The Rams did what fans want. They made the big trade for the star quarterback and won the Super Bowl. And we figured that, since they traded a lot to get him, they might enter a dark period here. 

But the Rams had other ideas behind Cooper Kupp, Kyren Williams, and breakout rookie Puka Nacua. They roared back to the playoffs in 2023 and now, going into 2024, they’ll prepare to make that run again.

The NFL combine starts this weekend and the legal tampering period, which is the de facto start of free agency, starts on March 11th. So, what we are doing here is going through the roster, depth chart, contracts, and salary cap to figure out what moves the Rams might do with their weapons for both NFL fans and fantasy gamers alike. So let’s dig in!

*The salary cap numbers referenced in this article come courtesy of our friends over at Spotrac.com*

Fantasy Football Depth Chart: Los Angeles Rams

Quarterback

Matthew Stafford

Carson Wentz

Stetson Bennett

 

Running Back

Kyren Williams

Royce Freeman

Ronnie Rivers

Zach Evans

Wide Receiver

Cooper Kupp

Ben Skowronek

Tyler Johnson

 

Wide Receiver

Puka Nacua

Tutu Atwell

  

Wide Receiver

Demarcus Robinson

Austin Trammell

  

Tight End

Tyler Higbee

Davis Allen

Brycen Hopkins

Hunter Long


White = unrestricted free agent

Green = role is safe

Yellow = role could be in jeopardy

Red = could be traded or released

PROJECTED 2024 SALARIES: ~$219M

ESTIMATED 2024 CAP SPACE: ~$44M

Quarterback

Matthew Stafford: There were a LOT of rumors surrounding Stafford last offseason. Was the elbow shot? Is he washed up? Will he RETIRE? As it turns out, the elbow was just fine as Stafford threw for 264 yards a game which was the 8th most of any QB. 

Stafford is not only under contract for 2024 but also 2025 and 2026 and, for now, there’s no reason to believe he won’t continue to go out there and sling it. He’s locked into your lineups for two QB formats and is a viable starter in any given week in single QB though, at this stage, he’s not particularly mobile. In fact, he never really ever was.

Carson Wentz: Carson Wentz may not have fully lived up to the hype but he’s still a serviceable backup QB in this league that can keep your team afloat for a couple games if need be. He’s an unrestricted free agent but could be the answer in 2024 at backup QB if they can bring him back.

Stetson Bennett: Bennett was a very successful college QB but that doesn’t always translate to the NFL. He still has time to develop but recent comments from COO Kevin Demoff were a little concerning as he said the presence of Carson Wentz wouldn’t discourage the Rams from “taking another swing at a quarterback prospect”. Maybe they just move forward with Bennett as the backup behind Stafford but I have a suspicion they don’t quite trust him.

RAMS QB FREE AGENCY TAKE: If the Rams can go with Wentz as the veteran backup and Bennett as the developmental emergency third QB they can feel pretty good about it. Here are some other pocket-type passers that are free agents that could fit the bill as well. Some are going to be more expensive than others and a few of these names likely still think they should be in the mix for a starting job but still.

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT QB OPTIONS: Ryan Tannehill, Mitch Trubisky, Sam Darnold, Gardner Minshew, Mason Rudolph

 

Running Back

Kyren Williams: Kyren Williams was a pretty highly touted prospect, but a lot of damage was done by a poor combine - he not only showed up lighter than expected, but he ran a 4.65 forty-yard dash which is 31st percentile per PlayerProfiler. Because of that he slid to the 5th round. 

Good news for Williams is that the Rams famously don’t attend the combine and haven’t since 2020. And they rely on their own metrics which led them to select Williams. And we all saw what those results were like.

The only real question here for Williams, if we have to find one, is pass blocking. It was supposedly a positive part of his game in college, but he has struggled a bit through two years with pass blocking - something he has admitted himself. Last year he allowed the 8th most hurries of any RB. per Pro Football Focus. His rookie year he graded out outside the top 130 backs.

We’ve seen some guys who put up good statistics with the ball in their hands run into these issues in the past like Phillip Lindsay and Dameon Pierce. To me, Williams simply looked too good to take off the field, but we will keep our eyes peeled here to see if the Rams want to supplement any perceived weaknesses with another back.  

Royce Freeman: The Rams really leaned heavily on Kyren Williams - Williams led with 228 carries and Freeman was next with 77. And that was with Williams missing multiple games. Freeman is an unrestricted free agent this year so there’s no guarantee he’s back. If you are a Kyren Williams fan, you WANT Royce Freeman back because he’s non-threatening. The devil you know is often better than the one you don’t.  

Ronnie Rivers: Rivers worked his way up via the practice squad which is a double-edged sword. On one side, he’s on a cheap deal meaning there’s no big incentive to cut him. But that also means he has zero dead cap tied to his deal which means he could be cut for a million in savings with no hit. The key for Rivers is that he’s not only there as a backup RB but he also contributes on four different special teams units so I think he’s back in 2024. 

