After a season-ending loss in the snow, it did not take long for the Rams’ offseason to heat up.
Questions about quarterback Matthew Stafford’s future arose immediately. A few weeks later, receiver Cooper Kupp’s fate was apparently sealed.
Will both stars be gone? Will one or both be back?
General manager Les Snead and coach Sean McVay must address other issues. But until Stafford’s and Kupp’s situations are resolved, real plans for free agency and the draft cannot move forward.
The NFL scouting combine begins Thursday in Indianapolis, free agency opens March 12 (preceded by the two-day negotiating period) and the draft will be held April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wis.
As was the case the previous four years, Snead and McVay are not scheduled to attend the combine, preferring instead to have staff review prospects’ game and combine video to augment workouts and interviews leading up to the draft.
On Friday, the Jacksonville Jaguars hired James Gladstone, the Rams director of scouting, as their new general manager. So how Gladstone’s departure affects the Rams’ draft remains to be seen.
After advancing to the NFC divisional round last season, the Rams have the No. 26 pick. They do not have a second-round pick, but have two in the third round, one in the fourth and three in the sixth. There is no guarantee that they will be awarded compensation picks for free agents lost after the 2023 season.
The Rams fared very well in last year’s draft, using the No. 19 pick to select edge rusher Jared Verse, trading up to take defensive tackle Braden Fiske in the second round and adding running back Blake Corum, safety Kamren Kinchens, defensive lineman Tyler Davis, kicker Joshua Karty, receiver Jordan Whittington and center Beaux Limmer in later rounds.
That followed a 2023 draft that produced receiver Puka Nacua, guard Steve Avila, nose tackle Kobie Turner and outside linebacker Byron Young.
Last week, the NFL announced that the salary cap would be between $277.5 million to $281 million per team, an increase of more than $22 million. The Rams currently have about $44.3 million in cap space, according to Overthecap.com.
Here are five questions facing the Rams as they prepare for free agency and the draft:
This story originally appeared on LA Times
