Counting Down the Top 10 Stories of the 2024 Offseason (So Far)

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AvengerRam

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10. Finally, a Kicker (we hope)
The kicker position has been, shall we say… unstable… since Matt Gay left. Now, the Rams have a strong prospect in Joshua Karty. Let’s hope he’s the solution for a long time.

9. A Curious Under-the-Radar Move

Colby Parkinson was not on anyone’s FA priority list and, yet, the Rams clearly targeted him (and Seahawks fans were unhappy to see him go – particularly to a division rival). With Tyler Higbee likely shelved for the start of the season, could he be a sleeper/breakout player?

8. The Mystery of Stetson Bennett
Bennett had a lost year as a rookie, but now has reemerged to compete for a spot. He’s a very high profile player with many fans, but does he have a future with the Rams?

7. Not Standing Pat at RB
Last year, Kyren Williams broke out with a Pro Bowl campaign. The Rams were not satisfied to go into 2024 with just Williams, so they acquired veteran Boston Scott and drafted promising rookie Blake Corum. The Rams are ready to be a strong running team.

6. From Nemesis to Insurance Policy

To the chagrin of some, the Rams signed long-time foe Jimmy Garappolo to back up Matthew Stafford. Bad blood and silly nicknames aside, he is a high quality QB2 (who hopefully will never play meaningful snaps).

5. Bolstering the Back-end

The Rams made three key additions in FA to bolster the DB: Darious Williams, Tre’Davious White and Kamren Curl. Will these vets gel with the young holdovers to form an above-average unit? Time will tell.

4. Going big on the OL

Two years ago, OL troubles doomed the Rams’ Super Bowl follow-up season. Now, after prioritizing FA spending on the interior, find themselves with a big, highly promising OL consisting of AJ Jackson, Jonah Jackson, Steve Avila, Kevin Dotson and Rob Havenstein.

3. So long Raheem, hello Chris (and Kamren)
Raheem Morris, a head coach interviewee for years, got his shot to run the Falcons. The Rams have now turned the defense over to Chris Shula, and have obtained two 3rd round compensatory picks, the first of which was used on promising safety Kamren Kitchens.

2. The FSU Connection

The Rams finally made a first round draft pick, selecting Jared Verse with the 19thpick. They then traded up to the 39th pick to select his Seminole teammate, Braden Fiske. If they live up to expectations, the FSU connection will help form (along with 2023 standout rookies Byron Young and Kobie Turner) a front 7 core for years to come.

1. Aaron Donald Retires

The timing of this was a surprise – most (including me) thought we’d get at least one more year out of Donald before saying goodbye to an all-time great. It’s tough to see him go, but I take solace in knowing he did it all for us, never played anywhere else, and gets to retire a healthy, happy man.
 

CGI_Ram

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6. From Nemesis to Insurance Policy
To the chagrin of some, the Rams signed long-time foe Jimmy Garappolo to back up Matthew Stafford. Bad blood and silly nicknames aside, he is a high quality QB2 (who hopefully will never play meaningful snaps).
Am I the only one?… when we signed Jimmy G… I was happy to have a guy who has played meaningful games as OUR BACKUP. He’s not starting, he is our backup.

But damn… I can’t stomach some of these promo pictures with Jimmy.

It feels like, I dunno...? I still hate the guy, I think.
 

CGI_Ram

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5. Bolstering the Back-end
The Rams made three key additions in FA to bolster the DB: Darious Williams, Tre’Davious White and Kamren Curl. Will these vets gel with the young holdovers to form an above-average unit? Time will tell.
There is some fingers crossed in there, mostly White. He’s going to be good if he holds up. Big IF right now.

Williams will be solid, but he’s a year older.

Curl is going to ball out. I love this dude’s potential here.

I like our moves.

