LA Rams news: Aaron Rodgers, joint practice and more stories for Cardinals fans to know
We have made it through another week of the offseason, now 12 weeks from Week 1. It is time to check in with the rest of the NFC West and see what is happening with the Arizona Cardinals' division rivals — the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.
What has been going on with the Rams?
Below are some stories from the last week about them that Cardinals fans should know.
Rams considered getting Aaron Rodgers
The Rams got Matthew Stafford to agree to a new contract, but because there was the possibility that he left, the Rams considered other options. Had he gone elsewhere, they were prepared to pursue Rodgers, who signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Joint practice scheduled
The Cardinals have a joint practice with the Denver Broncos in the second week of the preseason. The Rams will hold a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys in Oxnard, CA leading up to their preseason opener at home.
Starting LT has health issues
The Rams signed former Cardinals first-round pick D.J. Humphries this week and it was for a good reason. Starting left tackle Alaric Jackson is dealing with blood clots for the second time in his career. His status for this season is a little in the air now.
OTAs takeaways
The Rams concluded voluntary OTAs last week. Among the takeaways from their voluntary work, CB Emmanuel Forbes is bigger, DL LBraden Fiske's knee is fine and RB Kyren Williams is working on a new contract with the team.
Rams save millions in cap-saving move
The Rams cut ties with cornerback Derion Kendrick. He missed all last season with a torn ACL. The move saves the Rams more than $3 million in cap space.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
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Fox News
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- Fox News
NFL Power Rankings: What Teams are Best Positioned to Win in 5 Years?
Five years ago, the Cleveland Browns won 11 games and made the playoffs. The New Orleans Saints won 12 and won the NFC South. The Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions finished dead last in their respective divisions. Looking back, it feels like it was the NFL's version of The Upside Down. That's how fast things change in this league. So imagine how different things will look five years from now. On second thought, don't imagine. FOX Sports has that covered with a look into our crystal ball. We know exactly how the NFL's 32 teams — assuming there's still only 32 — will look five years in the future, even if we're not quite sure where Arch Manning and Aaron Rodgers will be playing by then. And we figured it out scientifically, basing our 2030 NFL Power Rankings on five key pillars of NFL success: (One thing that wasn't considered: the salary cap. There is just no way to reasonably project where the cap will be in 2030, as revenues continue to skyrocket and with a new labor deal expected sometime before the 2030 season begins.) Obviously, there are still a lot of unknowns. The vaunted quarterback class of 2026 could have a huge impact on this order. And if teams like the Atlanta Falcons (Michael Penix Jr.), Tennessee Titans (Cam Ward) and New York Giants (Jaxson Dart) really did hit on their new quarterbacks of the future, they could take big leaps too. And don't forget that Bill Belichick's contract at North Carolina expires after the 2029 season. He'll only be 78! Until then, we can only consider the evidence of things seen. And based on that, here's how FOX Sports projects the NFL's 32 teams will rank heading into the 2030 season. There was no doubt that this was the least attractive and hardest head coaching job available last offseason, so best of luck to Kellen Moore, who might need a few years to figure this out. His biggest job will be finding a quarterback. He knew Derek Carr wasn't his long-term answer even before he retired, but is anyone sure that soon-to-be-26-year-old rookie Tyler Shough is the answer? After drafting him in the second round (40th overall), the Saints might spend a couple of years finding out, though if they're bad enough this year, there is a vaunted QB class waiting for them in the 2026 draft. Just as problematic is the lack of young talent on their aging roster. If they can keep WR Chris Olave that would help, but he'll be very expensive. Same for DT Bryan Bresee and CB Kool-Aid McKinstry. Of course, Moore has to find a way to make his team attractive enough that they want to stay. And GM Mickey Loomis, entering his 24th season and already 69 years old, has to do a better job of building through the draft. His record on that isn't great since Sean Payton left town 3.5 years ago. Change is coming to Indianapolis, and it's hard to see a way for