Rams earn low grade from ESPN despite aggressive offseason
· Yahoo Sports
Despite running one of the most aggressive offseasons in the NFL, the Los Angeles Rams only managed a C+ grade from ESPN's Seth Walder in his 2026 offseason review. Walder argued that the team's biggest swings came at too steep a price, even as he praised the overall mindset behind them.
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The headline move was the blockbuster trade for Myles Garrett. L.A. sent edge rusher Jared Verse along with first-, second- and third-round picks to Cleveland for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who was fresh off setting the single-season sack record.
Walder argued that Verse alone likely offers more surplus value — the gap between a player's production and his pay — than Garrett will provide over the next two seasons, even with Garrett playing below market rate in Los Angeles. He acknowledged the logic of prioritizing a win-now approach with Matthew Stafford entering his age-38 season, posing the question of how many points of future Super Bowl probability are worth sacrificing for a boost in the present. Ultimately, though, he felt the Rams paid too much beyond what would have been a more reasonable straight swap of pass rushers.
That is, unless the move also means Aaron Donald comes out of retirement:
There's one X factor that I didn't originally consider, though. If this deal results in Aaron Donald coming out of retirement, then Garrett's worth to Los Angeles specifically would increase even further. Overall, I was quite harsh on the Rams when I originally graded this trade and have somewhat softened my stance since. But I still feel it was not the best choice the Rams could have made.
The Garrett blockbuster wasn't the Rams' only major swing at addressing a roster need with a star price tag attached. Los Angeles also sent the No. 29 pick in the 2026 draft as well as third-, fifth- and sixth-round picks to Kansas City for cornerback Trent McDuffie before immediately locking him up with a $31 million-per-year extension. Walder likes McDuffie as a player but remains skeptical of the broader trade logic, particularly at a position he considers volatile from year to year.
I think McDuffie is fantastic, but this type of trade — giving up premium draft capital for the right to pay a player market price — rarely makes sense. It's an even tougher sell for a cornerback, given how variable the position is from year to year. But the contention windows argument also applies here, and McDuffie has been very good for years.
Walder was more favorable toward the Rams' other cornerback move, the free-agent signing of Jaylen Watson to a $17 million-per-year deal, calling it a smart way to address the same need without surrendering any additional draft capital.
Where Walder felt Los Angeles strayed from its otherwise win-now blueprint was in the draft, specifically with the selection of quarterback Ty Simpson at No. 13 overall. Given that Simpson likely won't see the field unless Stafford suffers an injury or when Stafford retires, Walder considered the pick a curious one for a team explicitly trying to maximize a closing championship window.
Selecting a player who won't play without a Stafford injury is the opposite of maximizing their current window. And it looks even stranger after the Garrett trade. It's not because backup quarterbacks don't matter — they do — but a veteran backup could have been had for much less capital.
In his view, it represented a missed opportunity to address a more immediate need, such as adding a third wide receiver who could contribute in 2026.
Even with those reservations, Walder closed his evaluation by crediting the Rams for the boldness of their approach as Super Bowl favorites entering the season.
While I have been critical of some of their moves, I appreciate the Rams' aggression and willingness to pursue a championship. Their strategy undoubtedly has increased their probability of success, which is worth commending. How much it affects their probability to win championships after 2026 is worth debating, but there's no question that the Rams are mighty dangerous right now.
The Rams are one of the Super Bowl favorites entering the 2026 season. So, even if Walder doesn't like the moves in a vacuum, the decisions could still net out to a big season for L.A.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams earn low grade from ESPN despite aggressive offseason