Carolina Panthers and Hummel to the Baltimore Ravens. With the team unlikely to re-sign ILB Troy Reeder, the Rams roster needed to add more linebackers to fill the depth chart at the position.
With that in mind, the Rams front office has signed Nate Landman, the former ILB off the Atlanta Falcons. Landman was a starter in the Falcons defense in both 2023 and 2024. He missed Weeks 2 through 5 due to quad and calf muscle injuries. Still, he was the Falcons’ primary starter for two seasons, and he is not named Troy Reeder. So two positives right?
But wait, there’s more. There is plenty to like about Landman if you compare him to Reeder. The Los Angeles Rams are pretty quick to point out some of his positive attributes:
But I would not take ILB off the team’s shopping list just yet. He’s missed 20 tackles while making 192 tackles in the past two years. He’s allowed 50 of 67 passes thrown to his receiver to be completed, four for touchdowns.
Perhaps the most telling aspect of Landman came from Sports Illustrated’s Daniel Flick, who mentions Lanman’s struggles at pass coverage:
“Landman proved volatile in coverage, and his lack of high-end speed was costly to Atlanta at times throughout the campaign.”Sports Illustrated Daniel Flick
While many are touting Landman as a superb addition to the Rams roster at ILB, I’m just not seeing it. At best, his PFF grade shows a linebacker who is similar to Omar Speights. So he may simply be competing with Speights for the run-stuffing ILB role. At worst, he is similar to Troy Reeder, but without the ability to cover passes. If he is intended to replace Christian Rozeboom, he simply is not effective enough at pass coverage to pull that off. At worst, he is too inconsistent in pass coverage or tackling (he missed 20 of 192 tackles) to be relied upon for more than defensive depth.
Hopefully the Rams are not finished at addressing the ILB position. But with his signing, I suspect the Rams will peer at rookie ILB prospects no sooner than Round 6. That simply is not good enough.
Grade for signing ILB Nate Landman: C+
(5) – Rams extend QB Jimmy Garoppolo | 1-year worth $4.5 million
At one point this offseason, the only confirmed quarterback to be returning for the Los Angeles Rams in 2025 was young quarterback Stetson Bennett. Of course, the situation has changed considerably since the early days of the offseason. The team has reconciled with starting QB Matthew Stafford. Better still, the team has reached an agreement to re-sign veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo for another season.
The contract is heavily incentivized. Right now, the initial cap hit is $3.126 million (per OTC.com). But the contract could explode up to $10.5 million if incentive clauses are activated. While those incentive clauses remain undisclosed, you have to expect some are tied to Garoppolo stepping up if Stafford is injured, and other performance related clauses based on on-field production.
Garoppolo is the right choice to back up Stafford in 2025. He served in that role in 2024. He is perfectly comfortable with the team, the coaches, and the players. And his Week 18 performance was very promising despite falling as one data point with backups.
I suspect that the team could draft a quarterback in the middle rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft (Rounds 3, 4, or 5) to address the need for a Matthew Stafford successor. But in 2025, Jimmy Garoppolo will remain the primary backup quarterback. And I’m good with that.
Grade for re-signing QB Jimmy Garoppolo: A-
(6) – DL Larrell Murchison | 1-year deal terms undisclosed
When it comes to the LA Rams’ defense, the team has been restocking the roster with young players each year. By re-signing veteran defensive tackle Larrell Murchison, the team ensures that there is a level of continuity and consistency that remains on the defensive side of the football. Murchison is entering his sixth NFL season and fourth with the Rams. He was injured in 2024 and sat out the entirety of last season on Injured Reserve.
Still, Murchison flashed some serious potential in 2023. He saw modest action with 252 defensive snaps over 15 games and three starts. Over that period, he put up 16 tackles and a tackle for a loss. In 2022, he leveraged 53 defensive snaps into 2.0 quarterback sacks, two tackles for a loss, six tackles, and two quarterback hits. Murchison has made the most of a limited role in the defense.