anyone to avoid it. There was a lot of talk that it was about to happen last offseason, but the franchise decided instead to stand pat. There is obviously some uncertainty after the passing of owner Jim Irsay. But the status of both GM Chris Ballard and coach Shane Steichen was shaky before that, after the last few mediocre years. What really hurts the Colts is their quarterback mess. Anthony Richardson, the fourth overall pick of the 2023 draft, hasn't been anything close to what they envisioned. Now he's being pushed by Daniel Jones, the failed franchise QB of the Giants. In other words, expect them to be searching for a new franchise quarterback in the near future. They do have some interesting young players on the roster, but none who have really done anything yet, outside of maybe CB Jaylon Jones and S Nick Cross. But if a new regime takes over in the next year or two, they're going to blow everything up. Again. They mortgaged a lot of their future to acquire QB Deshaun Watson, and when that predictably blew up, they were left with quite a mess that they somehow keep managing to make worse. Whether it's on GM Andrew Berry or owner interference from Jimmy Haslam, it doesn't really matter. And that's a shame for Kevin Stefanski, who still remains a well-regarded head coach around the league. Now, on the bright side, they did seemingly start rebuilding with five draft picks in the first 100 this year. But that's really the extent of the good news. They don't have a lot of young talent. In fact, their best players — edge Myles Garrett and CB Denzel Ward — will be in their mid-30s in 2030. And while they probably will have sorted out their self-created, Dillon Gabriel-Kenny Pickett-Shedeur Sanders quarterback mess by then — probably — the odds of it ending well for them aren't high. Until they find a QB — one QB — and stop making unforced errors, they've got a residency in the NFL's Bottom Five. They built one of the fastest teams in the NFL, but that speed doesn't actually seem to be getting them anywhere. The promise of two straight trips to the playoffs under Mike McDaniels evaporated with two first-round losses and last year's 8-9 disappointment. And GM Chris Grier seems squarely on the hot seat after just five winning seasons and three playoff berths in nine years. They even have questions at quarterback with Tua Tagovailoa, who'll be 32 in 2030. But he'd need a new deal to stay past 2028, and with his injury and concussion history, plus his on-field performance, would a new Dolphins regime be willing to invest in him? That's hard to see. What's not hard to see is this franchise blowing it all up in the next year or two, especially if they fall short of the playoffs this season. And what will the next regime inherit? One of the oldest teams in the NFL. Outside of RB De'Von Achane and edge Chop Robinson, what young talent do they really have? They are an odd franchise to try and decipher, both for the short and long term. They certainly don't look like a short-term winner. And long term … well, Pete Carroll will be 79 in 2030 and their current QB, Geno Smith, will be 39, so the odds are pretty good of a franchise reset long before then. Maybe new GM John Spytek is the right guy to run things, and maybe Tom Brady's influence will really help. But it's hard to count on stability under the unpredictable Marc Davis. On the bright side, there's some good, young talent like TE Brock Bowers and RB Ashton Jeanty. Even Maxx Crosby would only be 33 then, though his current megadeal would have to be extended. But who knows who'll be running the show in Vegas by then? They have put absolutely everything into winning with QB Aaron Rodgers this year, but even he's not crazy enough to believe he'll still be playing in 2030 at age 46 … right? Well, his crazy plans aside, the bigger question for the Steelers is: Will Mike Tomlin still be around? The Steelers, of course, are the NFL's model of stability with just three head coaches in the past 56 years, so he's not getting fired anytime soon. But he is entering his 19th season, and it has to be frustrating that he hasn't won a playoff game in nine years. He's only 53, though, so project his absence at your peril. And given the Steelers' history of stability, GM Omar Khan will likely be there a while, too. But they are really, really built to win right now, though. Whatever happens in 2025, they are looking at a big reset in the next couple of years. And keep in mind, they have absolutely no idea who their post-Rodgers quarterback is going to be. That is a very big problem. Whatever promise you think the Panthers have has to be tempered by this sobering fact: Since David Tepper bought the team seven years ago, they have cycled through three general managers and seven head coaches. They've had 10 different starting quarterbacks