In an active and fruitful offseason, the Rams fixed glaring problems that hindered their Super Bowl run in 2025. They traded for Trent McDuffie and signed Jaylen Watson put the Rams on the level of the best teams in the NFL. But those were nothing compared to the shockwaves they sent by trading for Myles Garrett, who broke the NFL sack record last year and won his second defensive player of the year award.
So to see Los Angeles come behind the Browns in a “Who won the offseason” ranking that comes at a bit of a shock.
Where did the Rams finish in Best Offseason list?
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
CBS Sports' Josh Edwards wrote a list of the 10 best NFL offseasons, placing the Rams fourth overall, behind the Jets, Raiders and Browns, respectively.
“Every Rams offseason decision -- with the exception of drafting Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson No. 13 overall -- has been made in service of one goal: compete for a Super Bowl now. They traded for accomplished veterans Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, in addition to signing Jaylen Watson. Those moves addressed a weak point on the team while also adding the game's best pass rusher to close out contested affairs. When the Rams won their most recent Super Bowl, Aaron Donald, who is contemplating a return, fulfilled that role.
“The selection of Simpson did give the franchise some insurance in the present and a potential heir apparent to Matthew Stafford.”
His real complaint was that Alaric Jackson’s situation doesn’t look good.
“The one hiccup within the franchise's plans has been the domestic incident involving left tackle Alaric Jackson. Los Angeles does not want to find itself in a situation against a really good pass-rushing unit that can exploit poor tackle play. The Rams are barren when considering future draft capital, so they have to capitalize on the current window.”
While the Browns traded away the two-time defensive player of the year, they did gain a face of the franchise player in Jared Verse and a first round pick in 2027.
“The trade of Garrett brought back one of the game's best young pass rushers, Jared Verse, as well as draft resources which could be used to address the team's pursuit of the ever-evasive franchise quarterback," Edwards wrote.
