FootyChatter.com

NFL NFL Free Agency Les Snead addressed reporters on Tuesday to discuss the Rams' plans ahead of free agency and the draft. Kyusung Gong / Associated Press WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — The Los Angeles Rams are open for business. Matthew Stafford is back. The coaching staff has been filled out. Free agency is less than a week away. And the time to explore aggressive avenues appears to be on the horizon. “That’s what we’ve been doing the past couple of weeks, ” general manager Les Snead said on Tuesday. Advertisement This isn’t new territory for Snead and the Rams. They became known for the catchphrase “F— them picks” for the way they turned high draft choices into established players. Snead has pulled off moves for stars such as Stafford, cornerback Jalen Ramsey and edge rusher Von Miller, each costing multiple Day 1 or 2 selections. The Rams have paid a price for that aggressiveness in the draft, making just one first-round selection in the past nine years: outside linebacker Jared Verse in 2024. But Snead expressed optimism and confidence on Tuesday about his current options. The Rams not only have a first-round pick again, they have two, the first at No. 13 thanks to last year’s draft-day trade with the Atlanta Falcons. The other is at No. 29. Also armed with more than $40 million in 2026 cap space, Snead has a bar for what he’s looking for to maximize Stafford’s window. “Try to use them (picks) on a player who is going to give us an edge and make an impact, ” Snead said of his draft goal.

What does impact look like for this team? Snead and coach Sean Mc Vay have identified one clear position group that needs a talent influx: outside cornerback. It’s the only premium position the Rams have not invested in lately. Though last year’s group had some nice moments, it ultimately fell short in Sam Darnold’s breakout playoff performance, a 31-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game. For a team with the No. 1 scoring offense, a resource-filled pass rush and new contract extensions for linebacker Nate Landman and safety Quentin Lake, Snead knows he needs to take a swing at that spot to avoid another season ending in “what if? ” And with Cobie Durant headed to free agency, cornerback is where the Rams have multiple potential openings. The No. 13 pick could land an impact player like LSU’s Mansoor Delane or Tennessee’s Jermod Mc Coy. It’s possible that Delane, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s top ranked corner, stands out so much that the Rams would consider trading up for him. The No. 29 selection, which is not as easy a spot to find someone who can make an early impact, could be a more favorable pick to trade. Snead is thinking big. Advertisement “Is there an All-Pro that you could add? ” Snead wondered Tuesday, answering a question about improving the team’s secondary with a question of his own. “That would be nice. ” There is one All-Pro cornerback who could be a trade candidate this offseason: Trent Mc Duffie of the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s a two-time All-Pro with 10 career playoff starts at age 25, but he’s set to be a free agent in a year. The Chiefs have shown a history of trading star players in their prime when pressed against the cap, from wide receiver Tyreek Hill to guard Joe Thuney. They need to clear $6 million to get under the cap this year, according to Over the Cap. Mc Duffie fits the profile of players the Chiefs aren’t afraid to trade and replace with draft picks. Mc Duffie’s fit with the Rams is hard to ignore, even beyond his talent and position. He played in high school at St. John Bosco in Bellflower, Calif. , less than 20 miles from So Fi Stadium, before playing at the University of Washington under then-head coach Jimmy Lake, whom the Rams just promoted to pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach. Mc Duffie has also spoken about how the Rams would be an ideal team to play for, given his hometown roots. Lake is taking over the defensive backs room after a year as a senior defensive assistant. The Rams have leaned on his expertise with familiar outside players before, notably Landman last season. “At the end of the day, it’s all of us doing the after-action review with the coaching staff coming in and saying, ‘Hey, maybe these are tweaks to what we’re trying to accomplish on the back end from a scheme standpoint, ’” Snead said. Corner isn’t the Rams’ only positional need. Safety Kam Curl is a free agent who handled so much for the defense last season. A No. 3 wide receiver behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams would also help after the Rams failed to find a fit last season for Tutu Atwell, and with Adams turning 34 come December. The other news to come out of Snead’s news conference is that the Rams are in talks with Stafford’s representatives about an adjusted contract. Advertisement “We’ve chatted with Matthew and with his reps, and I think that is in a very stable situation, ” Snead said. Stafford’s contract often hovers above much of the Rams’ agenda-setting. He made his decision to return right after the season, but will enter the final year of a two-year, $84 million deal that’s set to carry a $48. 3 million cap hit. That number is outside the top 10 among quarterbacks, and Stafford has negotiating room after leading the NFL with 4, 707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns en route to winning his first MVP award. Snead said the adjustment could come in the form of an extension, though Stafford has yet to signal how much longer he wants to play. Meanwhile, the Rams are not holding such conversations with Adams despite the fact that he, too, is headed into the final year of a two-year contract. Adams will have a $28 million cap hit this season, a significant jump from last year’s $12 million. He’s fresh off leading the league with 14 touchdown receptions, but he did miss three games with various lower-body injuries. Mc Vay also mentioned that he’d love to have Curl and backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo back. Both will have market interest of various kinds, with Curl likely representing the Rams’ most sought after free agent this cycle, ahead of Durant. Snead said that last season’s three-year, $38. 3 million extension for Lake will not preclude the team from re-signing Curl, since they play different roles in the secondary. Once Los Angeles gets through free agency, Stafford’s contract negotiation and this potential trade window, it will take a look at possible extensions for players such as Nacua, outside linebacker Byron Young, and guards Steve Avila and Kevin Dotson, all of whom have a year remaining on their contracts. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Nate Atkins is a Senior Writer for The Athletic covering the Los Angeles Rams. Prior to joining The Athletic, he covered the Indianapolis Colts for the Indianapolis Star, the Detroit Lions for MLive Media Group and the Chicago Bears for Pro Football Weekly. A graduate of the University of Missouri, he was recognized as one of the nation's top-10 beat reporters by the Associated Press Sports Editors in 2023 and 2024, including a No. 1 overall finish in 2023. He grew up in Northeast Ohio, just 50 miles away from Le Bron James.