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The NFL news cycle never takes a day off. We effectively went straight from the postseason to the scouting combine, and now in 10 days teams have the ability to begin signing outside free agents.
How can the Los Angeles Rams get over the hump in 2026? They’ll need to find competitive edges that give them an advantage over the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, in addition to the rising powers in the NFC conference like the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and others.
Painting the picture begins with available salary cap space. Let’s start there.
Rams’ salary cap position
According to Over the Cap, the Rams rank eighth in open cap space at $41.7M. Their division rivals, the Seahawks, are two spots ahead of them.
But cap space can be misleading. The Rams’ value is overinflated because they have an extra first round pick. The more apt measure is effective cap space, which accounts for projected signings of rookies. The Rams fall to 11th and $34.2M after this adjustment. This puts both the Seahawks and 49ers in front of them.
Probable changes to account for
LA can create $7.5M in cap space savings by releasing veteran corner Darious Williams. That move is only of the most likely of the offseason.
Moving on from Davante Adams would also open $14M. Adams has voiced his interest in returning to the team. Rather than moving on it may make sense for the Rams to ask him to take a pay cut in 2026; however, this is a tough ask for declining veterans who don’t feel their skillset has diminished that much. LA would benefit from keeping Adams as a designated red zone threat. Even if he returns he shouldn’t play as much as he did a year ago.
Extensions could limit Rams’ flexibility
This will be a difficult balance to strike. The Rams have already taken care of the 2026 free agents they probably want to return. They re-signed Quentin Lake and Nate Landman to extensions. One of Cobie Durant or Roger McCreary may be the most likely to return of the group slated to hit free agency.
Then come the extension candidates whose current contracts are either untenable or expire in 2027. The Rams can structure these new deals in a way that doesn’t impact their cap flexibility this offseason; however, it is also risky to push too much money into future years when Matthew Stafford is on a year-to-year commitment. The quarterback position is the most important piece to the salary cap puzzle.
These are the likely extension candidates this offseason:
- Puka Nacua, WR
- Warren McClendon, RT
- Kevin Dotson, RG
- Steve Avila, LG
- Kobie Turner, DT
- Byron Young, EDGE
These are mostly recent draft hits and some of the most important individuals across the roster. The Rams have built a young nucleus since 2023 that allowed them to return to contention, and they are in danger of falling apart if they cannot retain this group.
Where does this leave the Rams?
I’m not sure this is a year where we see Los Angeles make splash moves in free agency or acquiring veterans via trade and them rewarding them with new contracts. 2026 could easily be about sustainability and building on their successes through the draft in recent offseasons.
Does that mean the Rams won’t sign a single outside free agent? No, but it would make sense if these players are more from the second and third phases of the wave and are more role players to round out the roster than foundational building blocks.
You can find my offensive shopping list here and the defensive list here.