The Los Angeles Rams have older veterans in Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp leading the team, but the roster is on the younger side compared to the rest of the NFL as they’re set to have numerous first and second-year player lead the way during the 2024 season.
The 2023 NFL Draft class may have changed the trajectory of the franchise as Steve Avila, Puka Nacua, Byron Young and Kobie Turner are all foundational pieces the team can build around. However, there are also high hopes for the 2024 group that features Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, Blake Corum and Kamren Kinchens, among others.
Head coach Sean McVay looked reinvigorated last season working with his young group and he admitted that he’s feeling like it’s Year 1 for him again, via the team’s official YouTube account:
“You know what’s cool? Being around this group, and especially even last year, it feels like it’s Year 1 again. And I really mean that.”
McVay endured the worst year of his coaching career when the Rams missed the playoffs following Super Bowl LVI, but seems to be in a much better headspace going into 2024, especially now that he’s a father:
“I feel like these last couple of years, there’s really just been a real renewed purpose and perspective that reminds you what a blessing this is. You kind of had lost that a little bit in the midst of the journey, especially things going well and then obviously, the challenging year in ’22. There’s a lot of cool things that have gone on with the people that I’m around, the coaches, but having that little guy too is a real easy reason to keep appropriate perspective and to make sure you’re being the man and the model and what it looks like for him every day.”
A lot has happened since McVay and Los Angeles won their championship, but going into the regular season the team has a much different look and feel to it. Despite that, the Rams are still poised to be a competitor in the NFL and it’ll be interesting to see if they can make some more noise in the playoffs.
Rams’ Sean McVay recounts when Aaron Donald told him he was retiring from the NFL
Los Angeles needed to draft Verse and Fiske after Aaron Donald’s retirement left them thin along the defensive line. Sean McVay recently recounted when Donald told him he was done playing though the former seemed to already know that was the case.
