The Rams weren’t as active this offseason as they had been in recent years, but that doesn’t mean their roster didn’t undergo significant changes. Todd Gurley and Clay Matthews were cut, Brandin Cooks was traded, Eric Weddle retired, and both Cory Littleton and Dante Fowler Jr. left in free agency.
The defense, in particular, suffered significant losses, both self-inflicted and ones that were out of the team’s control. Over The Cap measured exactly how much the Rams lost on defense this offseason, listing the percentage of snaps returning for each team.
The Rams are only returning 58% of their defensive snaps from last season, which is second-lowest in the NFL. The only team returning fewer snaps on that side of the ball is Carolina at 35.2%.
League average is 72.6% on defense, so the Rams are well below that mark. On offense, they’re bringing back 87.4% of the snaps, with Gurley and Cooks being the only major subtractions. Overall, the Rams are returning 73.1% of their total snaps, which ranks 21st in the NFL.
Over The Cap also determined how reliant each team will be on players with no experience. The average across the league is only 7.3%, but the Rams nearly double that mark at 12.6%. That shouldn’t surprise anyone considering the situations at inside linebacker, outside linebacker and at running back.
The Rams are betting on their young and unproven players this season, but if they can’t come through as even average starters, the team could be in trouble – especially on defense. When you construct a roster the way the Rams have, you have to get a lot out of mid-round picks and inexperienced players.
