Projecting the Rams’ Week 1 Starting Lineup vs. the 49ers

The Los Angeles Rams released their official Week 1 depth chart on Friday, and now their focus is solely on the San Francisco 49ers. For the most part, this Rams team looks very similar to how it did last year. Still, they made some big changes at key spots. Let’s take a look at the projected Week 1 starting lineup.

Projecting the Rams’ Week 1 Starting Offense

Overall, the Rams are returning 10 of 11 Week 1 starters from last season. With Warren McClendon at right tackle, you could say they are returning all 11 even if he didn’t start in Week 1. With basically everybody back, the Rams will be able to build on what they started last year, and the expectation is they will lean into 12 and 13 personnel.

Quarterback: Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford is coming off of an MVP season and will have high expectations to lead the Rams to the Super Bowl in 2026. While Stafford may not win back-to-back MVPs, it should still be expected that he can play at a high level. The Rams will only go as far as Stafford takes them, and they hope that will be to another Lombardi Trophy.

Running Back: Kyren Williams

The Rams will likely have somewhat of a committee at running back, but Kyren Williams remains the starter in the backfield. Despite Blake Corum adding an explosive element to the backfield, Williams is still valued for his ability to keep the offense on track and what he does in pass protection. Even if his share of carries goes down, it shouldn’t be surprising to see him keep the majority.

X Wide Receiver: Davante Adams

Davante Adams remains the starting X wide receiver in the Rams’ offense. While Adams may not hit 14 touchdowns again, he and Stafford have had a strong connection throughout training camp. After missing that time during the offseason last year, they have taken advantage of it this summer.

Slot/Z Wide Receiver: Puka Nacua

There is no doubt that Nacua has had an eventful offseason, but the star wide receiver will now look to put that all behind him. Heading into the season, there is some uncertainty with a potential suspension, but Nacua will at least be available for Week 1. Nacua allows the Rams to do so much on offense because of his improvement as a route-runner and his physicality as a blocker.

Y Tight End: Tyler Higbee OR Davis Allen

The Rams listed both Tyler Higbee and Davis Allen as the starters in this spot. It seems to suggest that the Rams are going to be pretty fluid with their tight ends, and those players are going to be interchangeable. Higbee may not be the player that he once was, but he has shown that he can still be reliable.

F Tight End: Colby Parkinson OR Terrance Ferguson

A lot is expected of Terrance Ferguson this season as he heads into year two. Ferguson started to get more of a run in the offense toward the end of last season. With a full year under his belt and another offseason, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take a step forward.

Left Tackle: Alaric Jackson

Much like Nacua, there is some uncertainty with Alaric Jackson and a potential suspension. However, heading into Week 1, Jackson will be available. Having Jackson will be crucial, especially as the Rams lack some tackle depth with Keagen Trost on injured reserve.

Left Guard: Steve Avila

Heading into a contract year, this is a big season for Steve Avila. Over the past few years, Avila has managed some injuries. If he can stay healthy, there’s a chance that Avila could prove himself as one of the better young guards in the NFL.

Center: Coleman Shelton

Having Coleman Shelton at center might not be exciting, but he offers stability in the middle of the offensive line. Shelton has been described as being like a second quarterback in the offense along with Matthew Stafford. Following a short stint away, Shelton returned to the Rams last season. He may not be a top center, but he gives the Rams what they need.

Right Guard: Kevin Dotson

Dotson remains one of the more underrated guards in the NFL and enters his third consecutive season as the Rams’ starting right guard. He’s a big reason why the Rams’ run game works, and they’ll need him healthy and playing well this season. Dotson also enters a contract year, and he’ll be someone who the Rams try to keep around.

Right Tackle: Warren McClendon

While McClendon may not have been the Week 1 starter last season, he did start most of the year at right tackle in place of an injured Rob Havenstein. McClendon now goes into the season as the starter and will have a lot to prove. He showed what he was capable of last year. If he can build on that, he’ll earn a large payday next summer.

Projecting the Rams’ Week 1 Starting Defense

he Rams technically return eight of their 11 starters from last season’s defense. However, only seven of those players will actually be in the starting lineup. During the offseason, the Rams made it a point to rebuild the secondary, so they added Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. The Rams also traded for Myles Garrett on the edge. However, the big surprise was Aaron Donald coming out of retirement and returning to the team after two years away.

Defensive Ends: Aaron Donald, Kobie Turner

It seems surreal to see Aaron Donald back in the starting lineup on the Rams’ defensive line. However, after two years away, Donald has returned. He may not play the number of snaps he did in his prime, but he’ll be a big part of what the Rams want to do. Donald once again joins forces with Turner, who enters a contract year.

Nose Tackle: Poona Ford

An argument can be made that Ford was the most important player on the Rams’ defensive line last year. After struggling to stop the run at times in 2024, the Rams brought in Ford last year. With Ford, the Rams had one of the better run defenses in the NFL. Ford does a lot of the dirty work in the middle of the defensive line and is crucial to how the Rams want to operate in light boxes.

EDGE Rushers: Myles Garrett and Byron Young

One of the biggest moves of the offseason was the Rams trading for edge rusher Myles Garrett. Unfortunately, that meant trading away Jared Verse. Still, the Rams will hope Garrett’s ability to generate quick pressures helps take this defense over the top.

Linebacker: Nate Landman

While some would have wanted the Rams to upgrade at the linebacker position over the offseason, they are running it back with Landman and Speights. While Landman started the year strong, he tapered off down the stretch after signing his extension. The Rams will need him to play well at linebacker this season.

Outside Cornerbacks: Trent McDuffie AND Jaylen Watson

McDuffie and Watson play different roles on the outside, but this is a big improvement from last year. The Rams saw that they had a weakness at cornerback and addressed it this offseason. McDuffie may be listed as an outside cornerback, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Rams move him around quite a bit.

Nickel Cornerback: Quentin Lake

Last season, Quentin Lake was one of the most important players in the Rams’ secondary, and a big reason for that was how he played in the slot. Like McDuffie, the Rams will likely move Lake around quite a bit. However, his impact will come in the slot at the STAR position, where the Rams can get him close to the ball.

Free Safety: Kam Kinchens

With better cornerback play, Kinchens could take a big step forward in his third season. Drafted out of Miami, Kinchens was selected because of his playmaking ability. Kinchens only had two interceptions last year, but with better cornerback play and a more impactful pass rush, that number should go up.

Strong Safety: Kam Curl

Throughout Les Snead’s tenure as general manager, the Rams typically haven’t paid safeties. The Rams went against that trend with Quentin Lake’s extension and then also paid Kam Curl during free agency. Curl is a big part of what the Rams do on defense. It was his interception in the NFC Divisional Round that helped the Rams beat the Bears. Curl is one of the better tackling safeties in the NFL, which allows the Rams to play light in the secondary.

Special Teams: Harrison Mevis (K), Ethan Evans (P), Joe Cardona (LS), Xavier Smith (PR), Jordan Whittington (KR)

The Rams didn’t make too many changes on special teams outside of hiring Bubba Ventrone and signing Joe Cardona at long snapper. Grant Stuard will be a core special teams player as well. If the Rams are going to win the Super Bowl this season, they need the special teams to play better.

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