5 urgent questions the Rams must answer as 2025 OTAs arrive

The Los Angeles Rams are gearing up to assume a new NFL season, and with a new year comes a need to return to OTA, training camp, and preseason. For the most part, the Rams front office has completed their heavy lifting. Now it's up to the coaches and players to take over. The Rams roster is restocked, but how will the new iteration of Rams players connect?

That is what we are about to find out.

As much as we know about this team, there are many things that we simply do not know. Are the Rams able to stuff the run? Will the Rams roll over for rookies who are trying to make a name for themselves on offense? Will veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford rediscover another fountain of youth and have another stellar season like 2023?

There are many questions to be answered by this team throughout 2025. And some of those questions need to be answered earlier rather than later.

Of course, these questions did not spring up overnight. They come as a result of lessons learned from the 20245 NFL season. The Rams were better in 2024 than in 2023, eventually. But the retooling of the defense and injuries to key offensive players early in the season dug a hole that the team needed to climb out of over the final 12 games of the season. So there will be basic questions about durability and health that simply cannot be answered until the 2025 season starts.

But some questions can be answered in OTAs and training camp, which must be resolved as quickly as possible. Such as?

(5) - Will Poona Ford be the missing link the Rams need?

Until the pads go on, the Rams are guessing and hoping that new nose tackle Poona Ford is that guy to help this team do a much better job of stuffing the run. At just 5-foot-11 and 310 pounds, Ford is not exactly the prototypical NFL nose tackle. But he was a run-stuffing dynamo for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024. Can he do as well for the Rams? His Pro Football Focus overall grade of 85.1 for 2025 suggests that he can.

But a quick review of his workload on the Chargers' defensive front at Lineups.com suggests that he was kept fresh by handing about 60 percent of the defensive snaps. Can the Rams keep up a rapid rotation on the defensive front to keep Poona fresh, rested, and effective?

Yes. The heaviest workload on the defensive front for the Rams was handled by versatile defensive lineman Kobie Turner, who lined up almost everywhere. When it came to pure nose tackles, the team toggled between Bobby Brown III (472 defensive snaps) and Neville Gallimore (264 defensive snaps). Since the Chargers played Ford just 604 defensive snaps in 2024, it appears to be a safe bet that the Rams will demand a lighter workload.

Ford was able to get 39 tackles, 3.0 QB sacks, and eight tackles for a loss last season. As long as the Rams keep Poona Ford at about 50 percent of the defensive snaps, fans will almost certainly be impressed. But will this defense have enough horses to limit Poona to that level of work, particularly if he dominates early in the season?

Yes, again. The Rams drafted rookie defensive lineman Ty Hamilton to be the primary relief for Poona Ford this season. But this team signed several powerful defenders who could show up big in training camp as well. We won't know for sure until about Week 4 of the season. But we'll know early on if Poona Ford is better than the brochure.

Bring plenty of popcorn. Poona Ford is the real deal.

(4) - Can RB Jarquez Hunter make any impact as a rookie?

When the Rams drafted Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter, the team was not simply checking a box of adding another rookie runner to the roster who will take up bench space. This was a deliberate effort to add a new dimension to a Rams rushing attack that has grown a bit stale.

Whether deliberate or not, the team's 2024 running back room was a bit - clonish. That is, no single running back was particularly big, powerful, or fast. And in the NFL, one of the key areas that offenses can leverage is tempo. Of the four running backs on the Rams roster in 2024, none were faster than 4.53 seconds in their 40-yard dash timed runs. And the Rams featured rusher was Kyren Williams, who was the slowest of the four.

• Kyren Williams - 4.65 seconds 40-yard dash | 5-foot-9 | 202 pounds
• Blake Corum - 4.53 seconds 40-yard dash | 5-foot-8 | 210 pounds
• Ronnie Rivers - 4.57 seconds 40-yard dash | 5-foot-9 | 197 pounds
• Cody Schrader - 4.61 seconds 40-yard dash | 5-foot-9 | 214 pounds

It's not that Kyren Williams is not a productive running back. He is. It's simply that the team put too much emphasis on adding similar players to the point that there is very little difference to distinguish RB1 from RB4. That is not a problem if they are all fast. But the Rams got stuck in the mud with too few explosive plays and no other option to do better.

With no viable option to change tempo, the offense ran Williams into the ground.

Now the Rams have other options. The team traded up to get Auburn RB Jarquez Hunter. And based on the second episode of Behind the Grind, he was a favorite rookie running back of both GM Les Snead and HC Sean McVay. You can see the resolve of both Rams' key decision-makers when Jarquez Hunter fell within reach of the Rams.

The Rams did not hesitate to trade up. 'That's one we wanted,' was the instant reaction from Sean McVay at the 23:56 mark. So, why were the Rams' staunch NFL draft veterans so enamored with Jarquez Hunter?

The Rams saw a young man who was as tough as nails. While he played in the SEC, he was one of the few running backs who chose not to wear gloves. And he is a powerful runner, too, often capable of running through defenders. But the key to Jarquez Hunter's fit on the Rams is the fact that he is one of the most explosive running backs up for grabs in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Jarquez Hunter is more than just rote speed. He has a NASCAR-quality clutch that allows him to downshift in traffic, while kicking in the overdrive when he sees daylight. To see what I mean, just check out his 2024 Auburn highlights at this link. He is a speed runner who can run into and through defenders.

No wonder HC Sean McVay described Jarquez Hunter as the type of running back who can run through or away from defenders. The question is, will the Rams give him any carries? If they don't, that's a huge mistake.

