Here’s Memento…
Now, I understand that the offense is flying high...but I wanted to give a shoutout to the D with this all-encompassing thread, since we already have a "2026 Rams Offense Thread".
Myles Garrett? Obviously a hell of a trade to get him. Agent Zero and Josaiah Stewart should be very happy with the Garrett deal, getting the easier one-on-ones, now that he's there. And you've got a lot of other young edge rushers. It'll be curious to see if Desjuan Johnson makes the team. I wonder if there's anything behind the scenes, because he's an awesome all-around player. And hey, we still have Wesley Bailey, whom I have high hopes for. Keir Thomas is still there, and I have to say that they must see something in him for him to stay this long on our team.
Inside linebacker is stacked. There's no other way to put it. Huge fan of Nate Landman, and I really want to see Shaun Dolac starting for us; his coverage skills are rare for a linebacker. Omar Speights is still the starter, and he's a dominant run-stopper. Maybe he learns to be better in coverage? Grant Stuard and Tomon Fox look to be special teams players, but they could be pushed by Elias Neal, Nikhai Hill-Green, and Darryl Peterson III.
The Conductor should also be happy with the Garrett trade. I doubt Fiske is, since his buddy, Verse went away. I have high hopes for him, but he has to stay away from the injury bug. And hey, maybe AD comes back for another run, at least, for this year? Poona Ford is rock-solid in the run game, and he'll be a key piece for us.
Also, I have to give a massive shoutout to the younger D-line: I still like Ty Hamilton a lot, Ty Davis has been awesome as a run stopper, and Tim Keenan III is an intriguing nose tackle type himself. And then there's Payton Zdroik, who is a very interesting three-tech at Air Force. Very undersized, but super productive, and he killed it (and beat the O-linemen lined against him like rented mules) at the American Bowl and at his Pro Day.
Bill Norton is huge (6'6", 336 lbs.), and Jaxson Moi, while not highly regarded as a collegian, was highly regarded in high school as a recruit. ...And I guess we have Larrell Murchison for at least another year.
And then we have the secondary. Oh my goodness, the secondary has been the most improved position group on the entire roster. If Emmanuel Forbes is your third cornerback, you're doing very well for yourself. Still have very high hopes for Forbes, by the way; he may not be the most physical corner (even though he's improved markedly), but if you're talking coverage and ball skills, there's not many corners who are better.
McDuffie is a versatile chess piece; you can line him up outside, in the slot, even as a safety or quasi-linebacker, he's excellent in coverage, great against the run, one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL today, and easily the most versatile.
Jaylen Watson is a great story: a former seventh-round pick out of Washington State, didn't play in 2019 because of academic reasons, and worked at a local Wendy's that was managed by his mom, while completing his coursework. He worked his way up the roster for the Chiefs and now he got rewarded with a huge contract. Here's hoping he lives up to it in a big way.
As far as other corners go, Cam Lampkin's entering his third year (and is still super young; he won't turn twenty-five until the 31st of July), Alex Johnson is a toolsy corner who's been on multiple practice squads, Al'Zillion Hamilton, Nyzier Fourqurean, and Drey Norwood (especially Hamilton) are intriguing and have the potential to maybe make the roster or be solid enough to put on the practice squad.
Quentin Lake, Kam Curl, Kamren Kinchens, Josh Wallace, and Jaylen McCollough? That's a solid safety group - and you still have Tanner Ingle, Nate Valcarcel, and Nick Andersen to consider.
Well, that was a lot of word salad, but I had to get my thoughts on all of the defense. You're more than welcome to yours, though!
