Rams midseason report card: Grading every position after 8 games - Rams Wire

The Los Angeles Rams have just about reached the halfway point of their season, playing eight of their 17 games and winning four of them. A 4-4 record isn't what they were hoping for through eight games, but it could've been much worse – especially after starting the year 2-4.

Sean McVay and everyone else in the Rams' building are trying to figure out ways to improve in the second half of the season, whether it's on offense, defense or special teams. And some units need more attention than others, which could potentially lead to outside help, too.

But through eight weeks, let's take a look at how each position group has performed.

There's no question Stafford is playing much worse than he did last season when he won MVP. That was a tough campaign to follow up regardless, but outside of his games against the Giants and Bills (and maybe the Broncos game), he hasn't been great.

And it's not as if he's consistently pushing the ball downfield, either. His average depth of target of 7.8 yards is tied for 22nd among quarterbacks, and he's been particularly conservative the last two weeks. He's not throwing with the same zip or accuracy that he usually does, and he's missing throws he ordinarily makes.

Kyren Williams and Blake Corum both rank in the top 21 for total rushing yards this season, with Williams at No. 11 (548 yards). Williams leads all running backs with a success rate of 62.5%, and Corum isn't far behind; his success rate of 57.3% is fifth-best.

They've hit their stride as a duo the last two weeks, dominating against the Raiders and Chargers. If the Rams can keep this one-two punch going the rest of the week, it'll take a lot of pressure off of Stafford to carry the offense.

Puka Nacua and Davante Adams have both missed multiple games this season due to injury, which has put more on the shoulders of the Rams' backups. But that doesn't excuse the lack of production from players not named Nacua or Adams.

After Nacua (565 yards) and Adams (480), no other Rams receiver has more than 145 yards receiving this season. Konata Mumpfield is third at the position with 142 yards, and most of those came on one drive against the Broncos.

Nacua has been excellent as always, even if he hasn't done much damage down the field the last two weeks. And Adams was outstanding in the two games Nacua missed, putting up more than 300 yards receiving in those games. But outside of those two players, the Rams' receiving corps has been disappointing.

We haven't seen the full potential of the tight end group yet because Terrance Ferguson has missed the last five games with an ankle injury. But Colby Parkinson is grinding through various injuries, Davis Allen is doing some great work as a blocker and Tyler Higbee has had some vintage games where he really stepped up.

As a whole, though, the Rams could use more from their tight ends as receivers. Higbee has dropped too many passes and committed too many penalties, and Parkinson still isn't threatening defenses downfield. Ferguson's return will certainly help, though.

After allowing the fewest sacks in the NFL last season, the Rams' O-line has once again been great in 2026. They've given up only 12 sacks, which is the sixth-fewest. And it's not as if Stafford is dodging defenders in the pocket. Alaric Jackson and Warren McClendon Jr. are both playing really well, as are the guards, Steve Avila and Kevin Dotson. Coleman Shelton has been even better than last year, too.

In the run game, the Rams' O-line has been particularly good, which is a big reason both Williams and Corum are having as much success as they have been.

It's hard to properly grade a group that hasn't been at full strength for most of the year. Aaron Donald missed two games, and Kobie Turner and Poona Ford have now missed two games each. Ford is out for the year and Turner is on IR, so this group won't be 100% again all season. But Ty Hamilton has stepped up, as has Tyler Davis, and Braden Fiske has looked better than he did last season when he was battling injuries.

What this group is lacking is impact plays. Donald still doesn't have a sack, and Fiske is the only defensive lineman who does have one. Against the run, they've been great. But converting pressures into sacks is a must in the second half of the season.

Omar Speights has taken a big step forward this season, which has been awesome to see. Nate Landman is also playing some solid football, though he could still improve in coverage.

The linebacker tandem of Speights and Landman is still fairly limited athletically and when asked to play in space, but they've done a nice job stopping the run and supplementing the big men up front.

Like the defensive line, the outside linebacker group hasn't yet had its full complement of players besides the first game of the season. Myles Garrett has been on IR since Week 2, so it's been Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart playing most of the snaps. Wesley Bailey has stepped up, too, which has been impressive considering he's an undrafted rookie.

Stewart and Young are getting pressure on quarterbacks, but they've combined for only 6.5 sacks so far. Bailey is tied for second on the team with two sacks, as well. There's plenty of room for growth, but it's a promising young group, especially with the emergence of Bailey.

Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson have both dealt with injuries this year, and are banged up again heading into Week 9. And though they've each missed time, Josh Wallace and Emmanuel Forbes Jr. have stepped up nicely. Wallace, in particular, has been outstanding, earning the 13th-best coverage grade of any cornerback in the NFL, per PFF, with the 12th-lowest passer rating allowed (49.7).

McDuffie ranks second in that stat, allowing a passer rating of only 24.7, which just shows how great he's been in his first year with the Rams. Los Angeles couldn't have asked for a better start to the year from its cornerback group, even with all the injuries it has dealt with.

Few teams have as much safety depth as the Rams do. Kam Curl is all over the field, Quentin Lake is having his best season as a pro in the slot and Kam Kinchens continues to be the enforcer on the back end; he's come close to a few picks, too.

Lake has turned into a ball hawk for the Rams, breaking up a team-high 11 passes, which ranks second in the NFL. Three of those passes defensed have been interceptions, too. He's been picked on frequently by opposing quarterbacks but he's made them pay often.

There's no end in sight for the Rams' special teams woes. Brandon McManus hasn't missed a kick yet, but Joshua Karty landed two kickoffs short of the landing zone on Sunday, which did nothing to solve the team's kickoff issues.

Things have gotten a little bit better since Harrison Mevis' departure, but the coverage units need to be better, Ethan Evans has hit some terrible punts and the Rams are getting absolutely nothing out of the return game, whether on punts or kickoffs.

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