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Rams may have overshot the mark at drafting Michael Hoecht's replacement

The Rams needed a rotational edge rusher. They may have drafted much much more.
ByBret Stuter|
NFC Divisional Playoffs: Los Angeles Rams Michael Hoecht
NFC Divisional Playoffs: Los Angeles Rams Michael Hoecht | Kara Durrette/GettyImages
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Rams reasons for Hoecht's parting make sense, in hindsight

Why did the Rams allow Michael Hoecht to sign elsewhere? Part of the problem falls back on the team's budget. With so much of the Rams' payroll directed to the offensive side of the football, the team has to be particularly wary of spending too much on the defensive side of the football. With limited funds, the team may not have had sufficient money to make a competitive offer to retain Hoecht.

Of course, it simply could be that the team was ready to move on from Michael Hoecht. After all, he is schedule to serve a six-game suspension this season for violati9ng the league's controlled substance policy. That did not discourage the Buffalo Bills, who added Hoecht to a growing list of former Rams pass rushers that include Von Miller and Leonard Floyd.

Von Miller signed a huge contract to play for the Bills, but he never delivered. Leonard Floyd signed a one-year prove-it deal with the Bills. While he seemed to prove it, he was not extended. And now, the Bills add Michael Hoecht, who is already slated to miss the first six games of the season. Unless he starts and has a superb season, it's hard to envision Hoecht delivering in 2025 either.

But the Rams defense is under new management. With the promotion of Defensive Coordinator Chris Shula, the defense is evolving into a fierce band of hornets that win by swarming offensive ball carriers. This is a defense that generated 16 quarterback sacks in just two playoff games.

The Rams lost DT Neville Gallimore (2.5 quarterback sacks) and Michael Hoecht (0.5 quarterback sacks from that superb postseason performance to free agency. While the team is counting on a combination of NT Poona Ford and DT Ty Hamilton to pick up the slack caused by Neville Gallimore's vacated spot on the roster, who will show up to claim Michael Hoecht's vacancy?

I suspect Michigan rookie OLB Josaiah Stewart will stake his claim to playing time pretty quickly in the 2025 Rams training camp. Here's why:

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