in that time, too. Now, maybe they're really on to something with GM Dan Morgan, coach Dave Canales and QB Bryce Young. Maybe. But they were 5-12 last season, and you really have to squint to see Young's progress. Plus, never forget that Tepper's patience has proven to be notoriously low. They do have some interesting young talent, but none that has really accomplished much yet outside of CB Jaycee Horn. Few teams have been better over the past few years at accumulating young talent. They can't keep them all until 2030, but their list of promising players on rookie deals includes WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, CB Devon Witherspoon, DT Byron Murphy, RBs Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet, T Charles Cross and edge Derick Hall. So, why aren't they higher on this list? It's because nothing in the NFL is more important than the quarterback. So if you believe Sam Darnold will be what he was for most of last year in Minnesota, and he'll still be doing it at age 33, then vault them up the list. More likely, by then, they'll have given rookie Jalen Milroe a shot. And maybe he'll be good. But until he proves that, he was still the fourth quarterback taken in what was generally regarded as a poor quarterback class, and went late in the third round. That doesn't preclude him from being elite, but it makes it hard to forecast greatness. GM John Schneider clearly has an eye for talent, though, and coach Mike Macdonald got off to a good start last year. If they get the QB spot right, this ranking will prove to be way too low. They are loaded with promising young talent, they feel like they've got a smart, young GM in place, and their new head coach is serious about building a winning culture. Please, stop me when you've heard all this before. What's different about the Jets' attempted reset this time around? It's hard to say. They are loaded with youth. WR Garrett Wilson and CB Sauce Gardner are both 25. They have three starting linemen under 25. Running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen are both under 25. Heck, even the Williams brothers (DT Quinnen and LB Quincy) are 28 and 27 and could have long-term futures in New York. So yeah, they've got the young pieces. The early reviews on GM Darren Mougey are positive. Everyone seems to love the fire and smarts of new coach Aaron Glenn. But, as always, this puzzle is missing the biggest piece. They've banked this season, and maybe next, on 26-year-old QB Justin Fields, who almost certainly isn't the long-term answer for them, which means they've got to find a franchise QB and develop him sometime in the next couple of years. And history shows that rarely goes well for the Jets. Drafting a QB No. 1 overall always feels like a reset for a franchise and gives them a promising outlook five years down the road. But while the reviews on Cam Ward are generally good, he's also considered a level below most of the top QBs drafted the year before. Also, another reset may be looming. When new GM Mike Borgonzi was hired in January, there were a lot of rumors that he might quickly move on from coach Brian Callahan. He didn't, but if Ward struggles this season, the former Chiefs executive will surely look elsewhere. They do have youth on the offensive line in front of Ward, which is smart. But this team is still an odd mix of veterans brought in to help stabilize things and unproven young players with potential. So the outlook of the early stages of the Ward era is hopeful, but hazy. This will be a very telling season for Kyler Murray, because after two injury-plagued seasons, he bounced back nicely last year. Now, nearly three years removed from his torn ACL, he should be even better. And that's big for him because he's signed through 2028, when he'll turn 33, and it might take some big years to convince the Cardinals to give him a new deal and keep him through 2030 and beyond. His presence in five years is obviously important, because otherwise the Cards will be in transition. General manager Monti Ossenfort has helped build a young core of talent, with some high draft picks over the last couple of years. WR Marvin Harrison Jr. obviously stands out, but they have a promising trio of corners too (Garrett Williams, Max Melton and rookie Will Johnson). A strong season by Murray could do wonders for the future of Jonathan Gannon, too, since he's only 12-22 in his first two years as head coach. There'll be pressure on him to win this season, too. After seven straight losing seasons, hopes are high in Atlanta that the Falcons are finally on the cusp of winning again. The organization definitely has some promising young talent. