2026 Los Angeles Rams in Three Players
The offseason is upon us. Let's take a look at all 32 teams.
The 18th edition of our offseason series is here!
Instead of reviewing all 32 drafts and adding casual commentary, I will be doing this instead.
We will go through every single team, in alphabetical order, and quickly discuss three players:
a favorite free agent signing*
a favorite draft pick
and a player already entrenched on the roster
Not necessarily the best, or the top, or the one's who will play the biggest role, just one of choice.
Onto the Los Angeles Rams.
Free Agent Signing
CB Jaylen Watson
Watson was a 7th round pick of the Chiefs in 2022 and became a full-time starter in 2024. He's had 6 PDs in each of his four seasons and has the ideal size and length to be your no.1 outside CB.
The Rams signed Watson to a 3 year, $51m contract in March.
Here is a cut-up of the good from Watson's 2025 season.
Los Angeles had one of the worst secondaries, or at least CB rooms, in the NFL last season.
And yet, they still were 6th in the NFL in interceptions.
This is mainly because the pass rush put opposing QBs in bad situations, and the DBs were able to make plays on the football. Now, the Rams pass rush will be even better with the addition of Myles Garrett.
Now add in Jaylen Watson, who allowed a passer rating of just 71.4 over the last two seasons, into the mix and the defense looks formidable.
Watson is not some perfect corner, but he's pretty dang good. Especially once he gets to play behind this defensive line.
His speed is solid, occasionally being able to hold man to man coverage across the field. And it's rare to see him get beat deep. But this is mainly because of his technique and footwork.
Watson never gets beat off the line of scrimmage. He's not overly physical, but he knows how to be, and uses his 6'5 wingspan to his advantage. His length combined, with his ability to match receivers' footwork, creates a formidable corner on the perimeter.
Watson's recognition ability is strong too.
It helps him blow up the occasional screen, as well as excel in flat coverages.
Watson is a decent tackler. He's not really doing much dirty work, but he tackles well. Receivers are not getting much extra yardage with him.
It is hard to ask for a better cover corner on the outside than Jaylen Watson. He has the length, athleticism, and recognition to survive against any top WR.
The Rams turn a clear weakness that was consistently exposed and could be picked on repeatedly, into a strength. Watson might not get lots of headlines on this new Rams team, but his play being quiet is a good thing.
Draftee
TE Max Klare
Klare was the 61st overall pick of this years' draft.
He spent the final year of his college career at Ohio State, after spending the first three at Purdue. Klare redshirted as a freshman, then tore up his ankle as a R-Freshman and needed surgery. He started 24 games over his final two years in college.
Here is Klare against Rutgers in 2025, one of his better games, courtesy of @NFL_DF on Twitter/X.
Klare joins an incredibly crowded tight end room in Los Angeles.
TEs of note:
Colby Parkinson (130 career receptions - 10 starts in 2025)
Tyler Higbee (386 career receptions - 8 starts in 2025)
Davis Allen (24 receptions, 5 starts in 2025)
Terrance Ferguson (2025 2nd round pick - 11/231/3 as a rookie)
Now, the Rams did run sets with two or three TEs 41.16% of the time, according to SumerSports. So the opportunity to see the field, even as the 5th TE on the depth chart, is there for Klare.
Max Klare is a good route runner for a man who stands at over 6'4, 245lbs.
He's got a natural ability to separate at his size, and paired with good athleticism and speed, he can surprise opposing DBs when he's tearing up the secondary.
This combination makes for a player who could make for an intriguing matchup nightmare when in the slot, or even split out wide.
Klare's athleticism also makes for success after the catch. His burst allows him to separate, creating space to eat up yards after the catch. But the burst also allows Klare to skirt away from defenders with the ball in his hands.
Ohio State did not feature him as much as Purdue did, giving him more blocking opportunities. While most would not consider Klare a blocker, he did do it often in 2025.
Klare does not really possess the technique nor strength to have an impact blocking on the line of scrimmage, but he showed some ability to block in space. His athleticism allows him to find his assignments well, and he can take on LBs and DBs with his size.
Funnily enough, Klare projects fairly similar to the Rams 2025 2nd round pick, Terrance Ferguson.
At the combine, Ferguson came in at one inch taller and with a 3 inch longer wingspan.
Both are athletic, pass catching TEs with size and imperfect blocking in college.
Klare may have had the edge of Ferguson when it comes to blocking, but Ferguson's hands were better. More natural, ball plucking ability.
I suppose the theory with both of these guys is that you have the matchup advantage in the receiving game due to the athleticism they have at their size, and because of their size, you teach them to block. And because a team like the Rams runs multiple TE sets, they likely are handling the "easier" blocking assignments.
It's just curious that the Rams selected both of them in back-to-back drafts.
Klare should fit this offense well. I trust Sean McVay to have a vision. But you may have to wait to see the impact, similar to Ferguson, who saw just 25 targets as a rookie.
I anticipate Klare being a successful NFL player, it's just a matter of how many opportunities he gets, and if he'll ever see a full workload as a TE1.
In-House Player
LB Omar Speights
Speights was undrafted in 2024, yet has started 26 games in the last two season for the Rams, including 16 last season.
He had 85 tackles in 2025, his career high, 4th on the Rams.
Here is a cut-up of the good from Speights' 2025 season.
The Rams have a stacked defense after the acquisitions of Jaylen Watson and All-Pros CB Trent McDuffie and DE Myles Garrett.
If a weakness remains, it's the linebackers.
Fellow undrafted starter Nate Landman arrived in Los Angeles just last year and had a bit of a breakout, starting 17 games, leading LA in tackles, and forcing 4 fumbles. Landman is strong going downhill, but that's really all he does. He does not have a Pro Bowl bone in his body(for now).
Between him and Speights, the middle of the field is not exactly a black hole for opposing offenses. Especially considering this is supposed to be a defense that is more than Super Bowl caliber.
Omar Speights has a bit more bad than good, in my opinion.
He falls for play-action. Literally every single rep he is taking multiple steps towards the would-be ballcarrier. He completely gets taken out of position.
The biggest problem with this isn't even how he gets taken advantage of in the pass game. It's the fact that, if you are going to bite on play-action, you could at least have the courtesy of being a good run defender. Speights isn't even that.
Speights can slip the occasional block, but he doesn't get downhill quick enough, so even when he does end up slipping a block, he rarely ends up impacting the play. He simply waits in the hole to long and allows a blocker to find him, instead of seeking out the ballcarrier.
Despite this, Speights is a good tackler.
He's strong and once he connects, you feel it and he won't let go. He posted a missed tackle rate of just 3.4%.
Now, if he has to bring someone down in open space, that's not going to end well. And missed tackle rate doesn't count it as a missed tackle if you can't even lay hands on someone.
Speights isn't bad in coverage, but often finds himself a step behind, especially when there is play-action.
While the surrounding defense, especially if Trent McDuffie is nearby in the slot, will do the heavy lifting, having a potential weakness at LB is not the mark of a Super Bowl defense. It won't be easy, but opposing offensive coordinators definitely have the red dot circled on Speights in the film room.
If he can become more disciplined in Year 3, and trust himself to trigger downhill into gaps quicker, Speights erases the weakness of the Rams defense.
Thanks for reading through our 18th edition of previewing all 32 teams in 3 players! We are working our way to be completed by the time the preseason begins!
Let me know who else on the Rams is worth monitoring this season, good or bad!
Stay tuned for more NFL and 49ers articles, news, and opinions!
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