What the Rams Benefited From Last Season

The Los Angeles Rams' defense took a step forward and contributed greatly to their success. Which of their players played an important role in that?

Jul 29, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula on the field during training camp at Loyola Marymount University. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams couldn't capitalize on their golden opportunity to win a Super Bowl, and now they're left with an offseason where they have to make good decisions to get back to that point. Thankfully, they have some experience in making all of the right moves to prepare themselves for success.

Last offseason, the Rams were viewed as one of the biggest winners in free agency. In hindsight, while they may not have been as big of winners as the Seattle Seahawks, they were still one of the teams that added the most players, which contributed to their success. Which one of those signings helped them out in a big way?

A Dog in the Trenches

Jan 4, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay stands on the sidelines against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Thomas Valentine writes for Pro Football Focus, and he wrote an article breaking down the highest graded interior defensive lineman from last season. The Rams signed Poona Ford to help shore up the middle of their defensive line, but he played better than they could've even expected.

"The Rams signed veteran Poona Ford last offseason in the hopes that the big nose tackle could add some punch on the interior of their defensive line. He succeeded in his first season with the team. Ford had the best campaign of his career in 2025, setting career highs in pressures (34) and stops (33). His 10.7% run-stop rate was seventh among defensive tackles, and his 78.6 PFF run-defense grade was fifth at the position. Ford was a quiet game-changer for the Rams in 2025", said Valentine.

Dec 7, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Rams Poona Ford tackle (95) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Ford is just one example of the Rams identifying a weakness in their roster construction and finding good value for a player that fixes it. They did the same with Davante Adams and Nate Landman, who drastically changed their outlook on both offense and defense.

Sean McVay and the rest of the Rams coaching staff have a tall task to recreate their efforts last offseason of successfully signing impactful players, but there are encouraging signs that they'll be able to do that.

Jan 4, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay leaves the field following a game against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The first positive is that they have plenty of cap space at their disposal, which means they can have their pick of which free agent to bring in. The second is that they didn't have a first-round pick last season, and now they have two.

The Seahawks won the Super Bowl, and Nick Emmanwori was a big part of that in his rookie season. I wouldn't be surprised if the Rams try to recreate that formula by selecting a star who helps out their secondary.

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