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr., RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London, CB A.J. Terrell and potentially the two edge rushers they drafted in the first round in April (Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr.) could make for a nice core if they stick around. But Penix's potential is unclear, even after three decent starts at the end of last season, and there are questions about his accuracy. Also, do the Falcons have the right coaching staff to develop him? Raheem Morris, entering his second season, is certainly well respected, but he's had one winning season in five years as a head coach. With a GM, Terry Fontenot, who has presided over four losing seasons and was responsible for the Kirk Cousins contract fiasco, this is another franchise that could be looking at short-term change if things don't go well as soon as this year. For the first time in a long time, the future looks bright in New York. GM Joe Schoen has re-shaped the franchise and stacked it with young talent like WR Malik Nabers, edge rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter, and RB Tyrone Tracy. Even DT Dexter Lawrence and edge rusher Brian Burns are only 27, though they'd need new deals before 2030. And yes, they do have a quarterback of the future in Jaxson Dart, though it's hard to even guess on his potential until he throws his first NFL pass. But the pieces are there if Dart is the right guy. The one big problem about their future: Coach Brian Daboll might need to win this year to avoid being fired, especially since John Mara hasn't been very patient with coaches over the past decade. If he gives Daboll some more time, they could be on to something. But without a turnaround in 2025, more change likely looms for this franchise. Laugh at them if you want, but they do have a pretty deep roster of young talent. They've built a young line with potential, including four starters under 25. Even stars like WR CeeDee Lamb and edge rusher Micah Parsons are only 26. The big question for the future will be their QB, though. Dak Prescott will be 37 in 2030, but more importantly, he's only signed through 2028. Would the Cowboys really commit to another long-term deal with him if he hasn't at least gotten them to a Super Bowl by then? More likely, they'll be beginning the transition to whoever is next. Also, keep in mind, no one is sure that they have their guy in new coach Brian Schottenheimer yet. And Jerry Jones will be 87 in five years. Whether he's still actively in charge, or whether it's all being run by his son, Stephen, could have a huge impact on the direction of this franchise in both the long and short term. Sean McVay is only 39 years old, but few around the NFL think he'll be coaching into his 50s — not after he's already flirted with retirement once. If he sticks around, he'll have some rebuilding to do over the next five years, especially with QB Matthew Stafford likely in his final season or two. The good news is GM Les Snead has been able to find some young talent, like WR Puka Nacua, RB Kyren Williams and edge rusher Jared Verse — no small feat considering his habit of trading away high draft picks. He's also proven to be aggressive about getting the players McVay needs. So they won't fade until oblivion in the next few years. But finding that next QB will really be key. They have a very strong management-coach team in place with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell. And it is very much in their favor that O'Connell has proven to be something of a quarterback whisperer, able to get the best out of just about anyone. His current quarterback, though, is mostly an unknown. J.J. McCarthy missed all of last season with an injury, so this will essentially be his rookie season. The Vikings do have other young stars and building blocks, like WRs Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, plus tackle Christian Darrisaw. The defense is vet-heavy and will need to be reset. But their future is really all about McCarthy. If O'Connell works his magic with him, Adofo-Mensah will find enough talent to keep Minnesota in regular contention. They are a great example of the unpredictability of the NFL. Three years ago, it looked like they had the coach, the QB, a stable of young talent and were on their way, and probably would have ranked high on any futures list. Now? Well, they do still have a lot of promise in QB Trevor Lawrence, who'll still only be 30 in five years. And they still have an impressive array of young talent in players like WR Brian Thomas Jr., edge rusher Travon Walker, RB Tank Bigsby, and, of course, WR/CB Travis Hunter. It's also generally a positive sign that GM Trent Baalke was replaced, albeit with untested 34-year-old James Gladstone. But is Liam Coen really the answer at head coach? And is Lawrence the QB they always thought he would be? The answers to both those questions are to be determined. But at least there's potential