The Los Angeles Rams have done a solid job in building their roster for the 2026 season, but it appears that work done this offseason and past off-seasons may have done more than just help for the upcoming season.
On Monday, ESPN writers and analysts released a projection for each NFL franchise for 2027-2029, and in this projection, the primary focus was on the future while specifically grading the overall roster outside of the quarterback, in addition to the quarterback, coaching, and the front office.
In this future projection, the Rams received an overall score of 85.3 (No. 5 among all NFL teams). Los Angeles did pretty well in each category, which is a major reason why they ranked so high.
For the overall roster excluding the quarterback, the Rams received a score of 86.75 (No. 5 among all NFL teams). Secondly, the quarterback position received a score of 73.75 (No. 24 among all NFL teams).
Next, coaching earned a score of 95 (No.1 among all NFL teams), and lastly, the front office received a score of 83.25 (No. 6 among all NFL teams).
On another note, this overall ranking is a very positive sign for the next three years when thinking about the sheer number of contract extensions that the Rams have to negotiate. Currently, Puka Nacua is one of the biggest extensions that general manager Les Snead is likely working on.
Some of the other players who are up for extensions include Kobie Turner, Byron Young, Kevin Dotson, Steve Avila, Warren McClendon Jr., Coleman Shelton, and Colby Parkinson.
With this high ranking in the 2027 to 2029 projection, it does seem to suggest that these analysts believe that Snead and head coach Sean McVay have a great plan for the roster moving forward, and will sign at least a few of these players and will have a solution for any players they may lose.
The reason that the Rams do have so many extensions is primarily that the front office does a great job of evaluating talent, and as a result, when there is a strong draft class like the 2023 class, all of them are up for extensions at the same time.
Even though a lot of this projection did score well for the Rams overall, clearly these analysts believe there is one area that is uncertain, which is the quarterback position.
With this projection going from 2027 to 2029, it is worth wondering if these analysts are factoring in Matthew Stafford potentially playing in 2027 or possibly a little longer. Regardless, the quarterback score of 73.75 that the Rams received does appear to be more of a question about rookie quarterback Ty Simpson than anything else.
While Simpson did shine in the preseason opener, there is still a lot more work to do if he wants to be the next starting quarterback for the Rams once Stafford retires, but at this point, Los Angeles has to be happy with what they have seen from the rookie thus far.
Now looking at the coaching and the overall roster, these are two areas that the Rams have set up very well and should have very few questions.
Since becoming head coach, McVay has done an excellent job preparing his team for success, but he is also one of the best offensive play-callers in the entire NFL. Additionally, McVay has seen several coaches on his staff receive head coaching opportunities, such as Mike LaFleur, Liam Coen, and Brandon Staley.
Heading into 2026, if offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase and defensive coordinator Chris Shula each have a strong showing, it is very possible that McVay could produce two more head coaching candidates.
With the success McVay has had in terms of record and helping to develop a great culture that produces a great locker room and lots of solid coaches, it is very clear why the coaching for the Rams scored as the best in the NFL.
As far as the roster goes, the Rams have playmakers all over the field, like Nacua and Terrance Ferguson, who both look to be key pieces of the offense for the foreseeable future.
Additionally, Los Angeles also has an absurd amount of talent on defense, such as Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Young, Turner, Braden Fiske, Quentin Lake, Kam Kinchens, and Kam Curl.
Basically, at almost every position on the roster, the Rams have a player who can be productive and impactful, as well as plenty of young talent that should continue to develop and keep getting better.
While the focus for the Rams will be on the 2026 season, this projection did reveal that this team is set up very well for 2027 to 2029, which means that Los Angeles may have an opportunity to bring home multiple championships in the near future.