Cam Akers should be the lead guy this year but he was also supposed to be the lead guy last year before rupturing his Achilles before the season.

He then made an impressive return in the postseason but was not very effective.

He will be fully healthy this season and will have the opportunity to run away with the starting running back role.

Head coach Sean McVay’s offense is at its best with a great running back (remember a guy named Todd Gurley) so a healthy and productive Akers would make the Rams’ offense even more dangerous.

And giving Stafford and Kupp more room to operate through the air will be a recipe for disaster for the Rams’ opponents.

But it won’t only be those two that defenses will have to worry about. The Rams brought in wide receiver Allen Robinson in free agency to play opposite Kupp.

Robinson still has a bit of a stink on him from his time in Chicago, especially last year when he had an awful season, but before 2021 he was one of the most productive wideouts in the league.

Robinson will instantly be in the best offense of his career with the best quarterback he has ever had, so a career year from the veteran isn’t out of the question.

Van Jefferson will likely be in the third-receiver role but the other players in the group such as Tutu Atwell, Ben Skowronek, and Brandon Powell will step up at times as well.

The one aspect of the passing game that the Rams could improve is the tight end position.

They aren’t looking to get better at the spot by adding new players, they’re just hoping that Tyler Higbee can be a more reliable option.

He has been around the 500-yard and five-touchdown mark each of the past two seasons but the team could benefit from him upping his game a bit and becoming a consistent third weapon in the offense.

One of the perks of being the defending Super Bowl champs is that the players on the team typically want to stick.

That is unless they are forty-year-old tackle Andrew Whitworth who retired in the offseason after a fantastic career.

The other three starters from last year returned, giving the unit a strong foundation to build on. Rob Havenstein will man right tackle while Brian Allen remains at center and David Edwards occupies one of the guard spots.

The left tackle spot previously helmed by Whitworth seems like it will go to Joe Noteboom, who was a backup last year but signed a generous deal in the offseason to come back.

The final guard spot will be up for grabs with rookie third-rounder Logan Bruss the frontrunner to win the job.

The biggest move the Rams made this offseason was to shore up the position that gave them the most problems last year: linebacker. To do that, they signed Bobby Wagner after he was cut by their division rivals the Seattle Seahawks.

Wagner is no longer the player he was in his prime but he is still far from being washed.

Sure, his six-year streak of being named to the All-Pro first team was snapped but he still made the second team, making it eight straight All-Pro seasons.

He also recorded 170 tackles, so he is still playing at an elite level.

Just with Donald alone, the Rams would have a great d-line and pass-rush but luckily they also have some pretty good players around him.

The team is losing outside linebacker Von Miller, whom they traded for during the season to fuel their Super Bowl run.

They do still have outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, who finished second on the team to Donald with 9.5 sacks.

Those two will account for most of the pass rush while guys such as defensive tackles Greg Gaines and A’Shawn Robinson work on holding their ground and filling lanes against the run.

The secondary took a bit of a hit via the free-agent departure of breakout cornerback Darious Williams but there is enough talent in place to replace him.

Obviously, Ramsey will have one of the corner spots locked down (along with whatever receiver he’s covering) but guys will have to step up in other areas of the secondary.

The spot could also go to veteran corner Troy Hill who returned to Los Angeles after one year in Cleveland.

Those two players will probably function as the second and third corners in some order but there are also some rookies, Derion Kendrick and Cobie Durant, who could earn some playing time if they prove they can handle it.

Most people think the Rams have been defined by their star players and their affinity to trade away high picks to acquire even more star players.

And while that is essential to their franchise identity, the real reason they have remained so competitive is their ability to develop their day two and three picks into quality starters.

That will once again be imperative this year as there are a few starting positions or other important roles up for grabs that will likely be filled by a player who was drafted in the later rounds.

Whether it is a rookie or a player who has been around for a few seasons, guys are going to have to step up in order for the Rams to be as good as they were last year.

That is not to say that I think they are going to win the Super Bowl. It is a very tough task to pull off back-to-back Lombardi trophies; there hasn’t been a repeat champion since the early-2000s Patriots.

This column also appears at The Dime Press and is syndicated with permission.
Follow Cody Schoeler on Twitter @codyschoeler.