The Los Angeles Rams have never been afraid to spend money, whether it’s on offense or defense. In recent years, however, there’s no denying which side of the ball has gotten most of the attention financially.
In each of the last two years, the Rams have had the cheapest defense in the NFL based on positional spending. In 2023, they spent just $51.74 million on that side of the ball. Last year, they spent a measly $39.51 million on defense – $27.2 million less than any other team.
That trend is going to continue in 2025, too.
According to Over The Cap, the Rams are currently spending just $61.67 million on defense. The next-closest team is the Saints, who are spending $83.66 million. The Rams are one of only three teams spending less than $96 million on defense, with the Eagles being the third ($85.82 million).
The biggest gap position-wise between the Rams and everyone else is at edge rusher, largely thanks to Jared Verse and Byron Young being on rookie deals. It’s one of the most expensive positions in the sport, but the Rams only have $9.2 million allocated to that group – $6 million less than every other team.
Here’s where the Rams rank at each position group on defense in total spending for 2025.
- Defensive line: 31st ($12.55M)
- Edge rusher: 32nd ($9.16M)
- Linebacker: 32nd ($4.12M)
- Cornerback: 12th ($24.57M)
- Safety: 25th ($11.27M)
It’s somewhat surprising to see the Rams spending so much at cornerback given the state of the position, but that’s what $9.2 million in cap space for Darious Williams and $3-plus million each for Cobie Durant and Derion Kendrick will do to the budget.
These rankings aren’t going to change much before the start of the season, either. There aren’t any big-ticket free agents out there that the Rams are likely to sign, and it’s not like rookies will cost much.
It’s a moneyball approach by the front office that has had mixed results. The defense wasn’t good enough in 2023 and there were early struggles last season, but they found their groove down the stretch when the pass rush got going.
It’s risky to be paying so little on defense and so much on offense ($158.6M, fourth-most), but that’s kind of the way the NFL game has been trending. It’s all about putting up points and paying skill players to make plays.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams will have NFL's cheapest defense again in 2025
