Los Angeles Rams

The veteran signal-caller will still have to sit out the first two games of the 2024 season due to a violation of the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances, but his status following that brief ban is now confirmed. Garoppolo is presumably a slight upgrade on the No. 2 quarterback the Rams ended the 2023 season with, Carson Wentz. That said, Garoppolo's play in Las Vegas, which was shaky enough for him to get benched for rookie Aidan O'Connell, does cast doubt over how effective he'd be if forced to fill in for Stafford.

Nacua was originally given a return timetable of 5-to-7 weeks when he aggravated a knee injury in Week 1. It sounds like he'll wind up on the longer end of that return timetable, as he isn't expected back before the Rams' Week 8 game against the Vikings. Cooper Kupp is apparently running slightly ahead of Nacua in his recovery from an ankle injury, as Kupp could be back in Week 7 against the Raiders.

Kupp hasn't played since hurting his ankle in Week 2 against the Cardinals. The injury is expected to keep him sidelined in Week 5 against the Packers, and the Rams will be on bye in Week 6, so the star receiver won't play again until Week 7 against the Raiders at the earliest.

Stafford's 224 passing yards in Sunday's loss bumped his career total up to 57,024, which is one more than Manning had in his career. While Stafford has only one Super Bowl win in his career compared to Manning's two, Stafford's latest accomplishment is another feather in his cap that will help bolster the 36-year-old quarterback's case for the Hall of Fame whenever Stafford decides to hang up his cleats.

The veteran wideout suffered the injury in the first half of Week 2's loss to the Cardinals and sat out Sunday's come-from-behind win over the 49ers. The Rams get their bye in Week 6, so Kupp's status for a Week 5 game against the Packers is likely tenuous as well.

McVay confirmed Wednesday that Kupp would not require a procedure on the ankle but would remain in a cast for about another week before he could begin any rehabilitation activities. The coach added that Kupp could return before the four-game period he would be mandated to miss if he went on IR, considering the Rams have a Week 6 bye.

It's a brutal blow for the Rams, who already had to place Puka Nacua on IR after Week 1 due to a knee injury. Kupp racked up 14 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown on a whopping 21 targets in the team's opener, then added four catches for 37 yards on six targets Sunday before exiting the game just before halftime. While both Nacua and Kupp are sidelined, the Rams' receiving corps will be headed up by Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson, Jordan Whittington and Tutu Atwell.

Kupp sustained a significant ankle injury in Week 2 but was not placed on recallable IR, though McVay noted that the Rams are low on those spots and suggested the star receiver could miss more than four games. Tutu Atwell led Los Angeles with 82 receiving yards on four catches against the Bears in Week 3, while rookie Jordan Whittington had six catches for 62 yards in an increased role.

Kupp injured his ankle in the first half against Arizona, and the walking boot points to the possibility of additional missed time. The Rams are already without Puka Nacua, who is on IR due to a knee injury he aggravated in Week 1. If both star wide receivers are unavailable, Stafford would have the likes of Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson and Tutu Atwell as his top wide receivers.

Tagovailoa has said he doesn't plan to retire, but the starting quarterback is likely looking at a multi-week absence due to his latest concussion. Garoppolo would offer an upgrade over 2022 seventh-round draft pick Skylar Thompson, and the current Rams backup is familiar with coach Mike McDaniel's system, as he was the starting quarterback for the 49ers in 2021, when McDaniel was San Francisco's offensive coordinator.

Head coach Sean McVay said Wednesday that Nacua's knee injury is "unique," and the second-year wide receiver could miss more than the four-game minimum required while on IR, per Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register. Demarcus Robinson is set to serve as the No. 2 wide receiver behind Cooper Kupp in Nacua's absence, but Parkinson's 6-foot-7 frame should generate more looks from quarterback Matthew Stafford, especially in the red zone. Parkinson is the top tight end for the Rams due to Tyler Higbee starting the season on the reserve/PUP list while recovering from a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee he sustained in the playoffs last season.

Nacua is expected to miss just four games, but that might be enough time for Johnson to establish himself as a significant part of the Rams' passing game. Johnson made a surprising impact in Week 1 after Nacua left the game in the second quarter, finishing the night with five catches on seven targets for 79 yards. Tutu Atwell and Jordan Whittington may also be in line for increased opportunities while Nacua is sidelined.

The Rams have a Week 6 bye, so the timing works out for Nacua as he will get an extra week to recover regardless. The second-year wideout left Sunday's loss in the second quarter, finishing the contest with four catches on four targets for 35 yards. Tyler Johnson, who caught five of seven targets for 79 yards in Week 1, appears to be the favorite to step into Nacua's starting role while he's sidelined.

Nacua, who missed much of training camp and the preseason after injuring his knee in an early workout, re-injured the knee in the second quarter of the season opener against the Lions. He briefly tried to return to the game before eventually leaving the field on a cart. The 2023 rookie sensation had four catches for 35 yards before departing. Tyler Johnson will be in line for an increased role with Nacua out.

