As head coach Sean McVay was previewing his plans for the Rams’ offense in 2025 to quarterback Matthew Stafford, he talked about his desire to have a more versatile attack in this coming season. One that could sustain injuries and continue to hum.
But the deep dive into exactly what McVay has envisioned would have to wait.
“You have to see what that’s going to look like based on what happens this weekend,” Stafford said Monday.
This weekend will be the NFL draft, starting Thursday and running through Saturday. The Rams hold the No. 26 pick in Thursday’s first round, as well as seven more picks in the second and third days.
And with some of those eight picks, McVay and general manager Les Snead could provide a glimpse into their plans for the offense this coming season.
For the second consecutive year, McVay saw his offense derailed through the first month of the 2024 season with injuries. Receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua were sidelined with leg injuries, while the offensive line did its best impersonation of the 2022 revolving door.
Through the first seven games of the season, the Rams ranked 22nd in the NFL in estimated points added per play on offense at -0.030. Once the Rams got back to full health, that number jumped up 0.078 from Weeks 8-17, ranking 11th in the NFL.
When McVay first spoke with reporters about his plans for 2025, a week after the team’s elimination from the postseason at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles, the coach was looking at his own tree across the league to see how his former assistants had handled similar injury situations but without the steps back.
By January, McVay had already spoken with former Rams offensive coordinator Liam Coen about how he handled injuries at running back with Tampa Bay to emerge with a new No. 1 back in Bucky Irving.
“I thought that was a cool reflection,” McVay said in January, “of maybe we think we’re going to do that and then what you evolved into if you’re able to understand that the best coaches adjust to their players. That’s what we’ve got to do a good job of as it moves forward.”
So even though the Rams enter draft weekend with a pretty clear 11 starters on offense, don’t be surprised if the team uses valuable draft resources on depth pieces who can grow into bigger roles.
Yes, the Rams added Davante Adams to line up across from Nacua, and brought back the speedy Tutu Atwell to play a bigger role. But if a receiver like Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka – who can eat up the slot snaps that Kupp vacated in 11-personnel – is available, the Rams have to consider it.
Yes, left tackle Alaric Jackson re-signed on a big deal and Rob Havenstein is back on the right side. But the latter isn’t getting any younger, and tackle depth was a notable issue last season that was not addressed in free agency. So is a first-round investment in a third tackle such a bad idea?
Yes, Tyler Higbee is back for Year 10 and provided a huge boost to the offense when he came back from ACL surgery in December. But if a dynamic playmaker like Colston Loveland is available either at No. 26 or via a trade up – as the Rams unsuccessfully tried to do for Brock Bowers a year ago – could McVay resist?
Regardless of how things play out this weekend, McVay knows the next three days will shape how that desire for versatility comes into focus.
“It’s constant communication between Les, his group, myself and our coaches. That’s the best thing we have is collaboration. I think we’ll have a lot of clarity,” McVay said Tuesday. “A lot of that entails studying teams that you have a lot of respect and reverence for around the league and figuring out, all right, what is that vision? How do we want to make sure that we’re working towards that vision while also having the necessary fluidity and flexibility?”
Rams 2025 draft picks
Round 1: No. 26
Round 3: No. 26 (90th overall); No. 37 (101st overall)
Round 4: No. 25 (127th overall)
Round 6: No. 14 (190th overall; from Atlanta); No. 19 (195th overall; from Pittsburgh); No. 25 (201st overall); No. 26 (202nd overall; from Chicago through Houston and Pittsburgh)
