Some Rams free agency misfires in 2024 may have cost them SB LIX victory

When the Los Angeles Rams pivoted from a promising 2023 NFL season to the 2024 NFL Free Agency market, the team had very high hopes of Super Bowl contention. After appearing in the 2024 NFL Playoffs with a team that was young and very inexpensive, the belief both in and out of the Rams football team was that one superb offseason could put the team over the top.

Of course, superb offseasons are difficult to achieve. The Rams' front office did give it the old' college try. The team nailed practically all of its 2024 NFL Draft moves. Best of all, the team hit multiple bullseyes in signing undrafted college free agents after the draft. But when it came to shopping the 2025 NFL Free Agency market, there was plenty to be desired.

I can't fault the team for trying. It's far better to try and fail then never to try at all. But of the Rams new veteran free agents added in 2024, few made much of a positive impact to the team. Two have already been traded away. So let's revisit the 2024 NFL Free Agency additions, and see what might have gone wrong. Did the Rams fall into similar mistake in this year's shopping spree?

(1) - Jonah Jackson, G (from Detroit Lions) - (3 years @ $51 million)

When the Rams pivoted from starting center Coleman Shelton to pursue former Detroit Lions interior offensive lineman Jonah Jackson, the team had a goal of getting bigger, stronger, and more physical on the offensive line. A solid goal, but there was a problem The Rams already had Steve Avila as their starting left guard, the natural position of veteran IOL Jonah Jackson. Someone would have to learn how to play center.

Had both Jackson and Avila stayed healthy throughout training camp and the season, the Rams might have pulled of the switcheroo. But Jackson was injured. Avila was injured. And the entire resetting of the Rams offensive line was doomed long before it ever got started. Thankfully, the Rams drafted natural Arkansas rookie center Beux Limmer to take over in Week 1. And the team had to promote undrafted USC interior offensive linemen Justin Dedich to left guard until Avila was healthy enough to return. With Avila back at left guard and Limmer at center, Jackson's projected starting role with the Rams disappeared.

He has since been traded to the Chicago Bears to become their starting left guard.

Had Jackson worked out and Avila stayed healthy, who knows how well the Rams may have performed in 2024. The team finished with a record of 10-7. But it's not a stretch of the imagination to believe that the team could have started the season with a record of 3-2 before the BYE rather than 1-4. The Rams tried to upgrade the offensive line, and failed. But the team did re-sign 2023 starting center Coleman Shelton, placing him in line to compete for a starting center role in 2025.

Traded to the Chicago Bears

(2) - Colby Parkinson, TE (from Seattle Seahawks) - (3 years @ $22.5 million)

When starting tight end Tyler Higbee suffered a devastating injury in the 2024 NFL Playoff loss to the Detroit Lions, the team faced a huge challenge. Rookie Davis Allen flashed the potential for a larger role in the offense, but had not proven the ability to handle a larger workload. Veteran blocking tight end Hunter Long had yet to see much action, suffering multiple injuries that benched him in his first season with the Rams.

Facing uncertainty, the team added former Seattle Seahawks tight end Colby Parkinson as a free agent. But his contract was far more lucrative than a segue solution for the team's temporary need at the position. The team's contract for three years and at $22.5 million was too long and too costly for what many fans expected. And this is not some bit of wisdom gained in hindsight. It was our view when the Rams signed him:

"The instant analysis of this addition is that the Rams believe that HC Sean McVay can amplify Parkinson()s offensive production. In four seasons, Parkinson caught 57 of 78 passes (56.4 percent completion rate) for 618 yards and four touchdowns. For a tight end who is among the most expensive signings this year at that position, you could see this as a significant overpay. From his history, you are on the right track."
Ramblin Fan Bret Stuter

If the team did not already have Hunter Long and Davis Allen on the roster, Parkinson would have been a solid signing, albeit still a bit expensive for his production in 2024. Despite the most amount of targets in his NFL career, Parkinson caught 30 of 49 passes for 294 yards and one touchdown, His numbers actually regressed in this offense.

When Tyler Higbee returned, he showed Rams fans just how vital he is in this offense. Parkinson is not the guy the Rams hoped he might become. If the Rams do draft a talented tight end, I would not be the least bit surprised to learn of Parkinson's release or being traded to another NFL team.

(3) - Darious Williams, DB (from Jacksonville Jaguars) - (3 years @ $22.5 million -$30 million)

The Rams had to restock the secondary after 2023. After a bit of a youth movement, the team's pass coverage was a bit of an underperformer. Since the team could not count on drafting top-tier talent in the 2024 NFL Draft (due to a rather lengthy shopping list of needs), the team invoked another option and re-signed former Rams cornerback Darious Williams. In doing so, the team added a player who was familiar withe the defense and coaches, had solid production, and a track record of creating turnovers.

