When it comes to the Rams pass rush, the whole is greater than sum of parts

As we enter the dogs days of the 2024 NFL season, LA Rams fans are caught in the crossroads when setting expectationf for the new season. If fans are too jubilant and optimistic, the reality of a young roster may fail to meet lofty expectations, creating a false sense of disappointment from a team that is tracking on par with their current level of experience.

But if fans are too grounded and skeptical, they miss much of the fun and entertainment when witnessing young players develop and progress in training camp before their very eyes, and suffer too much consternation ahead of a bright and promising season. So which will it be: grounded skepticism or outlandish optimism?

Perhaps there is a third and better option hidden among the various choices for the 2024 NFL season.

Whenever I examine the Rams roster for 2024, and view this team's projected roster, the first aspect of the Rams' potential for the upcoming season lies in how much deeper this roster feels compared to previous years. The second aspect that I see in how the team is constructed for 2024 is the fact that the team appears, on paper, to have addressed some vulnerabilities from 2023.

I discussed those subtle improvements in a recent article about 3 areas that fans will see marked improvements in 2024. In that article, I outlined how this team should show progress on special teams, in the overall pass rush, and in the team's red zone offense. For this discussion, I'd like to focus exclusively on the defensive side of the football and discuss how the Rams' pass rush will be better in 2024.

Yes, that is my assertion. And I fully acknowledge the challenges of improving the pass rush in the very year that the team must learn to deal with life after All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald has retired. Now, how will the team accomplish that lofty expectation?