Corum was asked directly during the interview how many carries he believed he would see on a weekly basis. He initially suggested between five and 10 before ultimately saying he wasn't sure. Incumbent starter Kyren Williams has been in the news in recent days, as he was named the Rams' punt returner to begin the season, which could leave Corum a few extra touches out of the backfield.

Atwell was reportedly on the roster bubble during training camp, though he survived cutdown day and will enter the season as the Rams' fourth wide receiver. Nevertheless, Barnwell suggests that he could be on the move to bring in offensive line depth. As things stand, three of the team's starting offensive linemen are unavailable ahead of Week 1, with left tackle Alaric Jackson suspended and both Rob Havenstein and Jonah Jackson injured.

Williams is seemingly an odd choice for the duties, as he ran just a 4.65 40-yard dash before entering the NFL. More concerning were the comments of coach Sean McVay, who specifically spoke of the confidence he has in Blake Corum and Ronnie Rivers to spell Williams out of the backfield if needed. Despite appearing in only 12 games last season, Williams saw 229 carries, the 13th most in the league.

Speights made a strong impression during training camp after signing with the Rams in May as an undrafted free agent out of LSU. Not only has he locked up a roster spot, it looks like the inside linebacker is poised to see meaningful playing time. The Rams also informed starting inside linebacker Ernest Jones that he's on the trade block, and Speights would be a leading candidate to fill the playing time void should Jones be traded.

Jones led the Rams with 145 tackles in 2023 and is a vocal leader in the locker room, but Los Angeles has been loath to invest heavily in the inside linebacker position and hasn't shown interest in extending the 2021 third-round draft pick, who is set to play out the final year of his rookie contract in 2024. Rodrigue believes the emergence of undrafted free-agent signing Omar Speights in training camp as a possible replacement at inside linebacker could be a motivating factor behind the team's decision to make Jones available for a trade.

Atwell had a strong start to the 2023 regular season with 24 catches for 279 yards and two touchdowns over the first five games. However, he tapered off over the final 10 regular-season contests, accumulating just 16 catches for 242 yards and two touchdowns in that span. The Rams have their top three wideouts seemingly locked in with Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and Demarcus Robinson. With the strong preseason play of Xavier Smith, Tyler Johnson and rookie sixth-round pick Jordan Whittington, the Rams may be tempted to listen to offers for Atwell before the start of the 2024 regular season.

Stafford led the Rams to a Super Bowl in 2021, and after being limited to nine games in 2022 by elbow and neck injuries, he bounced back with a Pro Bowl season in 2023, throwing for 3,965 yards in 15 regular-season games to lead the Rams to the playoffs. The 36-year-old quarterback is healthy heading into 2024 and believes he can play until he's around 40 years old.

Nacua suffered the injury Monday when he made a catch in the end zone during a joint practice against the Chargers. The issue has been described as a bursa sac, and structural damage has been ruled out. Coach Sean McVay further clarified that he expects Nacua to be on the field for Week 1 against Detroit and that the wideout will practice in the lead-up to that contest.

The 2022 sixth-round pick was a 12-game starter for the Rams a year ago, recording an interception and 10 pass breakups overall. Head coach Sean McVay confirmed the ACL tear to reporters Thursday, noting that he'd been very proud of how Kendrick had been working throughout the offseason. That had been echoed during OTAs by defensive coordinator Chris Shula, who'd singled out Kendrick as "doing a great job."

Stafford has two seasons remaining on his current deal, though before Tuesday's agreement, only his salary in 2024 was guaranteed. The details of the new terms aren't clear, but additional guaranteed money is likely involved. If that's the case, it would almost certainly lock Stafford in as the Rams' quarterback for the next two campaigns.

Austin Trammell was the team's primary returner in 2023 but left for the Jaguars in free agency, while Kyren Williams is unlikely to contribute on special teams much anymore after his breakout 2023 season on offense. Without an obvious top choice to return punts and kickoffs on the roster, Scott could help himself earn a roster spot by filling that void. Scott has logged 66 kickoff returns and six punt returns across six previous NFL regular seasons, all with the Eagles.

The veteran safety is therefore locked in for the second year of his second tour of duty with the Rams after a solid return in 2023. Johnson recorded 42 tackles with six defensed passes, including two interceptions, across 17 regular-season games, following a two-year stint with the Browns that included the third triple-digit single-season tackle tally of his career.

General manager Les Snead said as much back in March, but Jones is coming off a breakout season in 2023, racking up 145 tackles with 4.5 sacks and six passes defended, all career highs, over 15 regular-season games. The Rams also don't have much established depth at middle linebacker, making Jones even more critical to the team's defense and perhaps providing incentive to get him locked up. The 24-year-old missed part of OTAs due to leg issues but is expected to be healthy for Week 1.

In making a case for players who he feels could comprise a 2024 All-Rookie defensive team, Reuter discusses the potential for Fiske and fellow FSU product and first-round pick Jared Verse to mirror the success enjoyed by Kobie Turner and Byron Young as third-round rookies last season. Reuter cites the abundance of one-on-one situations Fiske should be afforded on the interior of the defensive line as likely pivotal to his first-year success.

