The Rams reset their cap for next year. It had to happen sooner or later. But that isn't to say this roster isn't playoff caliber. I say again, I think people underestimate how good the talent is on the OL when talking about the core players on the roster. Noteboom is a very good LT when he's healthy. Jackson can play well at OT or OG which is amazing. I've been saying it for a long time but Jackson is better right now than Havenstein. They only play Havenstein because of his cap number not his talent. IMO they should sit his heavy footed ass and play Jackson at RT this year. Allen is underrated and his only problem is he can't stay healthy. Losing Shelton hurts because of that. At OG they have Thomas and Bruss, two young guys that have upsides.
LT Noteboom
LG Thomas
C Allen
RG Bruss
RT Jackson
That is a decent OL. If they re-sign Toner to back up Allen that might be their fallback option. But I see them drafting a center with that Miami pick. They now have the ability to make an offer to Ngakoue and backload his contract. Use their second round pick on another edge and this team will be fine on the DL if they re-sign Gaines. Gaines is their follow-up DT to Donald so his extension IMO should have been done last year. Gaines is one of the most underrated DTs in the league and will draw a lot of attention as a FA. He will get his $8M this year somewhere and be worth every penny. If they lose Gaines that will be a bigger loss than Ramsey.
QB1 & QB2 is a huge concern, one that can be mitigated long term with Mayfield. If the Rams are going to roll the dice on Stafford's health, IMO a bad bet, then they will probably draft a QB2 in the fifth round. My choice would be Clayton Tune. Tune is everything they wish Wolford was and isn't. He's good enough to come in and win games in spot duty.
What Snead does or doesn't do in FA and the draft will dictate what this season will be like. But I find it unlikely he would squander Donald's last season by not making a legit effort to return to the Super Bowl. It would only take maybe 3 or 4 players to get them back into contention and they don't have to be mega splash signings. The core of this roster is far better than the media and most fans realize.