The Rams are far from the first team to make aggressive moves in an offseason and arrive to great fanfare at the start of a new season. The 2011 Eagles took a similar approach, leading quarterback Vince Young to refer to them as a “Dream Team,” a moniker that aged poorly after they finished 8-8. The 2019 Browns added Odell Beckham, traded for edge rusher Olivier Vernon and graced the covers of leading magazines as a favorite team to watch in a season that ultimately ended in a disappointing 6-10 finish.
The Rams are different from those squads, however, because they’ve already gotten close to the Super Bowl. Los Angeles’ 2025 team was considered to be one of the two best in the NFL and reached the NFC Championship Game, where the Rams fell to the eventual Super Bowl LX champion Seahawks.
Since that loss, general manager Les Snead has addressed their greatest weaknesses, rebuilding the secondary by trading for cornerback Trent McDuffie and adding his former Chiefs teammate Jaylen Watson. Then, Snead followed that up with the trade for Garrett, which lured Donald out of retirement.
The Rams are fully stocked for a Super Bowl run. Now, they have to go prove they’re worth the hype, starting Thursday night against the 49ers in Australia.
“It gets down to: how do we come together as a team,” coach Sean McVay said. “But it’s hard to say top to bottom that the collection of individuals is not very special.”