With the exodus of NTs Neville Gallimore and Bobby Brown III, the team needed to re-sign Murchison for roster depth, if for no other reason. Murchison will be back to compete for his fifth NFL season. While his role may again be limited in terms of actual playing time on the defense, his presence is vital to ensure sufficient competition for playing time. Perhaps with the absence of Brown and Gallimore, Murchison may seize the opportunity to earn a larger rotational role on defense. Championship teams find contributors up and down the roster. I like this signing.
Grade for re-signing DL Larrell Murchison: B+
(7) – RB Ronnie Rivers | 1-year deal with undisclosed terms
I have to admit that I am personally a bit confused by the Rams re-signing RB Ronnie Rivers for 2025. While I agree that Rivers deserved to return based on his performance, he is undeniably similar to the other three running backs on the Rams roster. And with the team committed to feature running back Kyren Williams, still trying to unlock the potential of Blake Corum, and sitting on RB Cody Schrader, how much work is trule available in this offense until the Rams suffer injuries to the running back position?
The return of Rivers puts the Rams roster at four running backs before the 2025 NFL Draft, a draft loaded with running back talent. So are the Rams purposely constructing the roster to discourage the team from making the obvious selection of a rookie running back? Or is Rivers that invaluable to the team’s 2025 offensive plans? The Rams roster currently boasts:
- RB Cody Schrader | 5-foot-9 | 214 pounds | 1 carry | 3 yards | 0 TD
- RB Ronnie Rivers | 5-foot-9 | 192 pounds | 22 carries | 99 yards | 0 TD
- RB Blake Corum | 5-foot-8 | 210 pounds | 58 carries | 207 yards | 0 TD
- RB Kyren Williams | 5-foot-9 | 202 pounds | 316 carries | 1,299 yards | 14 TDs
The team is stuck on the same basic size at the running back position. No running back is taller than 5-foot-9. No running back weighs more than 215 pounds. While neither dimension ensures success in the NFL, the fact that the Rams consistently stick with players who are so homogenous suggests that the team has ample replicable talents on the roster before bringing Ronnie Rivers back. Has the team already begun to second guess drafting RB Blake Corum so early in the 2024 NFL Draft?
I don’t understand why Rivers is back beyond an experienced rusher for training camp. I like Rivers, and do see value in his presence as a potential backup for Kyren Williams. But with the team restoring the roster to four running backs with a loaded draft class on the horizon feels a bit like overkill.
Grade for re-signing RB Ronnie Rivers: B-
(8) – CB Ahkello Witherspoon | 1-year deal with undisclosed terms
The LA Rams’ efforts to ‘fix’ the secondary at the cornerback have met with frustration ever since the team traded All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins after the 2022 NFL season. While I won’t go as far as to say that signing veteran cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon has solved the Rams’ defensive back woes, he has been signed twice in two consecutive seasons to one-year deals.
On both occasions, he signed too late to have much benefit from OTAs, mini-camp, or training camp. But in both years, he earned a pivotal role in the starting secondary. In 2023, he started every game for the Rams at cornerback. In 2024, he appeared in 13 games and started five games, despite signing to the Rams practice squad just four days before the opening kickoff.
The front office finally signed Witherspoon to the roster early enough to afford him the full benefit of the team’s offseason. While that may not seem like much, the secondary is one of the most dependent units of NFL football on solid communication, chemistry, and a real-time sense of what teammates are doing to ensure that each player responds correctly. Since Witherspoon has earned his playing time despite the odds being severely stacked against him in the past two seasons, it’s a refreshing breath of air to see he won’t have to play catch-up with his teammates in 2025.
Grade for re-signing CB Ahkello Witherspoon: A
All in all, the Rams front office has done remarkably well. Admittedly, grading individual signings this early invites a number of problems, not the least of which is trying to judge the final image of a jigsaw puzzle based on the quality of individual pieces. The Rams roster already has rounded out into shape to afford GM Les Snead ample opportunity to trade up, back, or stand pat in the upcoming 2025 NFL draft, and to target almost any position he sees the most value throughout the three-day event.
I will continue to examine specific positional depth charts, despite the fact that the Rams roster is still under construtction. By doing so, hopefully it will help you anticipate how the team will approach the draft, and understand why the team selects specific players.
Most of all, thank you for reading.