All indications last offseason were that the Los Angeles Rams would go through a multi-year rebuild after shedding expensive contracts for players such as Jalen Ramsey, Leonard Floyd, Bobby Wagner and Allen Robinson. However, the reconstruction of the Rams’ roster happened much more quickly than anticipated because they went 10-7 and reached the playoffs in a year when few people saw them winning more than six or seven games.
There’s a lot of work still to do this offseason before the 2024 campaign begins but the Rams are in great shape moving forward. Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp will all be back, and the Rams are equipped with not only a first-round pick, but also plenty of cap space to use in free agency.
Expectations are already higher for the Rams now than they were this time last year, and two ESPN experts even believe they can make a run to the Super Bowl. ESPN polled 11 experts for their 2024 predictions and Jeremy Fowler and Field Yates picked the Rams to go to the Super Bowl (and lose).
Fowler picked the Bills to beat the Rams in the Super Bowl, while Yates took the Chiefs to threepeat with a win over the Rams in the big game.
Jeremy Fowler, national NFL writer:Bills over Rams. Although Buffalo was a better team than Kansas City in the 2023 divisional round, it found a way to lose. The Bills will break through, and this might be the last season to do it because of looming roster/cap constraints. The Rams are trending up on offense and finally have the cap space and draft capital to improve their defense for one more run.
Field Yates, NFL analyst:Chiefs over Rams. The Chiefs hardly need an explanation here, while the Rams are poised for a significant step forward, as Los Angeles is equipped with draft capital (the team hasn’t made a first-round pick since 2016 but has one this year) and is armed with cap space after operating almost exclusively around the margins an offseason ago.
The Rams were close to upsetting the Lions in the wild-card round and were one of the hottest teams in the NFL entering the playoffs, but they came up just short in a thrilling game against Detroit.
The NFC West is still going to be a gauntlet in 2024 so securing a playoff spot won’t be easy, but with Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua likely to get even better, the Rams’ roster will be one of the best in the conference.