Zach Evans: Zach Evans was a sixth round pick but folks will always have irrational hopes and expectations about rookie RBs. What’s concerning for Evans is that he not only didn’t carve out the offensive role we had hoped but he also struggled to maintain one on special teams, ending up a healthy scratch at times. That leaves him on the roster bubble going into 2024.

RAMS RB FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Rams in the past have been willing to both be thin at running back and give one guy a huge workload. So maybe they don’t do much here. But, in the modern NFL, it’s probably not best to lean on one guy so heavily. 

Kyren Williams was on pace for well over 300 carries this year which might be why he ended up missing time. If they can find a reliable complement, maybe someone to take the load off pass blocking on obvious pass downs, that would probably be in the team’s best interest. And the health interest of Kyren. 

Ravens Free Agent RB Options: Devin Singletary, Antonio Gibson, Ezekiel Elliott, Matt Breida

 

Wide Receiver

Cooper Kupp: Cooper Kupp dealt with some injuries but he’s still Cooper Kupp. So the team is going to rely on him to play the Cooper Kupp role. What that entails is having Kupp play out wide in two WR sets them move to the slot when they bring in a third WR. Down the road he may be relegated to just the slot like Larry Fitzgerald but, for now, he’s an every down player. And obviously he has massive upside for fantasy football.

Puka Nacua: Puka Nacua had a lot of college metrics working in his favor - namely, a high yards per route run. So it’s not surprising that he broke out as a rookie but it is surprising just HOW productive he was. Moving forward Nacua is a full time player on the outside and should be locked into your fantasy football lines. Great job if you added him late in a dynasty league, looks like you found a gem!

Demarcus Robinson: The Rams took care of business here by signing Robinson to a one year, five million dollar deal to keep him in town. He’s the third man that comes in for three WR sets that slides Cooper Kupp into the slot. And they run a lot of three WR sets so Robinson will play plenty and have some appeal in best ball and deeper fantasy football formats. 

Tutu Atwell: Atwell never really developed into a fulltime player, but he does still have the speed to help stretch the field when the Rams need it. He’s on the last year of a rookie deal so he could but cut for $1.4 million in savings with $400K dead cap but he’ll probably hang around before hitting free agency next year. 

Ben Skowronek: NFL teams love guys like Ben Skowronek. This guy played on all FIVE special teams units - kickoff, kick return, punt coverage, punt return, and extra points. And he’s serviceable on the offensive side if you need him in a pinch. He’s not going anywhere for 2024 though he is an unrestricted free agent in 2025. 

Tyler Johnson: Tyler Johnson had some hype coming out of Minnesota but never got the draft capital and hasn’t really flashed at the NFL. He’s a restricted free agent but they won’t pick him up a the $2.8 million dollar tender so he’ll need to make this team on his own merits as a free agent if he’s going to make it. 

Austin Trammell: Trammell is an exclusive rights free agent meaning he can be brought back on a fairly cheap deal just shy of $1 million. He returned the vast majority of the kicks and punts for the Rams last year, so I expect them to take advantage of that team option.

RAMS WR FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Rams have Kupp and Nacua, they brought back Robinson, and they’ll have Skowronek and Trammell for special teams. They might need another guy for depth but they’ll actually looking pretty good at wide receiver. This feels like an opportunity to take a stab somewhere in the draft rather than spending up on a free agent. 

 

Tight End

Tyler Higbee: Tyler Higbee has been a solid two-way tight end for them. Not super flashy but he gets it done. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL and MCL in the playoff game against the Lions so he will miss a good chunk of the season. He’s 31 years old now and it was already difficult to bank on him in fantasy football so you don’t necessarily need to hold him in your dynasty leagues. 

Davis Allen: Of guys on the roster now, Davis Allen offers the most pass catching ability while Higbee is out. He’s a big boy at 6’6” 245 but he lacks high end speed - his 4.84 forty-yard dash is 32nd percentile among tight ends. With Kupp and Nacua there, don’t expect him to blow the doors off your fantasy league even if he gets the start. 

Brycen Hopkins: Hopkins is a free agent, and I don’t expect him back after Davis Allen leap-frogged him for work as a rookie. There is an off chance the Rams just try to piece it together with familiar faces until Higbee returns but that could get dicey. 

Hunter Long: Hunter Long went down the blocking side of the tight end tree going back to his time with the Dolphins. So he’s a primary inline player and he’s not necessarily a lock to make the team. They’ll need someone to be the blocking tight end but those guys are available and Hopkins operated ahead of him in that capacity last year. 

RAMS TE FREE AGENCY TAKE: The high risk, high reward move for the Rams would be to draft a rookie tight end and let Davis Allen and the rookie battle it out while Tyler Higbee recovers. The prudent move would be to bring in a veteran. Here are the veteran tight ends out there to consider. 

Ravens Free Agent TE Options: Dalton Schultz, Hunter Henry, Gerald Everett, Noah Fant, Austin Hooper, Mike Gesicki, Robert Tonyan, Harrison Bryant

 

NFL Free Agency Previews

Discover our other breakdowns for the rest of the league ahead of 2024 NFL free agency: