5 Rams stars who could 'regress' and still make strong contributions

The Los Angeles Rams have certainly invested heavily in the 2026 roster. Chris Shula's defense has added four stars in the form of Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson.

At the same time, the offense, last season's top unit, returns everyone who played in the NFC Championship Game.

Still, setting the bar so high risks a cascade of disappointing performances. Can fans truly expect similar or better seasons from key contributors? Perhaps not. With only one football in play, only so many receptions, rushes, tackles, and sacks are up for grabs.

Let's dive into five stars whose statistical production may decline somewhat this season. Actually, that scenario is not necessarily as dismal as it sounds. Here we go:

5 Rams who could regress and still make strong contributions

1. Tight end Colby Parkinson

Parkinson unquestionably surpassed expectations by catching nearly 77 percent of his targets en route to 408 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. That is far better than any other season in his career. But can he put up similar numbers in 2026?

Well, perhaps not. LA has five tight ends on the roster. And the team has touted Terrance Ferguson's drastic improvement in training camp. LA targeted tight ends 150 times last season. It's difficult to imagine that number increasing in 2026. If Ferguson gets a larger role in 2026, someone else's will diminish. That someone is almost certainly Parkinson.

2. Outside linebacker Byron Young

Young has steadily improved each season, culminating in 12 sacks and 82 tackles in 2025. But the defense just upgraded its coverage, pass rush, and overall quality. Offenses will have no choice but to shorten routes and focus on more misdirection plays this season. The ball will come out faster, which in turn will make it more difficult for Young to match his previous sack total.

He will no longer be racing Jared Verse to the quarterback. Instead, he will race Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald, who will eat up a larger share of sacks than the 7.5 Verse recorded last season. Team sack totals should improve, but Young's may not.

3.. Wide receiver Puka Nacua

Last season, there were games in which the entire passing game seemed to center on Nacua. He was targeted 166 times in just 16 games, and two were shortened by injuries. He hauled in nearly 78 percent of his targets and put up over 1,715 yards.

This year, Nacua has been in the news for different reasons altogether. The team needs to help out its young playmaker.

Davante Adams has been described as uncoverable in joint scrimmages. His 52.6 catch rate from a year ago should significantly improve this season. As Adams becomes more reliable, LA will not need to rely exclusively on Nacua.

4. Edge rusher Myles Garrett

With the 2025 Cleveland Browns, Garrett recorded 60 tackles and 23 sacks. But he was a one-man wrecking crew. Now, he has Donald and Young on his side (among others). Wise offenses will throw the kitchen sink at Garrett and take their chances elsewhere.

Garrett may not put up a similarly historic sack total. But even if he hits his career average of 14, he will have done his part for the Horns.

5. Quarterback Matthew Stafford

2025 was the best of all worlds for Stafford. His 46 touchdown passes were a career-high. 4,707 passing yards clocked in as his fourth-highest total. And Stafford's eight interceptions were his fewest in a full 17-game season. But defenses were not prepared to counter LA's offensive innovations. They'll be ready this time.

And that's okay. With a much stronger Rams defense this year, there should be less pressure on Stafford to deliver his patented come-from-behind magic. If LA gets an early lead, the offense should gear down to a running game to control the clock.

Ideally, the gameplan will be run-centric. With more rushing attempts and fewer passes, Stafford won't have to hurl so many thread-the-needle miracles.

It can be alarming to see stars regress. But from a bird's eye view, the Rams' situation isn't so scary. With a team effort, it's less about individual accolades and more about chemistry and effort. That's the culture head coach Sean McVay cultivates. Meanwhile, it's unlikely that all five above players backslide this season.

The magic of boasting so many playmakers on one team is that somebody is bound to make a play.

As always, thanks for reading.

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