NFC West Report Card: Rams, 49ers Follow Seahawks’ Blueprint

L.A., San Francisco make major moves to catch the Super Bowl champs. Plus, the Cardinals could have one of the best rushing teams in the NFL despite their dire quarterback situation.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford returns for his 18th NFL season. | David Banks-Imagn Images

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1. Los Angeles Rams
2. San Francisco 49ers
3. Seattle Seahawks
4. Arizona Cardinals 

AFC West report card | AFC South report card | NFC South report card | Conor Orr’s post-draft power rankings

The Rams and 49ers were among the most active teams in free agency, partly because they are in the same division as the Seahawks. 

It takes a lot to compete with the defending Super Bowl champions, a testament to how well coach Mike Macdonald and GM John Schneider have built Seattle’s roster in recent years. Their risky decisions, including the 2025 signing of Sam Darnold, paid off with a Lombardi Trophy, and now their NFC West rivals have followed that blueprint in hopes of getting the same result.

The Rams went all in with the trade for cornerback Trent McDuffie, and the 49ers made a splash signing with the addition of wide receiver Mike Evans. However, these two Super Bowl contenders drew criticism for their 2026 draft classes, with one surprisingly selecting a quarterback and the other making questionable Day 2 decisions. 

The Cardinals aren’t on the level of the three other teams in the NFC West. But there’s plenty of intrigue in Arizona with the hiring of coach Mike LaFleur and the draft selection of running back Jeremiyah Love. Still, it’s hard to see this team competing in 2026 with the options it has at quarterback.

Let’s take a closer look at how the loaded NFC West did this offseason.  

Los Angeles Rams

Offseason grade: A-

Key additions: TE Max Klare, CB Trent McDuffie, QB Ty Simpson, CB Jaylen Watson 

Key subtractions: WR Tutu Atwell, CB Cobie Durant, QB Jimmy Garoppolo, OT Rob Havenstein, CB Roger McCreary, CB Ahkello Witherspoon

The splash moves that the Rams made in free agency were quickly forgotten after their shocking decision to use the No. 13 pick on Simpson. Maybe it was a reach to take the Alabama product that high, and quarterback certainly wasn’t a need with Matthew Stafford coming off an MVP season, but L.A. could afford to look to the future after addressing its biggest weakness with the additions of McDuffie and Watson. 

Those two moves alone put the Rams in an ideal position to win the Super Bowl this season, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that coach Sean McVay has the best roster in football. But if injuries hit this team at the worst time, many will be pointing at the fact that GM Les Snead didn’t use his first-round pick on a player who could make an immediate impact and provide depth at a position. Still, it’s understandable as to why Snead got risky in the draft, especially because of how much better this defense could be with a cornerback as versatile as McDuffie, a potential chess piece for defensive coordinator Chris Shula. 

It was also a gamble for the Rams to cough up a first-round pick to the Chiefs and immediately sign McDuffie to a market-setting, four-year, $124 million contract extension. If McDuffie delivers and the Rams make a run at the Super Bowl, the Simpson pick will likely be forgotten until it’s his time to take over for Stafford.

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San Francisco 49ers

Offseason grade: B+

Key additions: RB Kaelon Black, WR Mike Evans, LB Dre Greenlaw, edge Romello Height, G Robert Jones, WR Christian Kirk, OT Vederian Lowe, DT Osa Odighizuwa, WR De’Zhaun Stribling

Key subtractions: WR Kendrick Bourne, edge Clelin Ferrell, WR Jauan Jennings, RB Brian Robinson Jr., LB Dee Winters

The 49ers made plenty of noise in free agency and the draft. They received outside praise for the signing of Evans and the trade for Odighizuwa, but the public feedback wasn’t the same in the draft after GM John Lynch made a few questionable decisions, including the second-round selection of Stribling and the third-round selection of Black. 

