NFL analyst calls Rams one of the best 'on-paper teams' he's ever seen

Entering the 2026 NFL season, the Los Angeles Rams are already regarded as having one of the best teams in football. But if they achieve their lofty goal of winning a championship, they could go down as one of the greatest teams of all time.

Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr added the Rams to a list of 14 teams that could win the Super Bowl this season. While that's not surprising, given the strength of the team's roster and their recent runs of success, it is worth noting that Orr believes the Rams have one of the best on-paper teams he's ever seen.

The Rams are the obvious, heavy-hitting front-runners on this list. The additions of Myles Garrett, Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie to a team that was a few plays away from going to the Super Bowl is the clearest example of Les Snead and Sean McVay appropriately reading their roster and honing in on the right time to triple down. The Rams’ schedule is relentless, and managing rest for both Garrett and Matthew Stafford will be a major storyline this coming season, especially after beginning the season in Australia.

Still, it would be fair to say the Rams were on equal footing from a talent perspective with the Seahawks last year and made premium upgrades in every area where they were deficient, whereas Seattle had a post–Legion of Boom redux where it had to confront the difficulty of paying certain Super Bowl–winning stars versus opting to save elsewhere. Anyone who does not rank the Rams as one of the two or three top Super Bowl contenders is simply overthinking it. This is one of the best preseason, on-paper teams I have ever seen.

The Seahawks had to lose some players in free agency as the champagne costs associated with players who win the Super Bowl forced the team to make tough financial decisions. Despite that, the Seahawks were able to maintain the entire core of their operation, so their losses likely won't hurt in the long run.

On the other hand, the Rams are filled with stars but have depth issues with certain parts of their roster. Still, it's Super Bowl or bust for the top teams in the NFC West as they look to win with their individualized approaches to roster construction.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: NFL analyst calls Rams one of the best 'on-paper teams' he's ever seen