For what seems like forever, the Arizona Cardinals have had a tough time matching up against the Los Angeles Rams. In the last 10 years, going back to the 2014 season, the Cardinals have only won six games against the Rams (with their last one in November of 2022 right before Kyler Murray tore his ACL). Since Sean McVay became the head coach in LA, the Rams have established themselves as a contender year in and year out, aside from the 2022 season where they dealt with a great amount of injuries. The Rams have hit on their draft picks in the last couple of drafts, finding gems outside of the first round that have become immediate impactful players.
This past offseason, the Rams lost a massive player in Aaron Donald who has been a generational player since being drafted into the league. After a legendary career with the Rams, Donald has stepped away from the game which could easily change the Rams’ defense. However, Trevor Sikkema from Pro Football Focus believes that the Rams had one of the best offseasons in the league.
Sikkema gave the Rams an A- which ranks higher than the Cardinals.
The teams who graded out the best this offseason, per @TampaBayTre pic.twitter.com/j4yoOYlcFj
— PFF (@PFF) May 24, 2024
The Rams went heavy on the defensive line in the NFL Draft by selecting two Florida State defensive linemen in the first two rounds in Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. Then they managed to acquire Blake Corum who can help create a nice 1-2 punch for the Rams’ backfield.
One of the more underrated signings that they made in free agency was signing cornerback Tre’Davious White to a one-year deal, who is coming off his second major injury in two seasons (torn ACL in November, 2021 and torn achilles in October, 2023).
While the Rams have acquired notable names, it is a shock that they were ranked higher than the Cardinals. Arizona is getting back to stability after a rough year and a half because of Kyler Murray’s knee injury. The Cardinals drafted a premier wide receiver in Marvin Harrison Jr. as their biggest acquisition this offseason. On top of that, they addressed the offensive line and revamped their defense with solid additions like Sean Murphy-Bunting, Mack Wilson and Darius Robinson.
Both LA and Arizona improved in various areas this offseason and we will be watching an exciting two matchups this coming season.