With the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft about a month away, the Los Angeles Rams project to be one of the more intriguing teams to watch out for.
After Aaron Donald announced his retirement after 10 seasons with the Rams, the organization has a glaring hole along their defensive line. The secondary could also use reinforcements as veteran cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon is a free agent while Jordan Fuller signed with the Carolina Panthers in free agency.
There are a number of directions Los Angeles can go in with their draft picks, especially given they’ll have their own first-round pick for the first time since 2016 when they took Jared Goff No. 1 overall. Defense is a popular path forward for the team in most mock drafts and it’ll be interesting to see if they do go that route.
Meanwhile, players currently on the roster like Ernest Jones are eligible for a contract extension and general manager Les Snead revealed it’s likely that the linebacker will go into the 2024 season playing on the final year of his rookie deal, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
Les Snead said Rams LB Ernest Jones IV will likely play the upcoming season on the final year of his rookie deal rather than sign a contract extension, based on prioritizing spending on roster additions rather than re-signing internal guys.
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) March 25, 2024
When Snead’s comments made the rounds online, Jones had an interesting response on social media:
😎
— Ernest Jones (@ernestjones53) March 25, 2024
Judging by Jones’ emoji reaction, it seems he’s fine with letting the process play out and is comfortable going into the new season without an extension in place. With Donald retired, Jones figures to become the defense’s leader and he has a year of experience under his belt after he was named a team captain in 2023.
The Rams don’t normally invest heavily into their linebacker room, opting to fill depth with late-round picks or undrafted free agents. However, Jones has been highly productive since coming to Los Angeles and is foundational part of the defense.
Rams safety Kamren Curl excited to play for Sean McVay
Fuller’s future with the Rams was all but decided when the team signed former Washington Commanders safety Kamren Curl to a two-year deal. Curl is a rising defensive back in the NFL and will presumably start under defensive coordinator Chris Shula.
Curl also acknowledged that he’s excited to play for head coach Sean McVay because of how he plans to use him.
