LA Rams roster: Four betters, Four worse

III: While I have tremendous confidence in the play of inside linebacker Ernest Jones, the fact is that the LA Rams will have Jones plus a young inexperienced linebacker taking over for the tandem of Bobby Wagner plus Ernest Jones. It is not just the talent level of the two players, but rather their incredible ability to coexist and complement one another.

Almost everyone knew where Bobby Wagner was going to be after the football was snapped, and Ernest Jones simply made it a point to be wherever Bobby Wagner wasn't. But when the football was in the hands of an opposing running back, you could count on both backers to be making a play on the football.

The problem this year is not the return of Jones, but the question marks surrounding the guy who lines up next to him in this Rams defense. As previously stated, that new linebacker will be young and relatively inexperienced. But he will also force Jones to pay more attention to his positioning and performance as well.

What's my line?

IV: The LA Rams cleared house at the pass rusher position, and now have a new group of players led by undrafted defensive tackle Michael Hoecht, who took a crash course for playing outside linebacker in mid-season, and was able to show enough competency for the role to earn a starting spot late in 2022.

While some can argue the quality of veteran outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, there is no denying that he contributed significantly to getting after the quarterback for the Rams. And it was not just padding the stats, as the LA Rams defense since HC Sean McVay took over has depended heavily on a high-quality pass rush to limit deep plays and aid the Rams secondary's ability to hold coverage. We saw flashes of just how far off the ball the Rams' secondary looks without an effective pass rush.

This season, the Rams pass rush will be led by Hoecht, who will be joined by two second year players Daniel Hardy and Keir Thomas. They in turn will be joined by three drafted rookies in Byron Young, Nick Hampton, and Ochaun Mathis. Considering that the entirety of their combined NFL experience as pass rushers consists of bit roles in the 2022 NFL season, the Rams will struggle to get to and bring down opposing quarterbacks this season.

That's the gist of it. The LA Rams roster has areas that have improved this offseason, and areas that have, perhaps temporarily, regressed this year. What wil the net result be? The LA Rams finished an injury riddled season in 2022 with a 5-12 record. Will the Rams do better or worse than that mark in 2023?

That's up to you to decide.