Reuter sees Verse and fellow FSU product and second-round pick Braden Fiske as making a similar impact in their first seasons as Kobie Turner and Byron Young did for the Rams while combining for 17 sacks in 2023. Reuter predicts Verse will go a long way to filling the void created by Aaron Donald's retirement and cites his ability to overpower tackles with a ferocious outside rush as key to success in his first pro season.

Williams is likely to remain the team's lead back on the heels of a breakout 2023 season in which he rushed for 1,144 yards and 12 touchdowns. He added 32 catches for 206 yards and three touchdowns. Williams is hoping to find more success as a receiver in 2024, possibly with some reps in the slot when Corum checks in at running back.

Stafford has expressed a desire for an adjusted contract with more guaranteed money, as his current deal contains no guarantees beyond this season. The veteran quarterback has participated in all offseason activities thus far, but if Stafford decides to push the envelope by holding out, the Rams lack an experienced alternative to open the season. Rodrigue argues that Stafford is ultimately unlikely to hold out into the regular season since the Rams open the season against the Lions, the team with whom he began his career.

The 31-year-old has battled through multiple injuries over the last two seasons that limited him to 21 regular-season games, but Kupp could be back in the form that saw him produce one of the greatest campaigns by a wide receiver in NFL history. Secondaries also now have breakout star Puka Nacua to contend with. While a repeat of Kupp's incredible 145 catches, 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns from 2021 is highly unlikely, if the veteran wideout is healthy, big numbers should follow.

The nine-year veteran has perpetually been a complementary target during his long career, and that's how his Rams tenure began in 2023. However, Blair points out Robinson turned up his play several notches beginning in Week 13, posting a 21-319-4 line on 34 targets from that point through Week 17. Robinson is back with Los Angeles on a one-year deal, and if he carries over his late-season momentum, he could finally earn the recognition he deserves.

In projecting starters for each NFC West team, Rosenthal notes Williams' lingering foot injury, which is keeping the running back out of OTAs, helps explain why the Rams invested a third-round pick in Corum in April's draft. Corum proved capable of handling hefty workloads during his time at Michigan and is a viable pass catcher when called upon as well, so Rosenthal's prognosis may ultimately prove accurate.

Corum has been likened to Williams by head coach Sean McVay, and those similarities were on display Tuesday, per Jackson. Corum displayed a combination of patience, vision, footwork, quickness, agility and pass-catching acumen. Williams is expected back by training camp and should open the season as the starter after a breakout 2023 campaign, but Corum is getting an early opportunity to gel with the Rams' starters while Williams nurses a foot injury.

Rather than holding out, Stafford is taking part in voluntary team activities. Stafford would like more guaranteed money added to his deal, and the contract talks between the quarterback and the Rams are ongoing.

Head coach Sean McVay revealed Tuesday that Williams was nursing the injury but also said he isn't concerned about the running back's availability for training camp. Once healthy enough to play, Williams will likely reclaim his spot atop a depth chart that now features 2024 third-round draft pick Blake Corum as his primary competition for touches.

Nacua noted during an appearance on the NFL Network's Schedule Release '24 event that he was "super excited for the challenges" that he expects this coming season. The talented wideout will get a high-profile first opportunity to start building on his phenomenal rookie campaign, as the Rams will travel to Detroit in Week 1 for a Sunday night rematch of January's NFC Wild Card Game matchup, one in which Nacua posted nine receptions for 181 yards and a touchdown.

Two experts both picked Laiatu Latu and Dallas Turner, while Byron Murphy, Terrion Arnold and Quinyon Mitchell got one vote each. As Aaron Schatz of ESPN.com points out, four of the past five Defensive Rookie of the Year awards have gone to edge rushers, and Verse has a clear path to immediate playing time with the Rams. Verse was the fourth defensive player selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, going 19th overall after recording 18 sacks over his last two years at Florida State.

Corum was a highly productive college player with the Wolverines, rushing for 3,657 yards at 5.6 yards per carry and adding 51 receptions for 338 yards over the 39 regular-season games covering his last three college seasons. A favorite of now Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh when the latter served as his head coach at Michigan, Shook notes Corum's excellent vision and ability to set up his blocks could carve out a path to playing time relatively early in his career, even if it's just in a complementary role to Williams initially.

Stafford signed a four-year, $160 million extension in March 2022, just a month removed from leading Los Angeles to a Super Bowl victory. However, the veteran quarterback's salary isn't guaranteed past the 2024 season, and with Stafford firmly in the latter portion of a long career, he unsurprisingly wants more financial security. McVay noted that there has been "good dialogue" with Stafford about the situation but added that details would be kept confidential.

The veteran signal-caller will still have to sit out the first two games of the 2024 season due to a violation of the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances, but his status following that brief ban is now confirmed. Garoppolo is presumably a slight upgrade on the No. 2 quarterback the Rams ended the 2023 season with, Carson Wentz. That said, Garoppolo's play in Las Vegas, which was shaky enough for him to get benched for rookie Aidan O'Connell, does cast doubt over how effective he'd be if forced to fill in for Stafford.