Why haven't the Rams deepened their defensive front yet?

The LA Rams had the funds to reinforce the roster. After all, this was a team that went to great lengths last season to tighten the purse strings so that there would be a chance at a fresh start, and fresh spending spree, in 2024. While the team did address the team's secondary, there has been a noticeable lack of investment in veteran players for the team's front seven. The question that so many are asking now is, why?

There are several reasons why the team may have pressed pause on efforts to restock the team's defensive front. The simplest answer is that the team simply did not hold the team's front seven on the defensive side of the football as high of a priority as some fans. That is not to say that the team does not view defensive linemen and edge rushers as a need for the team. But Rams GM Les Snead must view the roster not just from the perspective of need, but in terms of supply as well.

In his view, the Rams may find better value with outside linebackers and defensive linemen in the 2024 NFL Draft rather than paying full market value in the NFL Free Agency market.

But even that may not tell the entire story. The Rams may have swung at some free agents, but either were outbid by other teams or simply did not meet the price of a player. We know that the team assesses the value of a player and then makes the offer up front. Sometimes, that straight-talking approach works well, but sometimes it does not.

The Rams did re-sign DT Larrell Murchison, a subtle move that will lend itself to a solid DL rotation in 2024, regardless of what the team does in the 2024 NFL Draft. So far, the reports of rumors about the Rams pre-draft meetings have cited a trio of edge rushers, but no true defensive down linemen yet.

The Rams are assembling their roster much like someone would assemble a jigsaw puzzle. The team has built the edges, and now must simply fill in the entire image. There is no need for concerns yet, as the team has 11 draft picks to use in the 2024 NFL Draft, plus a host of players to sign after the draft.

Why haven't the Rams deepened their defense yet? Either the timing, the fit, or the price was not right. But don't be too hasty to judge what the Rams have done just yet. They are far better at this than we are.