Les Snead is back at it. The Los Angeles Rams general manager proved he could add star power by dealing away first round draft picks. He proved he could create stars with those draft picks. And then, after doing so, he landed arguably the NFL's biggest defensive star by trading away one young homegrown stud and a basket of high value draft assets.
Myles Garrett has arrived in Los Angeles, along with two Pro Bowl caliber cornerbacks in Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie. Those additions helped coax a 35-year-old Aaron Donald out of retirement, presumably to feast on the one-on-one matchups having a genetic freak like Garrett will provide. Oh, at the league's reigning MVP is back at quarterback.
Welp, let's take a look at why the Rams will be awesome,
and where they might get tripped up.
Key addition: EDGE Myles Garrett
A) Holy crap, and B) the idea of fewer double teams coaxed a 35-year-old Aaron Donald out of retirement. Though losing Jared Verse stings, the Rams had a top five pressure rate last season with a bottom four blitz rate.
That was, in part, balm for a burned secondary… that added Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie this offseason as well. So the Rams have turned one weakness into a strength, and one strength into Mark Henry in his prime. Got it. Cool. Have fun, rest of the NFC West.
Key departure: CB Cobie Durant
Durant was the Rams' top corner last fall, allowingonly a 70.9 passer rating across 68 targets when split wide. He's a Dallas Cowboy now, which would be a much bigger concern had general manager Les Snead not raided the Chiefs' secondary for its top two corners this offseason.
Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie will bring an immediate upgrade to the secondary as a whole, though Durant's familiarity with defensive coordinator Chris Shula could make his shoes difficult to fill. Still, 2026 was an all-in moment for Los Angeles. There aren't many holes in this roster that haven't been patched.
Potential 2026 breakout player: EDGE Byron Young
Young is coming off a 12-sack season with Jared Verse as his pass rushing running mate. Now he gets Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald alongside him. It's difficult to improve on a dozen sacks and a 14.9 percent pressure rate. If anyone is going to do it, it's the guy about to see the fewest double-teams of his pro career.
Position ranks
- QB rank (expected points added per dropback, via RBSDM.com): 4
- WR corps rank: 4
- RB corps rank: 4
- TE corps rank: 14
Will they improve in 2026?
Yes, which is wild because they were already very good. There's a chance of a superteam implosion, especially if Matthew Stafford's back issues flare up, but there's a reason they're the preseason Super Bowl favorites.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Rams 2026 season preview: LA is stacked (and, a teensy bit vulnerable)
