The Los Angeles Rams‘ offseason look like a team with one objective remaining.
After finishing 12-5 and falling four points short of the Super Bowl, Los Angeles attacked the weaknesses that kept it from getting over the hump.
The Rams traded for Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, giving a defense that already had young talent two proven stars to pair with the NFL’s highest-scoring offense from 2025.
Even after those upgrades, Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski ranked Los Angeles No. 2 among the NFL’s “most stacked” teams entering 2026, behind the Houston Texans.
The gap was small. Houston finished with a 73.1 average grade among its ranked players, while the Rams came in at 72.8.
Nonetheless, as a team with this much top-end talent at premium positions, No. 2 feels low for LA.
Rams Have Overwhelmingly Better Situation at QB
GettySANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 09: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams reacts with Puka Nacua #12 after throwing a touchdown pass during the NFL 2025 game between Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on November 09, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The discourse starts with Matthew Stafford.
The reigning NFL MVP was ranked as Bleacher Report’s No. 1 quarterback entering the season.
Puka Nacua landed as a top-four wide receiver and inside the outlet’s top 20 overall players. The Rams also return Davante Adams after he caught 14 touchdowns during his first season in Los Angeles.
The stats back up the reputation from the rankings.
Los Angeles scored 518 points last season, the most in the NFL. Houston scored 404.
Houston’s advantage comes primarily from its defense, which finished with three first- or second-team All-Pro selections and six Pro Bowl defenders in 2025.
Certainly, Houston has a loaded group there.
But the quarterback position ultimately puts the Rams ahead.
Bleacher Report ranked Stroud 20th at the position and called him the “hang-up” when assessing Houston’s roster.
Stafford enters 2026 at No. 1 and is coming off an MVP season in an offense that scored 114 more points than Houston.
When two rosters are separated by three-tenths of a point in average grade, the difference at the sport’s most valuable position should turn the tables.
Rams Addressed the Weakness That Ended Their Season
GettyWOODLAND HILLS, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 2: Trent McDuffie #22 of the Los Angeles Rams lines up in pass coverage during organized team activities workout at Rams Village at the Warner Center on June 2, 2026 in Woodland Hills, California. (Photo by Kevin Terrell/Getty Images)
Los Angeles already had a championship-level roster before its offseason spending spree.
The Rams lost 31-27 to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game despite piling up 479 yards of offense.
Stafford threw for 374 yards and three touchdowns, while Nacua finished with 165 receiving yards.
The secondary had become a noted area for improvement.
Los Angeles responded by acquiring McDuffie, a two-time All-Pro, and signing Jaylen Watson in free agency. NFL.com ranked the McDuffie trade among the smartest moves of the offseason, pointing to his 87.7 Pro Football Focus coverage grade over the previous three seasons.
Then came Garrett.
Bleacher Report ranked Garrett as the No. 1 player in its entire NFL 1000 after he set a single-season league record with 23 sacks. He joins a front featuring Braden Fiske, Kobie Turner and Byron Young, who recorded 12 sacks last season.
NFL.com’s Eric Edholm wrote before the Garrett deal that he viewed the Rams as the best roster in football “pound for pound.”
Another NFL.com analysis said adding Garrett made Los Angeles the Super Bowl favorite.
Bleacher Report reached nearly the same deduction, calling the Rams the favorite to win Super Bowl LXI.
If the question is which NFL roster is the most stacked entering 2026, the Rams have a undeniable case that No. 1 should have been theirs.
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