for the Jaguars to be a lot higher on this list. Of course, there's the potential for this to all blow up in a few years, too. They are getting the benefit of the doubt here that they are headed in the right direction, because if they're not, they are looking at a restart sometime in the next two years. General manager Ryan Poles' teams have been pretty terrible for his three seasons, but getting former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as his new coach was a coup. Johnson might be more likely than anyone to help last year's No. 1 overall pick, QB Caleb Williams, reach his full potential. If that happens, the Bears could be on a quick ascent. They also have some potential young building blocks around Williams, too, with WR Rome Odunze, edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo and rookie tight end Colston Loveland. So if they do have to reset with a new GM in the near future, at least the cupboard isn't bare. They just locked up QB Brock Purdy through 2030 and coach Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch aren't going anywhere, anytime soon. So that's a good start, considering they've been to two NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl in the past four years. Clearly, they've got some work to do with the cast surrounding Purdy, but the Lynch-Shanahan tandem has been pretty good at roster building over their eight years together. Their current project is just starting as their core begins to age — especially on offense. But they've built up a lot of trust over the years. They could have as many as five under-25 starters on defense this year, so that'll be a tell as to how things are going. Here's the big lesson from the Patriots dynasty (and really, the Chiefs dynasty, too): find a great coach, a great quarterback and it's easy to figure out the rest. Well, the Patriots aren't sure if they've found greatness yet, but they're at least on the right track with Mike Vrabel and second-year QB Drake Maye. Vrabel is a terrific coach who'll restore some much-needed professionalism over the next few years, and based on Maye's rookie year, they have a chance to win a lot of games together. General manager Eliot Wolf can help them figure out the rest. And he's already started with young studs like CB Christian Gonzalez and OT Will Campbell, and some young receivers from the last two drafts who have shown some promise, too. And best of all, this franchise won't have the shadow of the Bill Belichick/Tom Brady Era looming over them anymore. Too much time has passed. This is a little bit of a leap of faith, because the Broncos aren't loaded with 25-and-under talent, and no one is sure if Sean Payton, at age 61, is planning to be in Denver long term. But what gets them this high is the impressive work that GM George Paton and Payton did to quickly turn the franchise around, despite the disastrous contract they gave QB Russell Wilson two years ago. They appear to have quickly found a franchise quarterback in Bo Nix while also building a top-10 defense. Nix is only 25 and so are CB Patrick Surtain and edge rusher Nik Bonitto, but the Broncos might have to do a little more building to still be on the rise in five years. As long as Payton doesn't quit, though, and as long as Nix is everything he showed he was as a rookie, the Broncos should be just fine. This is a maddening franchise to figure out because it has a lot of the personnel pieces in place for long-term success — particularly Joe Burrow, who is easily one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL. But there's just no way to trust this organization. Just look at how the Bengals handled the Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart holdouts this offseason. And sure, while they are notoriously cheap, they did re-sign WRs Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but both will need new deals before 2030 to stick around. With Dick Tobin running the front office, it's hard to have faith the Bengals will do what it takes to have staying power in the standings. They also might need to eventually move on from Zac Taylor, too. But as long as they have Burrow locked in, they'll always be at least hovering around the top 10. They went all-in on the Tom Brady era to get their Super Bowl championship, and everyone braced for a big collapse afterward. The fact that it never happened, and that they're a Super Bowl contender again, is a testament to GM Jason Licht & Co.'s eye for talent. It also helps that the chance they took on QB Baker Mayfield paid off, as he became the player he was always supposed to be. The Bucs now need to re-sign him, and he'll be 35 in 2030, but there's no reason to think he'll slow down. And they've got a nice array of young talent to grow, including RB Bucky Irving, and WRs Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan. The