Four Boom/Bust starters who could could make or break 2024.

[Tano]

Of your list, I think Kupp is least likely to "Bust." Last year was somewhat a recovery year. This year, both Kupp and Nacua have called this Kupp's "Revenge Tour." Kupp isn't normally a guy who boasts about what he's about to do for the year and yet he's low key doing that now.

I'm impressed by Karty's iciness under pressure and am pretty confident he will be a big asset this year.

I am less confident about Alaric Jackson. I think he's decent at LT, but not great at the second most important position on the team. It's why I wanted Joe Alt so badly in the draft in order to solidify LT position for years. I feel that AJ is vulnerable to great DE's and Edge Rushers.

Tra'Davious White is one with whom I am least confident. I know he is someone who has been injured a lot. TBH, I really don't know much about him and so I'll have to trust McSnead about this guy.

I watched pretty much every Buffalo game and he was awesome when healthy.

Having two serious injuries in back to back years and one of them an Achilles .....cross your fingers

 

[Tano]

His kick times of 1.26-1.34 seconds is really solid and significantly faster than Sloman.

That's even better

Watching Sloman in the preseason, I wanted one of the other guys.

But unfortunately both of them sucked too.

 

[Tano]

That was an awesome show but the last episode was stupid

 

[BigRamFan]

I see great potential for this year’s Rams. A healthy Matthew Stafford, a top interior OL, young stars like Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams, and a defense bolstered by several rookies and FAs all give me realistic hopes for a deep playoff run.

There are four projected starters, though, who I look at as boom/bust players who could make or break our season. “Boom” could mean the Rams are a true contender. “Bust” could hold us back. They are:

Cooper Kupp
Perhaps this is a surprise, but I’m placing Kupp on a relative boom/bust scale. “Boom” means returning to something resembling his 2021 form. If he can get near that level, the combination of Kupp and Nacua could be nearly unstoppable. “Bust” would mean that he presents as a guy who is clearly past his prime and on the decline. I’m betting on “boom,” but it’s a cautious optimism.

Alaric Jackson
The Rams’ approach to LT was somewhat puzzling. Offering Jackson a tender deal as a RFA was certainly fiscally sound, but was it also a vote of tenuous confidence? If he can lock down the left side, the Rams could have their best OL in years. If he is the weakest link, what then? Joe Noteboom to the rescue? Let’s hope not.

Tre’Davious White
If White can get healthy, stay healthy, and play at a level comparable to his best years… BOOM, we’d have a much-improved DB. If not… well, there’s always the trade market. I keep expecting the Rams to sign someone (Xavien Howard, Ahkello Witherspoon) as bust insurance but, so far, they seem to be confident with what they have.

Joshua Karty
To be fair, all rookies (at least, those expected to fill a key role) should be regarded as boom/bust prospects. Still, Karty is on this list for me because of the shit-show we had last year at PK (30th in FG%, 31st in XP%). If Karty becomes a reliable weapon (BOOM), it could swing a game or two. If not, back to the drawing board?

Meh, I think all of the hand wringing about C. Kupp is overly pessimistic. Call it "realism" if it makes you feel better (and this is not directed at the OP) but so many on here have basically planned the wake for his career.

C'mon guys, so he had an off year last year. Admittedly it was largely due to injury, but no one works harder than he does, none of us truly know the extent of said injury and we have seen nothing to indicate this is terminal. Why don't we give him a chance to show us what he's got left before we write him off.

 

[AvengerRam]

Meh, I think all of the hand wringing about C. Kupp is overly pessimistic. Call it "realism" if it makes you feel better (and this is not directed at the OP) but so many on here have basically planned the wake for his career.

C'mon guys, so he had an off year last year. Admittedly it was largely due to injury, but no one works harder than he does, none of us truly know the extent of said injury and we have seen nothing to indicate this is terminal. Why don't we give him a chance to show us what he's got left before we write him off.

Guess you missed the “betting on boom”/cautiously optimistic part.

 

[OldSchool]

Cannot wait for first game menu with @CGI_Ram preparing Chili Con Karty. It Should have quite a kick to it.

Saw an interesting chart yesterday about kickers. The top 8 in the NFL last year in FG% were 6 undrafted FA and 2 5th round picks. And both 5th rounders weren't with the team that drafted them.

