The Los Angeles Rams weren't supposed to get this far.

Injuries across the offensive line and to star wideouts Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp made Matthew Stafford look mortal. Through the first five weeks of 2024, the Rams were 1-4. Stafford had thrown just three touchdowns and as many interceptions while looking like the league's 23rd-best quarterback. Things were grim.

Then, they weren't. Head coach Sean McVay and his staff rewrote the playbook and depth charts. Kupp and Nacua returned to full strength. The Rams rallied to win the NFC West, then embarrassed the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card Round.

Things fell apart on a snowy afternoon in Pennsylvania. Los Angeles couldn't bottle up the Philadelphia Eagles' run game in a 28-22 loss that ended with Stafford throwing an incompletion from just outside the red zone. It was a merely good year for a franchise that had tasted greatness three seasons earlier.

Still, it was proof of concept for a 2026 Super Bowl run for a team that looked stuck in a minor rebuild after losing Aaron Donald to retirement. What happens now?

1. What do the Rams have to build around in 2025?

Stafford will be back alongside Nacua and Kupp -- though the latter struggled through the least efficient season of his career at age 31. Kupp's production waned, though his 2.07 yards per route run (YPRR) ranked 29th among 110 qualified wideouts, suggesting there's still juice to be squeezed. Having Kyren Williams in the backfield is a boon as well, even if the blocking in front of him was largely uneven in 2024.

There's plenty of promise on the other side of the ball. The team's first two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, Braden Fiske and Jared Verse, combined for 13 sacks and each looks like a foundational piece for the future. Cobie Durant has developed into a trustworthy cornerback and Kam Kitchens brings potential as a high-upside safety. Byron Young and Kobie Durant round out a capable pass-rushing core.

Sunday's loss leaves the Rams with the 26th pick in this spring’s NFL Draft. They won’t have their second rounder after dealing it to the Carolina Panthers last year for the chance to draft Fiske (a pretty solid deal), but will have two third-rounders thanks to a compensatory pick as a result of the Atlanta Falcons hiring away Raheem Morris last offseason.

Los Angeles will have an estimated $46.6 million in salary cap space for 2025, per Over the Cap — 10th-most in the NFL. That leaves plenty of room to add depth (and dole out contract extensions) for a team without too many pending free agents to re-sign.

2. What players could leave the Rams in 2025?

The following players played at least 50 percent of Los Angeles's offensive or defensive snaps and will be free agents in 2025:

• OL Alaric Jackson

• WR Demarcus Robinson

• LB Christian Rozeboom

• DL Michael Hoecht

Additionally, tackle Joe Noteboom, defensive tackle Bobby Brown III and linebacker Troy Reeder are pending free agents as well.

3. Offseason priority No. 1: Run-stopping BEEF

The Rams' 4.6 yards per carry allowed was a bottom 10 mark in the NFL. Their 1.5 yards before contact per opponent handoff ranked 20th in the NFL. Factor in a bottom-seven missed tackle total and you get -30.5 expected points added (EPA) from the run defense -- 25th best in the NFL.

On Sunday, the Eagles exploited this en route to 284 rushing yards (vs. only 65 net passing yards). While Los Angeles was able to to limit the damage of Aaron Donald's retirement in the pass rush, the run defense has suffered thanks to his missing disruption up front and struggles behind them.

Another year with Fiske and Verse should pay increased dividends. But the team's biggest, space-eating-est defender (Bobby Brown) is headed to free agency and a certified lane-clogger would be a boon in his place. Same with a gap-filling off-ball linebacker, especially with Christian Rozeboom (a team-high 135 tackles) and Troy Reeder headed to the open market. Omar Speights is capable of stepping into a larger role, but he needs accomplices.

The Rams' place toward the end of the first round could put them in position to select 2025's first inside linebacker. They could also take a swing at veteran free agents like Nick Bolton or throw some cash at the guy who helped ruin their playoffs, Zack Baun (if the Eagles don't lock him down before he can hit the open market).

4. Offseason priority No. 2: Offensive line stability

Credit Ryan Wendell for his help pulling the Rams out of their early 1-4 tailspin. After injuries devastated his offensive line, the assistant coach shook things up and stabilized in time for a playoff run.

However, more help is needed up front. Alaric Jackson and Joe Noteboom, two starting-caliber offensive tackles, are free agents. Rob Havenstein turns 33 in May and hasn't played a single 17-game season over the last four years. Addressing a need at guard would allow Steve Avila to move back to center (should LA want to give Beaux Limmer more time to develop) and create more space for a run game whose 3.9 yards per carry ranked 31st among all NFL teams in 2024.

Going the veteran route failed to pay off as Jonah Jackson made only four starts this season (and has only played 29 games since his Pro Bowl 2021). Relying on him to come back and play at a high level could work, but given the way general manager Les Snead's been drafting in the mid-rounds it feels like the Rams may be best suited with a high-floor rookie along with a reliable veteran from this year's crop of aging-but-recognizable free agents (Brandon Scherff, Laken Tomlinson, Kevin Zeitler).

Each of those guys proved availability is one of their best abilities. For a Rams unit shredded by injury in 2024 that's a big deal.

5. Offseason priority No. 3: A dynamic cornerback

Durant started a career-high 13 games in 2024 and recorded a 71.2 passer rating allowed in coverage -- eighth-best among all cornerbacks targeted at least 50 times in 2024. Things get dicey when opponents threw elsewhere. Darious Williams backslid in his age-31 season (8.7 yards per target allowed). Akhello Witherspoon was largely forgettable (and will be a free agent).

Quentin Lake failed to make a breakthrough as the team's safety/slot corner specialist. Things got bad enough that Los Angeles kicked the tires on Emmanuel Forbes, a player discarded by the secondary-needy Washington Commanders less than two years after being a first round draft pick (he was fine!).

All this contributed to a defense whose 95.9 passer rating allowed was 10th-worst in the NFL despite a top 10 pressure rate up front. The ongoing development of Turner, Fiske and Verse is like a cheat code for a young cornerback trying to make his mark in the league. Now Snead gets to try and keep his hot streak working at this year's draft by finding the kind of shutdown corner who can frustrate NFC West quarterbacks.

If not a rookie, there's plenty of help on the open market for a team with a solid chunk of cash to spend. Byron Murphy thrived in the Minnesota Vikings' aggressive system. Donte Jackson had a solid bounce-back year in Pittsburgh. Eric Stokes has some untapped potential if he can stay healthy. Snead has plenty of options to fill this need -- getting it done could be enough to extend next winter's playoff run.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: What's next for the Rams after their playoff comeback fell short in snowy Philadelphia?