Regardless of whether the team reached for picks, San Francisco could once again be a legitimate Super Bowl contender if it produces impactful rookies to go with its veteran-heavy roster. Evans’s knack for coming down with contested catches will give coach Kyle Shanahan another element in his offense. Also, the same could be said for Stribling’s speed and tenacious blocking. And the 49ers needed depth at running back with Christian McCaffrey heading into his 10th season.   

On defense, the 49ers may have found a gem in Height, the third-round rookie from Texas Tech. If Height and Mykel Williams, the 2025 first-round pick, quickly find their footing this season, that could be enough for this team to have a productive pass-rushing rotation behind Nick Bosa. Depth is vital in San Francisco with all the injuries that occurred last season. As for another positive, it will certainly help to have Odighizuwa to create push in the middle of the defensive front, assisting Bosa and Fred Warner.

On paper, the 49ers are talented at various positions, but how far they go in 2026 will likely come down to how much Shanahan and Lynch get from their draft picks from the past two years. 

The 49ers signed former Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans to make contested catches in the end zone. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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Seattle Seahawks

Offseason grade: B

Key additions: S Bud Clark, edge Dante Fowler Jr., CB Julian Neal, RB Jadarian Price, RB Emanuel Wilson

Key subtractions: RB Kenneth Walker III, S Coby Bryant, edge Boye Mafe, CB Riq Woolen

The defending Super Bowl champions lost plenty of talent in free agency, but they made up for it in the draft despite picking last in the first round.

Price, the No. 32 pick, could be a Day 1 starter due to his physical play style and ability to break tackles at a frequent rate. Perhaps it was a reach to take a running back in the first round, but there was a critical need with Walker joining the Chiefs and Zach Charbonnet recovering from a torn ACL. In the secondary, the Seahawks quickly reloaded, drafting Neal and Clark, two players with size, speed and versatility, all traits that Macdonald covets from his defensive backs. 

With this team’s track record of finding talent, the Seahawks will likely be able to overcome the significant losses they had in free agency. They could use more youth at edge rusher, but they recently added Fowler to provide depth at the position. Overall, there isn’t a glaring weakness on this team. However, it’s never easy for teams to repeat as Super Bowl champions. Unknown obstacles will occur, but this team has been ready for most challenges since Macdonald was hired by Schneider two years ago. 

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Arizona Cardinals 

Offseason grade: C+

Key additions: RB Tyler Allgeier, QB Carson Beck, G Chase Bisontis, WR Kendrick Bourne, DT Roy Lopez, RB Jeremiyah Love, QB Gardner Minshew II, G Isaac Seumalo, OT Elijah Wilkinson, S Andrew Wingard 

Key subtractions: G Evan Brown, DT Calais Campbell, RB Emari Demercado, WR Greg Dortch, G Will Hernandez, QB Kyler Murray, S Jalen Thompson, DT Dalvin Tomlinson

Bourne asking Aaron Rodgers to join him in Arizona says plenty about the Cardinals’ dire quarterback situation. The team likely didn’t expect Jacoby Brissett to ask for a pay raise—he’s making about $6 million in 2026—but Arizona provided him with leverage after making it obvious it had no intentions of adding viable competition at the position after releasing Murray.  

The Cardinals’ signing of Minshew and drafting of Beck in the third round likely won’t be enough for Brissett to come off his demands. He’s clearly the best option among the three, but maybe this could force the Cardinals to trade the veteran signal-caller if he doesn’t report for the start of training camp, which shouldn’t be ruled out for a team that may be looking to draft a quarterback high in next year’s loaded class. 

Getting 17 games from Minshew or Beck could be bad news for Bourne and the other pass catchers. But on the bright side, the Cardinals could be one of the best rushing teams in the league after signing Allgeier and using the No. 3 pick on Love. Also, Arizona bolstered its offensive line with the signing of Seumalo and the second-round selection of Bisontis. There is an uncertainty, however, at right tackle. 

If the offensive line produces, running the football might be the only strength for LaFleur’s team. The Cardinals didn’t do much to improve the defense and have glaring needs at all three levels. This unit desperately needs 2025 draft picks Walter Nolen III and Will Johnson Jr. to stay healthy or it could be another long season in the desert.

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