Unfortunately, Williams was injured late in training camp with a rather serious hamstring injury. That forced him to IR, and that forced the team to scramble to fill his role Even taking his injury into consideration, Williams has a sub-standard season for the Rams in 2024, He started 11 games, broke up seven passes, had one interception, and recorded 45 tackles. Those were all well below his career averages.

Worst of all, when Williams failed to start, the Rams struggled. The Rams' record was 1-5 when Darious Williams did not start. The team was 10-2 when he did. If the Rams can keep Williams healthy in 2025, the team has a much better chance of success.

(4) - Kamren Curl, DB (from Washington Commanders) - (2 years @ $8.75 million)

While former Washington Commanders safety Kamren Curl was not the most expensive free agent signed by the Rams in 2024, he put up a solid performance that places him in the conversation for one of the best signing. Even with his impressive performance, Curl did not have one of his best seasons. In fact, you could make the argument that he played one of the worst seasons of his career.

That simply leaves room for improvement.

Among the worst statistics of his NFL career are: 79 tackles, one tackle for a loss, one quarterback hit, four touchdowns allowed, 14.8 average yards per completion, and a horrendous quarterback rating of 112.2 when his receiver was targeted. He even missed 11.4 percent of his attempted tackles in 2024.

But Curl had some positive statistics as well. His 55.6 completion rate was the best of his career. He deflected nine passes. He forced two fumbles. He even managed to recover a fumble and return it for a touchdown, his first touchdown on a recovered fumble of his career. Curl is just about to turn 26 years old while entering the final season of his two-year contract. He improved as the season wore on, but I would not attribute early-season struggles to Curl's performance.

(5) - Jimmy Garoppolo, QB (from Las Vegas Raiders) - (1 year @ $4.5 million)

It's tough to gauge the quality of a backup quarterback. If he appears in a game, that is never a good sign for the team. And however the backup quarterback performs, it's tough to assign the outcome of the game to his performance. If the team wins, then it's because the team rallied behind him to pull out a victory. If the team loses, then the backup quarterback didn't do enough to put the team in a position to win.

Garoppolo started one game for the Rams. That happened in Week 18, the week that the team rested starters to heal up for a game against the Seattle Seahawks before the start of the 2025 NFL Playoffs. The game had no impact on the Rams playoff seeding. The Seahawks played their starters.

Garoppolo was a solid addition to the Rams locker room. Despite his lauded NFL body of work, he was a happy camper all season for the team. Content to run the scout team, work with young receivers, and fill any role asked of him, he showcased how well he can run the offense by putting up impressive numbers with backup players against Seahawks starters.

(6) - Tre'Davious White, CB (from Buffalo Bills) - (1 year @ $4.25 million)

No, former Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White was not the reason for the Rams to miss out competing in Super Bowl LIX. He had long since been traded to the Baltimore Ravens. But he did arrive with a hope of jump-starting his NFL career after two consecutive and very serious injuries had ended his seasons prematurely.

The plan with the Rams secondary was to ease White into an ever increasing role in pass coverage as his rehabbing body would allow. But after the team lost cornerback Derion Kendrick for the season and Darious Williams for the first four games of the season, the team had no choice but to start a medically cleared White and hope for the best. It didn't go well, to say the least.

White was confused, slow to react, and helpless in pass coverage. In four games with the Rams, he allowed four touchdowns in just 12 completions. Opposing quarterbacks had a rating of 138.4 when throwing at him. And White missed 25 percent of his attempted tackles.

It was a comedy of errors. White did not sign on to become the Rams starting cornerback in Week 1. But from the moment he stepped onto the football field, he proved that he had no business doing so. While the Rams would lose to the Arizona Cardinals on Week 3 no matter who started at cornerback, the margin of loss in the two other games White started opens the debate of whether the Rams might have won those games with a more formidable defensive back in his place.

Traded to the Baltimore Ravens

The game of wudda cudda shudda is unwinnable. Because the exercise invokes hosts of fictional what if? scenarios, it's impossible to stay logical and grounded in facts. The best possible results of revisiting the Rams unfortunate free agent signings in 2024 is comparing similarities to players signed in 2025.

I don't see similar circumstances.

The team's only free agent signings who are certainly targeted for starting roles in 2025 are WR Davante Adams and NT Poona Ford. Beyond them, the team has simply added training camp competition to the mix. More competition is always welcome.

The Rams needed to jump-start the young roster in 2024. So even if the veterans were unable to contribute well on game day, we have no way to assess the quality of their participation throughout training camp and preseason. In the end, the Rams did make the playoffs, and did show up very competitively.

Still, there was an opportunity to do more had the right free agents signed with the Rams in 2024. Let's hope the team got in right in 2025.

As always, thanks for reading