Very little about the 2022 season went according to plan for the Los Angeles Rams. Sure, it would’ve been hard for them to win the Super Bowl for the second straight year, but they at least expected to make the playoffs.
From top to bottom, their roster underperformed – with the exception of a few position groups. That’s reflected in our final report card of the year, an all-encompassing grade of each position on the team.
Here’s how we graded each unit in 2022, beginning with subpar quarterback play from the four guys who lined up under center.
Quarterback: D
The Rams finished 29th in net passing yards per attempt, 28th in touchdown passes and 27th in passing yards. Suffice it to say, it was a terrible year at quarterback.
Matthew Stafford struggled before getting injured, rarely throwing downfield or hitting big plays to receivers besides Cooper Kupp. John Wolford and Bryce Perkins were extremely limited as passers, and while Baker Mayfield had his positive moments, he also missed too many open receivers and showed poor pocket awareness.
It’s tough to say any of the four quarterbacks played well in 2022.
Running back: C-
The Rams’ backfield changed by the week, whether it was Darrell Henderson Jr. starting, Cam Akers being benched or Kyren Williams playing the most snaps one week. Sean McVay couldn’t make up his mind at that spot and it turned into a jumbled mess.
Henderson was cut, Akers was away for weeks and Williams saw his role evaporate at the end of the year. The only reason this grade isn’t a ‘D’ is because Akers dominated in the final four weeks, topping 100 yards from scrimmage in each game, including three straight 100-yard rushing games.
Wide receiver: C
Cooper Kupp was having a strong season before he got hurt, catching 75 passes for 812 yards and six touchdowns in the nine games he played. But other than Kupp, the Rams got very little production out of their wide receivers.
Allen Robinson was a non-factor, Ben Skowronek played a variety of roles and Tutu Atwell didn’t get much of a chance until everyone else was hurt. Van Jefferson’s pre-season injury didn’t help, either.
Kupp finished as the only receiver with more than 400 yards and he only played nine games.
Tight end: C
Tyler Higbee was quiet for most of the season before finally emerging in the second half. He surprisingly finished the year with a career-high 108 targets but that translated to just 620 yards and an average of 8.6 yards per catch. His hands were much less reliable than usual, too.
Brycen Hopkins was the No. 2 tight end but he had just seven catches for 109 yards. It was mostly the Higbee show again, which resulted in a subpar season for the Rams’ tight ends.
Offensive line: D-
I won’t fail the offensive line because it’s not their fault four starters got hurt and 13 players wound up starting at least one game. However, the players who did play meaningful snaps for the Rams were inconsistent and unreliable.
Rob Havenstein was the only steady presence up front and he had a lot of trouble with top edge rushers, specifically Maxx Crosby in the win over the Raiders. Brian Allen took a step back from his performance in 2021, as did Joe Noteboom before he got hurt.
The offensive line should be priority No. 1 for the Rams this offseason.
Defensive line: B
Any time you lose a future Hall of Famer on the defensive line, the entire group is going to take a sizable step backward. Aaron Donald’s injury was crushing for the Rams, and while A’Shawn Robinson going down wasn’t as significant, that also had a negative impact on the run defense. Greg Gaines played part of the year hurt, too.
Donald and Robinson were both playing well before getting hurt, and it was good to see Marquise Copeland step up when starters did go down.
Inside linebacker: A
There’s really no debate about which position group was best for the Rams this year. Bobby Wagner was a star in his first year in Los Angeles, putting together one of the best seasons of his career. He had 140 tackles and six sacks, also picking off two passes with 10 tackles for a loss.
Ernest Jones didn’t have as productive a season, but he too was an impactful player on defense and finished with 114 tackles despite only playing about two-thirds of the snaps.
Outside linebacker: C
There was Leonard Floyd and then there was everyone else. He led the team with 54 total pressures, but he was the only outside linebacker who had more than 25 this season. Michael Hoecht, who didn’t move to outside linebacker until Week 12, was second at the position with 24 pressures.
Justin Hollins had six before getting cut and Terrell Lewis only had four, so there was absolutely no production coming from that position besides Floyd until Hoecht made the switch. Thankfully Floyd had a strong season because if not for him, this might’ve been the worst group of edge rushers in football.
Cornerback: B+
Jalen Ramsey finished with a higher PFF grade than he had last season despite allowing seven touchdowns in coverage, showing he still had a good year in 2022. His teammates at cornerback were inconsistent at best, though.
Cobie Durant showed signs of potential with three interceptions (including a pick-six), but the Rams put him in the starting lineup too late in the year. Derion Kendrick and David Long Jr. had trouble in coverage before both of them were benched.
Troy Hill was supposed to solve some of the Rams’ issues at cornerback but he allowed a completion rate of 70% in coverage. Ramsey is the one who carried this group throughout the year, which is how they earned a B+ grade.
Safety: C+
Nick Scott and Taylor Rapp were the Rams’ primary safeties this year and they play completely different styles at the position. Scott is better in coverage, while Rapp typically does his work in the box as a run defender.
Sadly, they both gave up too many big plays in coverage and missed more tackles than you want to see from your safeties. Scott missed a team-high 12 tackles and Rapp missed six times.
Jordan Fuller’s injury didn’t help the depth at this position, missing most of the season with a hamstring injury that never healed.
Special teams: B+
Matt Gay showed he’s one of the best kickers in the NFL this season, making 28 of 30 field goal attempts with his only misses coming from beyond 50 yards. Brandon Powell didn’t make as many big plays this year as he did in 2021, but he still had a positive impact in the return game.
Riley Dixon was certainly a drop-off from Johnny Hekker, averaging just 41.7 net yards per punt.
