One of the next big offseason boxes to check for the Dallas Cowboys as they continue 2026 training camp in Oxnard, California is their upcoming joint practice with a fellow NFC, the Los Angeles Rams. This practice will happen on Tuesday the 11th.
The Cowboys will also see the Rams this regular season, in Week 15 off their week 14 bye. This stretch has been circled by many Cowboys fans as the time where we may learn what this 2026 team is truly all about. If the Cowboys go into Thanksgiving still in contention
for the division and playoffs at large, they’ll host the Eagles on Turkey Day followed by a Monday Night Football tilt at the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks, the bye, then the Rams.
Certainly the Cowboys football-related part of the offseason has quickly come with a lot of hype for what’s going on at the training fields in Oxnard, but for the totality of the offseason, the hype machine award is a runaway win for the Rams.
Sean McVay’s team has progressed inch by inch in the playoffs since 2023, losing in the Wild Card round in 2023, the Divisional round in 2024, and NFC Championship game last year. In their last two seasons, these playoff exits were to the teams that went on to win the Super Bowl, and in blowout fashion compared to the games the Rams gave both the Eagles and Seahawks on the road.
Perhaps having the Lombardi trophy reside within their division after losing an epic 31-27 championship game at their rivals was the motivation for the Rams to do their signature Rams thing to get closer to another championship of their own, as they’ve used all avenues of player acquisition to become the absolute trendiest pick to win it all right now. Since we’ve only been covering mostly free agent moves, draft classes, and coaching changes in these previews, we’ll start here by going over the trades the Rams have made as a huge part of their roster build as well.
The most notable player the Rams traded for is grabbing Myles Garrett away from the Browns in exchange for their own pass rush star Jared Verse, and giving up a first-, second-, and third-round pick in the next three drafts to Cleveland.
The Garrett trade has also stirred up the potential for a reunion with Aaron Donald, who worked out at the team’s practice last Wednesday. Talk about a defensive line that can close out games for a team with a high-powered offense, and the Rams are assembling just that.
The other Rams trade came back in March, getting cornerback Trent McDuffie from the Kansas City Chiefs.
Rams Key Free Agent Signings/Departures
*SIGNED IN FREE AGENCY
- CB Jaylen Watson
- LB Grant Stuard
- TE Tyler Higbee (Re-signed)
- Kam Curl (Re-signed)
- OL Justin Dedich (Re-signed)
- OL David Quessenberry (Re-signed)
*DEPARTED IN FREE AGENCY
- WR Tutu Atwell
- CB Cobie Durant (DAL)
- CB Ahkello Witherspoon
- CB Roger McCreary
The McDuffie trade for the Rams was just the start of a ton of reshuffling in the secondary for defensive coordinator Chris Shula. The Rams allowed 53 pass plays of at least 20 yards last season. Only the Bears allowed more and also made the playoffs along with the Rams, and the next closest playoff team was the Texans with 47.
Adding Jaylen Watson (another former Chief) and McDuffie immediately gives the Rams a chance to get their cohesion back. Any cornerbacks that sustained a run of playing meaningful snaps in Steve Spagnuolo’s Kansas City defense have to bring experience, scheme flexibility, and the ability to hold up in man coverage, and that’s exactly what the Rams have now. This should bode them well specifically in their NFC West matchups against the Seahawks, 49ers, and Cardinals.
Bringing back Kam Curl was also a positive move in the right direction for the Rams secondary at safety, where he’ll continue lining up next to Kam Kinchens. The Rams have plus speed at linebacker with Nate Landman and Byron Young, plus arguably the best finisher at defensive end in Garrett, making this a defense with a clear objective to get teams behind the sticks and fly around at all three levels.
On offense, its the Rams that are the grandfathers of the heavy 13 personnel usage that other teams are now frantically trying to catch up to. Bringing back Tyler Higbee in free agency keeps the Rams depth at TE strong with Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Terrance Ferguson, and draft pick Max Klare – which brings us to the rest of the Rams draft class.
Rams 2026 Draft Class
- Round 1, Pick 13: QB Ty Simpson
- Round 2, Pick 29 (61 Overall): TE Max Klare
- Round 3, Pick 29 (93 Overall): OT Keagen Trost
- Round 6, Pick 16 (197 Overall): WR CJ Daniels
- Round 7, Pick 16 (232 Overall): DT Tim Keenan III
The Myles Garrett trade was the most recent catalyst to put the Rams firmly in Super Bowl contending status, so much so that it’s collectively made fans forget the puzzlement around their first-round pick. In a division that sent three teams to the playoffs, the Rams opted for a player that will help them down the road at quarterback, but no immediate help for either their starting QB Matthew Stafford or the defense.
Tight end Max Klare is help for Stafford beyond the first round in the draft, as was WR CJ Daniels from Miami.
Add in four of the five projected starters on the offensive line having starting experience from 2025 or before with this team, a RB tandem of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, and a top three at WR of Davante Adams, Puka Nacua, and Jordan Whittington, and the justification isn’t hard to find for the Rams punting on immediate help with a first-round pick.
What a move like that also does is raise the expectations for the Rams coaching staff to get the absolute most out of all the depth they have to work with, which brings us to our look at the new faces on LA’s sideline.
Rams 2026 Coaching Staff
*New to staff this season:
- Assistant Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury
- Special Teams Coordinator Bubba Ventrone
Adding Kliff Kingsbury to a coaching staff led by Sean McVay feels borderline unfair, but that is the world the Rams are living in going into 2026. Cowboys fans can be happy Kingsbury isn’t paired up with their own former DC in Dan Quinn in the NFC East with the Commanders anymore, but still can’t avoid Kingsbury for at least one game in 2026. For this move to make the Rams offense even more diabolical, they’ll need a solid foundation up front to make sure Stafford is protected.
Ryan Wendell will go into his fourth straight season as the team’s offensive line coach to provide this foundation, and Scott Huff is back for a second season as tight ends coach after coaching offensive line for the Seahawks previously.
Ron Gould is also a returning experienced coach at running backs working with a veteran group out of the backfield. Pair this with the Rams defensive run game coordinator and DL coach Giff Smith being in that position since 2024, and the difference the Rams can make right at the point of attack on both sides of the ball could be their biggest strength all season.
Even new special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone comes with assistant head coaching experience at this past stop with the Browns. This Rams team is built to win now through what they did on the trade market, in free agency, in a lesser sense the draft, and to tie it all together, Sean McVay’s impressive coaching staff.
The Cowboys have won their last two regular season meetings against the Rams, on the road in 2022 and at home in 2023, but will face a very tough challenge looking to extend this streak to three games in 2026. In the short term, it will be very telling to see at the joint practice how Brian Schottenheimer calls plays against this retooled Rams defense, and likely more importantly, how Christian Parker and the defense have answers for all of the looks the Rams offense can throw at them.
