Rams made key offseason moves to catch Eagles but it still won’t be enough

The only real test the 2024 Philadelphia Eagles had in their postseason run was the Los Angeles Rams, and that was the biggest test by kind of a huge margin. When you’re the team that played the Super Bowl champions the best, you have to feel pretty solid going into the offseason.

They were a third and two from the Eagles’ 12-yard line — and Jalen Carter not being a season-saving hero — away from making it to the NFC Championship. So they were almost there and super far away at the same time. If they did things right this offseason, they could set themselves up to beat the Eagles in Week 3 and then maybe, just maybe, do it again later.

How do you stop a guy who rushed for 460 yards?

When you think of the Los Angeles Rams, you think of Sean McVay. When you think of Sean McVay, you think of a bonkers offense that puts up ungodly numbers with gruesome efficiency. Predictably, the first thing the Rams tried to fix and shore up was their offense.

The biggest problem the Rams had going into the offseason was with their quarterback, Matthew Stafford, because there was no guarantee that he was going to be back for the 2025 season. 

There were all kinds of rumors that he could go to the Giants, the Raiders, the Steelers… pretty much every team that was in quarterback hell back in February. He ended up staying with the Rams, which was a good thing for them because if he left, they would’ve had to pretty much blow the whole thing up and rebuild. A forced rebuild is a bad thing roughly 99 percennt of the time.

The next thing they had to deal with was their pass catchers. Puka Nacua is a specimen, and the fact that he doesn’t like vegetables rocks; he’s going to be there for a long time. It’s Cooper Kupp of it all that got funky.

He’s fallen a long way since his 2021 season, when his 145 catches for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns led to him being the first triple crown winner since 2005, the Offensive Player of the Year, and eventually the Super Bowl MVP.

Over the past three seasons, he’s played in only 33 of 51 games and had a total of 201 catches for 2,264 yards and 17 touchdowns. By no means is that production bad (it’s actually really good for a then 31-year-old), but he wasn’t worth the money they owed him… so they released him. 

They already had his replacement in the building, though, because three days before the Rams released Kupp, they signed Devante Adams. Is releasing a wide receiver who is over 30 and signing a wide receiver who is also over 30 a good idea? Probably not, but I’m sure the Rams are going to find out here in the next six months. 

That's pretty much it for the Rams offense. They kept pretty much everything the same, except for bringing in a new old wide receiver who might have a teensy bit more upside than what they had in 2024. 

Unfortunately for the Rams, their offense wasn’t really their issue against the Eagles last year; it was their defense, and specifically, their run defense. 

Rams still don't have the run defense to stop Saquon Barkley

Saquon Barkley ran for 460 yards and four touchdowns (three of which were 60+ yard touchdowns) against the Rams' defense last season. I’m going to assume that in their offseason meetings, the Rams put up a picture of Barkley on the wall and started throwing numbered darts at it. Whichever dart got closest to his eyes, they looked at the number on that dart, went to a spreadsheet, and saw what idea that number corresponded with.

The dart that hit was ‘sign a mega thicc guy on the defensive line,' and their big defensive move this offseason was signing defensive tackle Poona Ford. He’s a very chonky five feet and 11 inches tall, and 310 pounds. He’s primarily a run-stopper, and he’s pretty good at it. 

Bobby Brown III was their big boy last season, and he left to go to the Panthers. So not only did Ford fill a job opening, but he’s also an upgrade at the spot. 

As for linebacker, they lost Christian Rozeboom and added Nate Landman, who was pretty good for the Falcons. That’s a pretty good upgrade, especially against the run. The Rams also drafted edge rusher Josiah Stewart in the third round and ILB Chris Paul in the fifth round. 

With most teams, you would think that third and fifth-round rookies wouldn’t be game changers right away, but the Rams are really good at evaluating talent in those rounds. 

As for their defensive backs, they’re just going to run it all back with their same five starters. If you’re trying to tweak your defense to stop Saquon Barkley, it makes sense that those guys would be a lower priority. 

All in all, the Rams did a decent job upgrading their defense. If you want to stop a running back from completely embarrassing you in both the regular and postseason, a good place to start is by getting more meat on the defensive line, getting a better linebacker, and hoping your reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Jared Verse, takes a step forward in his second year (it should’ve been Quinyon Mitchell).

Unfortunately for them … this is Saquon Barkley and the Eagles' offensive line that we’re talking about: It could be the best rush defense of the decade after they mainlined the ooze from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Jeff Stoutland will find a way to win. That’s just how it is.

Also, there's a chance that this whole thing was written just so I could post videos of the Eagles stunting on the Rams left and right.