biggest question is with the coaching staff. They have turned over a lot of offensive coordinators, and Todd Bowles' record is mediocre. There's the potential for some change there if they don't make noise in the playoffs in the next few years. After too many years of being mired in mediocrity, despite sometimes having the talent to be more, they look to have finally taken steps in the right direction with the hiring of coach Jim Harbaugh — a proven winner everywhere he's gone. But how long will he stay? He did last nine years at Michigan, but before that only four years each with the 49ers and at Stanford. He's 61 now, but it seems likely he'll hang around to try to become just the fourth football coach in history to win both an NCAA championship and a Super Bowl. And he should still have the talent to do it by 2030. Justin Herbert has all the tools and will only be 32 then. Plus, the Chargers boast impressive young players like OT Joe Alt and WRs Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston. There's really no question that Harbaugh will build them into a winner and perennial contender. The only mystery is whether he can lead the Chargers to a title. In the last 33 years, since Mike Holmgren and Brett Favre first took over Green Bay in 1992, the Packers have had just five losing seasons. And no organization in history has been better at seamlessly running through franchise quarterbacks from Favre to Aaron Rodgers to their most recent one, Jordan Love. He'll only be 32 in five years, and almost certainly playing on a new contract. And there should be no doubt about GM Brian Gutekunst's ability to surround him with talent, or with Matt LaFleur's ability to coach it. Yes, the Packers have historically had trouble taking the next steps to becoming a championship-level team. But they will almost certainly remain close. And they have a nice stable of young talent to grow their franchise, including some intriguing potential on defense and promising receivers like Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed. As long as LaFleur and Love are there, they'll be good for many more years. Maybe at some point they'll even be great. When Josh Harris bought the franchise and flushed out Dan Snyder, it really did usher in a new era in Washington. They've got a great GM (Adam Peters) in place with a terrific head coach (Dan Quinn) and a quarterback (Jayden Daniels) who exceeded all expectations as a rookie. They rebuilt this franchise so quickly — the NFC Championship Game in Year 1 — it would be foolish to think it wasn't just the beginning. Daniels is obviously the linchpin to the Commanders' future, and it sure looks like they boast the best of a star-studded QB class. But they've also got young offensive linemen in place, young weapons like WR Luke McCaffrey and TE Ben Sinnott, and young defenders with potential like CB Mike Sainristil and DT Johnny Newton. Add in Peters' masterful work with the salary cap, and the strong core in Washington could turn this former laughingstock into a league power very quickly. OK, the Chiefs might deserve to be a little higher on this list. The problem with projecting their future, though, is that the NFL has been on retirement watch with head coach Andy Reid for several years. Will he still be on the sidelines in 2030 at age 72? If the answer is yes, put the Chiefs at No. 1 or 2, because they'll still have QB Patrick Mahomes (who'll be 35), and a great front office that has made this a model franchise. If it's no … well, there are plenty of examples to show how hard it is to replace a coaching legend. A small step back from their dynasty era would probably be inevitable. They do have some young talent to keep their championship train running — WR Xavier Worthy, CB Trent McDuffie, edge George Karlaftis to name a few — but their elite standing is really about the remarkable tandem of the QB and the coach. Their incredibly durable, talented QB, Josh Allen, will be 34 in 2030 and still playing under his current contract. He'll probably have more MVP trophies on his shelf, too. And GM Brandon Beane isn't going anywhere since he's the architect of the most successful Bills era since Bill Polian built the team that lost four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990s. Sean McDermott probably has a long lease on the coach's office, but that isn't a lock. Even with seven trips to the playoffs in eight years, don't rule out a change if he doesn't get this team to the Super Bowl in the next couple of seasons. Even with a coaching change, though, the expectations would remain that high. That's Mostly because of Allen, but the Bills do have some young defensive players in their core, such as newly re-signed RB James Cook and edge rusher Greg Rousseau. They have been a model of stability