Fingers crossed
 

CGI_Ram

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4. Going big on the OL
Two years ago, OL troubles doomed the Rams’ Super Bowl follow-up season. Now, after prioritizing FA spending on the interior, find themselves with a big, highly promising OL consisting of AJ Jackson, Jonah Jackson, Steve Avila, Kevin Dotson and Rob Havenstein.
I LOVE that we have SIZE.
 

CGI_Ram

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1. Aaron Donald Retires
The timing of this was a surprise – most (including me) thought we’d get at least one more year out of Donald before saying goodbye to an all-time great. It’s tough to see him go, but I take solace in knowing he did it all for us, never played anywhere else, and gets to retire a healthy, happy man.
I love AD. I wish we got this, as fans.

He was a once in a lifetime for football fans. Not just Rams fans… true FOOTBALL fans.

I wanted a goodbye season from the best I’ve seen. I wanted that goodbye.
 

Mackeyser

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I LOVE that we have SIZE.

yep. I really love that we should have the beef to engage in post-season thuggery by slamming the ball down team’s throats when fields shorten and defenses tighten up
 

kurtfaulk

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I love AD. I wish we got this, as fans.

He was a once in a lifetime for football fans. Not just Rams fans… true FOOTBALL fans.

I wanted a goodbye season from the best I’ve seen. I wanted that goodbye.

It just shows the different mindset between AD and jerkoffs like Favre and Brady.

AD is happy to just retire when it was time with little fanfare. The other two thrived on the media speculating on them endlessly and then fawning over them. In other words they're complete Fuckwits.

AD, the true champion.

.
 

Tano

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Am I the only one?… when we signed Jimmy G… I was happy to have a guy who has played meaningful games as OUR BACKUP. He’s not starting, he is our backup.

But damn… I can’t stomach some of these promo pictures with Jimmy.

It feels like, I dunno...? I still hate the guy, I think.
So do I. But I don't hate him in the same vein as Tom Brady so I guess I can tolerate him.
 

Tano

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It just shows the different mindset between AD and jerkoffs like Favre and Brady.

AD is happy to just retire when it was time with little fanfare. The other two thrived on the media speculating on them endlessly and then fawning over them. In other words they're complete Fuckwits.

AD, the true champion.

.
I am still hoping (even though it's just a smidgen of hope) that AD does a Weddle.
 

snackdaddy

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60 yard field goals are nice. But I want a reliable kicker. Not one you're crossing your fingers and hoping when he goes out to kick a 40 yarder. Hope Karty is that guy.

Parkinson is intriguing. A big target for Stafford. Athletic. Improved his blocking. But he was the TE2 in Seattle. Rams paid him more than I would expect for a backup tight end. They must see something in him.

Stetson Bennett. Not really expecting much from him. He might be the backup the first two games. But emergency QB after that. I'm just not sold on him. Taking a year off like makes me think he's not as invested in his career as others are.

The running back room is solid. A deep group. Nice mix of vet and young guys. Could be one of the best groups in the league.

Jimmy Garoppolo. We learned to hate him. Now we gotta root for him if Stafford goes down. Probably the best backup QB we've had in a while. He just might come in handy at some point.

If White can play early on and play at least close to his pro bowl level its a good signing. That injury does give me pause.

All the offensive line needs to do is stay healthy and it will be among the best.

I'm not worried about losing Raheem. I still think McVay has a bigger hand in the defense than we know.

I believe Verse will be an immediate impact player for us. A candidate for defensive rookie of the year. Fiske I don't know. Should be part of the rotation. But a guy who makes an impact early? We'll have to see about that. I do believe he will be a solid pick over the next 4 years.

Aaron Donald. Sucks he retired. But it had to happen sooner or later. And he'd probably not be the guy he was 3 or 4 years ago. We do have some talent there. Just might take time to get used to NFL level competition.
 
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RamBall

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Was Shane Waldron the seattle OC when Parkinson entered the NFL? If so McVay probably has a lot of good info on Parkinson.
 

methomas50

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Jimmy ís a Ram now. Dont care about his past. I just hope he isnt needed the first two games when he serves his suspension. Otherwise name a team with a better backup?