Colby Parkinson showed he was worth his contract and then some in 2025
Every year brings its surprises. Whether it was an undrafted free agent making the roster and finding more playing time on offense or defense. It may have been a prior free agent signing that finally elevated his game. Or a late round draft pick giving more worth than his draft value. 2025 was no different as the Rams were able to find contributions and then some from the following players:
1. Colby Parkinson, TE
Many Rams fans were begging for the Los Angeles front office to release Parkinson during training camp after an underwhelming 2024 campaign. Parkinson responded with the best statistical season of his career; posting 43 receptions (56 targets), 8 touchdowns, and 271 Yards after the Catch. The 8 touchdowns will be tough to replicate in future seasons but Parkinson clearly created a chemistry with Matthew Stafford. It’s safe to say that he has a firm grasp on TE1 entering the 2026 offseason.
2. Warren McClendon, RT
Rob Havenstein suffered an ankle and knee injury early in the year and never fully recovered. McClendon got his first start in Week 5. Havenstein returned for Weeks 8-11 but suffered a setback. From Week 12 through the NFC Championship Game, McClendon secured the right side of the offensive line. McClendon posted a 83.5 overall grade (73.9 pass blocking grade and 86.7 run blocking grade). LA will need to confirm that McClendon is their future at right tackle as they were fooled in 2021-2022 when they locked up Joe Noteboom to a three year deal and regretted that signing quickly after.
3. Nate Landman, ILB
The Rams signed Nate Landman to a 1 year $1.1 million deal hoping to find someone to play inside to upgrade the subpar play of Christian Rozeboom. Landman earned the attention and respect of his defense early in training camp; making a name for himself by punching out footballs often. The same thing happened in the first half of the 2025 season when Landman forced four fumbles for the defense. His impact play earned him a three year $22 million deal halfway through the season. It’s worth noting that Landman’s play did drop off in the second half of the season but he nonetheless exceeded expectations in 2025.
4. Blake Corum, RB
Sean McVay’s teams have typically used just 1 bell cow running back. However, they pivoted off of that strategy in 2025 to reduce the workload of Kyren Williams. As it turned out, Blake Corum became the better of the two running backs; averaging 5.1 yards/carry as opposed to Kyren’s 4.8 yards/carry. Corum also produced the Rams longest run of the year: 48 yards. Corum also showed that he could be a dog in pass protection as well, something McVay demands of his running backs.
It would not surprise me if Corum earned the RB1 role halfway through 2026.
5. Tyler Davis, iDL
The Rams are known for their defensive front with Poona Ford, Braden Fiske, and Kobie Turner. But Tyler Davis, a second year player, earned a respectable 68.3 PFF grade on 475 defensive snaps. His prowess in the run game helped the Rams to shore up their woes in run defense from the previous year.
Who will exceed expectations for the Rams in 2026?
Stay tuned for the Rams 5 biggest disappointments in 2025.
Category: General Sports