 

[OldSchool]

Meh, I think all of the hand wringing about C. Kupp is overly pessimistic. Call it "realism" if it makes you feel better (and this is not directed at the OP) but so many on here have basically planned the wake for his career.

C'mon guys, so he had an off year last year. Admittedly it was largely due to injury, but no one works harder than he does, none of us truly know the extent of said injury and we have seen nothing to indicate this is terminal. Why don't we give him a chance to show us what he's got left before we write him off.

It's not pessimism to point out though that he's only played a full season once in his career. He's great and he's been an amazing Ram and we all love him. But it's reality that he gets hurt and like all of us and them he's not getting younger.

 

[OntarioRam]

It has to be Tre'Davious White.

I think his best days are behind him either way, as he'll be turning 30 this season, but with an achilles injury, it is pretty unpredictable.

It could essentially end his career and this year shows us he is done / no longer capable of guarding NFL WRs.

On the other hand, maybe the dice roll pays off, he puts his injuries behind him to play at a very high level. I'm not sure he's a bonafide shutdown CB anymore, even if that happens. But a healthy and rejuvenated White with Darious Williams alongside him would give the Rams two high-end, experienced #2 CBs to compliment the younger guys in the secondary. Add the way the Rams fortified the d-line this draft, and it could sneakily be among the league's better defences.

 

[PARAM]

Alaric Jackson
The Rams’ approach to LT was somewhat puzzling. Offering Jackson a tender deal as a RFA was certainly fiscally sound, but was it also a vote of tenuous confidence? If he can lock down the left side, the Rams could have their best OL in years. If he is the weakest link, what then? Joe Noteboom to the rescue? Let’s hope not.

I didn't find their approach puzzling. But I think their approach skewed our opinion of their belief in him. They heavily invested in IOL and by comparison, it looked like they didn't value AJ nearly as much. But 4.9 mil for an undrafted LT with 1 year of experience isn't exactly chump change. They were obviously betting they could defer a long term deal for him with the OT class being so deep. Why would a team offer him a deal giving up a 2nd round pick, when they could grab a guy in the draft and get him for 4 years much cheaper? AJ has 1 year of LT experience at the NFL level and all 32 teams passed on him in the draft. He could be gone after 2024 or he could get a decent deal going forward. We will find out but by no means can we be sure of either. And I believe the fact they committed what they did means they value him.....probably more than we think.

 

[Memphis Ram]

Durant could be such a key this year. Our top two CBs should be better, taking for granted White is mostly back. Having a CB group that is legit 3 or more deep is so huge. Durant doesn't have to be spectacular, but, making some plays and being dependable in coverage on key assignments as the #3 (I assume) would be huge for this D. Same can be said to a lesser degree for Kendricks and Tomlinson.

If Cobie Durant would just bulk up a bit and focus upon becoming a better tackler the Rams shouldn't miss much of a beat if one of the starters went down.

 

[den-the-coach]

Saw an interesting chart yesterday about kickers. The top 8 in the NFL last year in FG% were 6 undrafted FA and 2 5th round picks. And both 5th rounders weren't with the team that drafted them.

Good stat, but I feel strongly the Rams got this pick right. They waited and IMO, got their guy in the right round. There is little doubt that Karty will be a major improvement over last season, with hope, he might be something special moving forward.

 

[OldSchool]

Good stat, but I feel strongly the Rams got this pick right. They waited and IMO, got their guy in the right round. There is little doubt that Karty will be a major improvement over last season, with hope, he might be something special moving forward.

Yeah sorry that was in no way a shot at anybody least of all our new kicker. Just found it interesting to read that.

 

[snackdaddy]

If we're talking "boom-bust", I'd take Darious Williams over Joshua Karty. I love D-Will, but he's already thirty-one, and early thirties is when corners tend to drop off.

Will he be the guy he was with us? Or will his age show?

At 35 there is a concern about the age showing in a player's game. At 31 there's more a concern about a player's health. That seems to be the age where injuries are more frequent. Kupp will be 31 month and we're already attaching the "If Healthy" caveat with him.

 

[Kupped]

No single one of those players will make that difference, imo.