The Rams Have Made NFL History With Their 2026 Roster
With their trade for Myles Garrett, their acquisition of CB Trent McDuffie and a roster that already made the NFC Championship Game last year, it really feels like the Los Angles Rams have a potential superteam on their hands. The addition of Garrett already gives them one pretty impressive piece of history to boast.
According to Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk, the Rams are now the first team in NFL history to have both a reigning NFL MVP quarterback and the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year heading into a season.
The 1994 San Francisco 49ers had NFL MVP Steve Young and DPOY Deion Sanders. But Sanders left the 49ers the following year to join the Dallas Cowboys.
Going further back into NFL history, the 1986 New York Giants saw Lawrence Taylor win both the NFL MVP Award and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, but he wasn't a quarterback. Taylor played the entirety of his career in New York.
Minnesota Vikings icon Alan Page achieved a similar feat in 1971.
Short Term Dominance or the Making of a Dynasty?
The Los Angles Rams paid a pretty penny to bring Garrett into the fold, giving up their first-round pick in next year's draft along with Day 2 picks in 2028 and 2029.
With quarterback Matthew Stafford in the twilight of his career (in spite of his MVP honors) and head coach Sean McVay long believed to want a break from football, 2026 or 2027 could be a Super Bowl window for the Rams, followed by a long period of unknown.
Or is it?
The Rams shocked the world during the NFL Draft by taking Alabama's Ty Simpson in the first round and designating him as the heir apparent to Stafford's spot under center.
If McVay really is as committed to developing Simpson into a star as he says he is, the Rams could be set up for a nice transition from Stafford to a fresh, young star in very short order.
But one step at a time. The Rams need to meet the expectations of 2026 before they can worry about 2027 and beyond.
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