since they hired John Harbaugh in 2008, and there's no reason to think that's going to change. Yes, he's already been their coach for 17 years, but there's no indication he won't still be roaming their sidelines in five years at age 67. They obviously have a stable front office behind GM Eric DeCosta, a Ravens lifer in his 11th season. And while they will have to deal with Lamar Jackson's contract after next season, he'll only be 33 and probably still just as dangerous in five years. They'll have to replace some key pieces in the next few years, like RB Derrick Henry, but the Ravens do a good job of reloading on the fly. They also currently have seven former first-round picks on defense — four of whom are 26 or under. Some of them will be a part of their future defensive core. After decades of dysfunction, it's crazy to think the next five years could be a Golden Age in Detroit. Clearly, the Lions got the right people in place with GM Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell. And QB Jared Goff, who still somehow remains incredibly underrated, will only be 35 when the 2030 season begins. Detroit is also loaded with young talent: DE Aidan Hutchinson, OT Penei Sewell, RB Jahmyr Gibbs, CB Terrion Arnold, WRs Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, and TE Sam LaPorta, to name a few. Honestly, the Lions' biggest problem is going to be that there's just no way they can keep them all. But they'll obviously keep enough of them to maintain a strong base. That blockbuster Deshaun Watson trade in 2022 has a chance to set up the Texans the way the Herschel Walker trade once jump-started the Cowboys dynasty. Maybe they won't reach the same Super Bowl heights so quickly, but GM Nick Caserio is building a power down there, and he seems to have the perfect coach in DeMeco Ryans to put it all together. They've clearly got the quarterback in C.J. Stroud, who is still only 23. Add in young talent like edge rusher Will Anderson and cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., and with good health and a little luck, the Texans have a chance to crack the small group of elite teams in the AFC. The last decade has shown the Eagles to be right up there with the Chiefs as the best organization in football, and as long as their 50-year-old GM Howie Roseman wants to keep working, that's not going to change. They also have long-term stability with a Super Bowl-winning coach in Nick Sirianni. And while they would still have to re-sign QB Jalen Hurts sometime in the next four years, he'll only be 32 in 2030 — so, right in his prime. What puts Philly over the top, though, is the fact that Roseman has turned the club into a conveyor belt of young talent. The Eagles will have to reload the offensive line, but they always do. And they are loaded with young talent on defense, like DT Jalen Carter and CBs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. The offense is starting to age, but does anyone want to bet against Roseman remedying that in the next few years? Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.
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- USA Today
Watch: Brian Baldinger breaks down Rams rookie Shaun Dolac's performance vs. Chargers
Shaun Dolac was the most notable undrafted free agent signed by the Los Angeles Rams this season, mostly because of the accolades he collected in college. He was a two-time first-team All-MAC selection at the University of Buffalo, earning MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2024 when he was also a consensus All-American. Dolac led the FBS with 168 total tackles and 177 interception return yards last season, putting up gaudy numbers in his final season with the Bulls. He's now trying to make the Rams' 53-man roster and his play this preseason has caught the attention of NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger. Baldinger highlighted Dolac in a new 'Baldy's Breakdowns' segment on X/Twitter, raving about the way the rookie linebacker has performed thus far. 'He was All-World in that conference. Free agent here with the Rams. All he does is find the football. And when he gets there, he finishes the play,' Baldinger said. What Baldinger likes most about him is his ability to wrap up ball carriers and get them to the ground without needing help from his teammates. Dolac is undersized for an inside linebacker at 6-1, 225 pounds, but he's a great tackler. 'He doesn't need any help,' Baldinger said. 'When he hits the guy, the play ends. This is what he did at Buffalo for three years. He was All-World there, doing the same thing two weeks in a row with the Rams.' Dolac hasn't yet secured a roster spot but he's making a strong case for one. While that might require the Rams to keep five linebackers on the team, for a player they see promise in, it'll be worth it.
