The Los Angeles Rams will begin their 2025 season on Sunday at SoFi Stadium when they take on the Houston Texans. We’ve gotten through the media cycle of rankings and anonymous quotes from NFL executives. As one final exercise before the season, I’m dipping my toe into a few ‘half-baked takes’. Essentially, these are takes that I believe in, but I’m not quite ready to stand on the table and pound my chest defending them. These are all things that I believe are within the realm of possibility, but there are still some things holding me back from jumping off the diving board from the deep end.

1. Jared Verse will be in the Defensive Player of the Year Conversation

There may not be a Rams player that I am more excited to watch this season outside of second year edge rusher Jared Verse. Verse only had 4.5 sacks as a rookie, but that doesn’t reflect his full impact on the field. As a rookie, Verse finished fourth in the NFL in pressures and ranked third in Brandon Thorn’s True Pressure Rate. He also had the third-most high-quality pressures.

Verse may not win the Defensive Player of the Year and that shouldn’t be the expectation. However, I fully expect him to be in the top five players in the conversation for the award. Verse is someone that the Rams defense is making the focal point and 14.5 sacks is possible. That should put him in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation along with Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa, and Aidan Hutchinson.

2. Rams defense will finish closer to top-10 than bottom-10 in EPA

The narrative on the Rams defense all offseason has been that it’s not very good. There are certainly concerns to be had about the secondary. This is a defense that is threading the needle and hoping that a very good pass rush can lift up the back end of the defense. The linebackers also have questions as Omar Speights heads into year two and Nate Landman joins the group.

When it comes to the Rams defense, the concerns are valid. With that said, this is a defense that seemed to never be able to get past the narrative of what it was early in the season. In Weeks 1-5, this was a defense that ranked 32nd in defense EPA per play. However, from Weeks 7-17, they were 10th. After Week 12, they allowed more than 20 points in just two games that the starters played. They took over the wild card game against the Minnesota Vikings. The Rams may not be a top-10 defense, but they will finish closer to 10th than 23rd.

3. Davante Adams will lead WRs in touchdowns

Ever since Cooper Kupp’s triple crown season and the beginning of 2022, the Rams have been missing a wide receiver that can consistently make plays in the red zone. That’s exactly what they have in Davante Adams. His body control and ability to go up and high point the football is among the best in the league. The expectation here is that McVay utilizes the back corner fade consistently and Adams is a benefactor of that.

Adams hasn’t surpassed 10 touchdowns since 2022, but he should see more opportunities in the Rams offense. It is within the realm of possibility that he ends up at 13 or 14 touchdowns which could be enough to lead all wide receivers. Adams ranked sixth in the NFL with 15 red zone targets in 2024. In a Rams offense with Stafford, he should be more efficient in the red zone.

4. Emmanuel Forbes is the CB2 by end of the year

There may not be a player that the Rams coaching staff talked more positively about all offseason than Emmanuel Forbes. The Rams claimed Forbes off of waivers late in the year in 2024 and are hoping the former first-round pick can return to form. Based on reports in training camp, Forbes has regained some of his confidence. At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Forbes overtake Darious Williams on the depth chart.

Williams may start the season as the cornerback opposite Ahkello Witherspoon. However, this could be a Tre White situation in which by the time the bye week comes around, Forbes takes Williams’ spot. Williams has just one interception in his last two seasons combined with the Rams. His four pass breakups last year was his worst since 2019. The opportunity is there for Forbes.

5. This Rams team can win it all

This Rams team has a lot of question marks when it comes to their depth and that’s especially the case on the offensive line. The front office is attempting to thread a needle in several different facets and hoping it pays off. However, this also may be the best team that the Rams have had since their Super Bowl season in 2021. If this team can stay healthy, they have the ability to win 13 games. This is a roster that can be a top contender in the NFC and win the whole thing.

With that said, those concerns are slightly holding me back. The ceiling might be the Super Bowl, but the questions in the secondary, Stafford being another year older, and the depth questions at certain positions leave some hesitancy. It’s why crashing out in the divisional round again might be more likely than the Super Bowl. Those depth questions make another 2022 season feel almost as likely as a deep playoff run.