LA Rams DC Chris Shula gets more defensive bang for the buck, and it's not close

When it comes to the Los Angeles Rams' spending habits, the offense gets the biggest sacks of cash. But come game day, it's the defense that shows up in the biggest way. In 2024, the Rams spent 4.5 times as much on the offense as they did on the defense. If you expected the fiscal treatment to even out in 2025, you may be surprised to learn that it hasn't evened out just yet. All NFL positional spending numbers are provided from OTC.com.

The Rams nearly doubled the amount of money spent on defense in 2025, from just over $39 million last season to more than $64 million in 2025. Surely that ought to place the Rams amid defensive spending, right? Even factoring in that sharp uptick, the Rams remain the cheapest defense in the league. The Rams spend more than $20 million less than the next team on the spending list.

If you get what you pay for, the Rams are in trouble this season, right? Not exactly. The Rams spent far less in 2024, and yet the team finished 26th overall in yards allowed. In terms of points surrendered, DC Chris Shula's defense did much better, ending the season as the 17th stingiest overall defense.

Over the final six games of the season, the Rams' defense held opponents to 14 points or less in four of those six contests. After losing to the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 37-20, the Rams defense averaged allowing 18.7 points per game. That included the final game of the season when the team sat all its starters.

It was the same defense that recorded 16 quarterback sacks in two playoff games, while surrendering an average of just 114 passing yards per game.

Should Rams fans expect this defense to pick it up where it left off last season? I don't think that is a realistic expectation, any more than Rams fans should expect the San Francisco 49ers to tank in 2025. But the Rams front office did seem to address some of the defensive concerns that plagued the team in 2024. And the most challenging element, the lack of familiarity and continuity to start the season, is organically improved with returning defensive players competing in Shula's defense for the second consecutive season.

The Rams' defense should be better this season. The team should not open the season reeling from trading the projected starting linebacker and injuries to starting defensive backs. Better still, DC Chris Shula knows his players now, and they know him and his system.

The Rams defense averaged 18.5 points per game allowed in the playoffs, while surrendering just 309.5 yards per game against some of the NFL's most dangerous offenses.

As I so often do, I want to thank you for reading.

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