(3) - Can either Chris 'Pooh' Paul Jr. or Shaun Dolac dethrone Troy Reeder as a starting ILB?

The Rams have not shown much interest in the inside linebacker position, only making a serious investment in ILB Ernest Jones IV in the 2021 NFL Draft in Round 3 with the 103rd overall pick. But the Rams traded up to grab Chris 'Pooh' Paul Jr. with the 172nd overall pick in Round 5 of the 2025 NFL Draft. And yes, Paul had a significantly higher draft grade (6.18) than Jones (5.99). That's a bit ironic, don't you think?

Many draft profiles projected Chris Paul to come off the board much sooner. Some draft boards viewed Paul as a Day 2 selection and among the top-five inside linebackers up for grabs in this draft class. So, why did he fall? Well, many teams hesitate to take undersized players.

Paul stands 6-foot-0 and tips the scales at 222 pounds. That puts him in the range of rookie ILB Shaun Dolac, and returning ILBs Tony Fields and Elias Neal. But both Paul and Dolac were very productive in college. Can they make the transition to the bigger and more physical NFL?

Both Paul and Dolac are feisty linebackers who process offensive plays and formations like a supercomputer. It's that flash of instantaneous diagnoses that allows both to anticipate where to be to stop the play. Reeder tends to hesitate, allowing the offense to develop and gain three to five yards before making the play.

While neither Paul nor Dolac is as big as the former Rams ILB Christian Rozeboom, both present a much better and well-rounded ability to make plays to stuff the run and defend the pass. Of course, NFL rookies must learn and earn their way through trial and error, and Reeder has all that behind him.

Still, the pass defense upside of Paul and the overall production of Dolac are hard to ignore. And their ability to show up big in training camp is not something I would overlook. We anticipate that either Paul or Dolac could start next to Omar Speights in 2025. But if both flourish, it could be possible that Omar Speights might be relegated to a backup role this season as well.

(2) - Can Rams squeeze 17 games out of RT Rob Havenstein?

LA Rams starting right tackle Rob Havenstein is entering his 11th season. And at 33 years old, the team has to wonder aloud just how many games he can be counted on to suit up. After all, he missed seven games in 2020, but returned to play 15 games in 2021 and all 17 games in 2022. But he missed three games due to injury in 2023 and six games due to injury in 2024.

The team has some returning backup offensive tackles in the running to handle the workload should Havenstein fall to injury in 2025. Those players include Warren McClendon Jr, A.J. Arcuri, and K.T. Leveston. But I cannot rule out the likelihood of undrafted rookie offensive tackle Troy Wedig climbing the ladder to secure a backup OT role.

Havenstein stands 6-foot-8 and weighs 323 pounds, an ideal size to anchor the right edge of the offensive line. His Pro Football Focus blocking grades remain enviable, both in the regular season and in the postseason. So there is no pressure from the team to encourage him to hang up his cleats.

But there is optimism, and then there is harsh reality. Havenstein has struggled to stay healthy in each of the past two seasons, and his ability to suit up and play appears to be regressing. After all, he sat out more than one-third of the games last season. So the Rams will need to ensure that someone gets plenty of work at right tackle to be ready to step up.

Can Havenstein be counted on to play 17 games in 2025? My number for the upcoming season is 14 games. Havenstein had a cleanup procedure to fix nagging shoulder problems from 2024, which should give him a leg up on staying on the football field this season. But if he cannot play, who is the best option for backing him up? Warren McClendon Jr. has been groomed to take over as the team's swing tackle. But I am eager to see what rookie Troy Wedig does in training camp. He was projected to be a Day 3 selection.

And much like Rams starting left tackle Alaric Jackson, he fell out of the draft.

(1) - How much magic is left in starting QB Matthew Stafford?

Since arriving at the Rams, veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford certainly has been impressive. In four seasons, he has completed 65.7 percent of his passes, thrown for 14,700 yards, 95 touchdowns, and 44 interceptions. He has led this team to a 5-2 postseason record, as well as to victory in Super Bowl LVI. But he is also 37 years old, and the Rams know that at some point his ability to compete at the NFL level will start to plummet.

In some ways, you may think that descent has already begun. Just check out the top passing touchdown leaders from 2024:

Matthew Stafford only threw for 20 touchdowns in 2024. And after throwing 41 touchdown passes in 2021, he has only managed to throw 54 touchdown passes over the next three seasons.

Is he feeling more pressure? Not really. Stafford was sacked 30 times in 2021. He has been sacked 29, 30, and 28 times respectively over the next three seasons. Some of the decline can be attributed to the Rams chaotic health of starting wide receivers, as Cooper Kupp struggled to stay healthy in both 2023 and 2024. But have the Rams resolved Stafford semi-touchdown drought in 2025? Time will tell.

The Rams pass offense will feature Davante Adams, Puka Nacua, and Tutu Atwell this season. While they bring new dimensions to the Rams offense individually, their combined efforts on simultaneous pass routes will almost certainly present Stafford with multiple open receivers. If the team needs more separation, the offense can pivot to a 12-personnel package that features TEs Tyler Higbee and Terrance Ferguson as well.

Of course, the offense only works if Matthew Stafford is at his best. There are no sure things in life, so Stafford will remain a wildcard for this season's success. So, what can Stafford answer in OTAs? Namely, building instant chemistry with Adams, Nacua, and Atwell. As luck would have it, the chemistry between Stafford and Adams is already showing up.

It's a long season. But the sooner the Rams answer big questions, the sooner the team can change course to find corrections. The team has enjoyed success in both 2023 and 2024. But the bar of expectations is higher for 2025. That means that the answers to big questions have to come sooner.

As always, thanks for reading.