Expectations for the Rams have been set notably lower for the 2020 season after the team finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs last year. They’re no longer seen as legitimate Super Bowl contenders by the majority of media members, and some are even putting the Cardinals ahead of them in the NFC West.
A good portion of offseason rankings have compounded the low expectations set for Los Angeles, too.
When rating their roster, it’s easy to see strengths, but there are also glaring weaknesses. The linebacker corps is bare, the offensive line is shaky and the secondary is beaming with youth. There’s potential, but also risk involved in these units.
The Athletic recently ranked every offense and defense in the NFL, and the Rams were slotted in the bottom half of the league on both lists.
Their offense was ranked 19th after being put at No. 17 last year.
Blaming last year’s offensive decline on Gurley would be unfair. The Rams’ offensive line took a big step backwards and remains a big question going into 2020. Jared Goff ranked 34th in completion percentage above expectation, threw 16 interceptions and fumbled 10 times. The Rams are much more likely to repeat last year’s performance than revert to 2018 form.
As for the defense, it was surprisingly low, too. After being ranked ninth last year, Sheil Kapadia put the Rams 17th in the NFL, behind the Browns and Colts.
Starting with the best defensive player in football (Aaron Donald) and one of the best corners (Jalen Ramsey) offers a solid foundation and a relatively high floor. But there are reasons for concern with this group. They’re moving on from Wade Phillips, one of the best defensive coordinators of this era, and handing the keys over to a relative unknown in Brandon Staley. As for personnel, the Rams lost six players who logged at least 400 snaps last season. They don’t have much pass rush outside of Donald, and linebacker is a big question. Add everything up, and it’s a lot of turnover during a shortened offseason.
The Rams do have a lot of questions to answer, and they have to do so in a short period of time with the preseason canceled and training camp shortened. But if their younger players can come through and become quality starters, Los Angeles could be in good shape.
The secondary has Jalen Ramsey, the defensive line boasts Aaron Donald, and John Johnson and Taylor Rapp make up a promising safety tandem. Time will tell how this roster shapes up, but the potential is there.