SoFi Stadium sits on Inglewood soil, and the team that calls it home walked into 2026 as a Super Bowl contender. After a 12-5 season and an NFC Championship Game trip, the Rams traded for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and talked Aaron Donald out of retirement. Here are the five players every Inglewood fan should know this fall.
1. Matthew Stafford
QB · #9
Won the 2025 AP NFL MVP after leading the league with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns (2025 season).
At 37, Stafford put together arguably the best season of his career: 4,707 yards, 46 touchdowns, only eight interceptions and a 109.2 passer rating, earning first-team All-Pro and edging Drake Maye in the closest MVP vote since 2003. He also pushed the Rams to the NFC title game and passed 60,000 career yards. He's back for 2026 with the same weapons and a far scarier defense.
2. Puka Nacua
WR · #12
Led the NFL with 129 receptions in 2025 (1,715 yards, 10 TDs) and earned first-team All-Pro (2025 season).
Nacua's 129 catches in 2025 tied for the seventh-most in a single NFL season, and his 1,715 receiving yards ranked second in the league and third in Rams history. He added 10 touchdowns, a career-best 170-yard game against the Colts, and first-team All-Pro honors. Now wearing No. 12, he remains Stafford's go-to target and the loudest ovation at SoFi.
3. Myles Garrett
DE · #95
Set the NFL single-season sack record with 23 in 2025 and won unanimous AP Defensive Player of the Year before the Rams acquired him on June 1, 2026.
The Rams sent Jared Verse and three draft picks to Cleveland for the reigning DPOY, who broke Strahan's and T.J. Watt's shared record with 23 sacks, 33 tackles for loss and 39 QB hits in 2025. Garrett paid Poona Ford to keep his No. 95 and joins Byron Young, coming off a 12-sack Pro Bowl year, on a pass rush that could be the NFL's most feared.
4. Aaron Donald
DT · #99
The three-time AP Defensive Player of the Year came out of retirement in 2026 on a one-year, $20 million deal.
Donald retired in March 2024 after 10 seasons, three DPOY awards and a Super Bowl LVI title won on SoFi's own turf. Two years later, the Garrett trade pulled him back: he signed a one-year, $20 million deal (up to $30 million with playoff incentives) and told reporters he knew the comeback was coming two weeks before the announcement. At 35, No. 99 is chasing one more ring in Inglewood.
5. Kyren Williams
RB · #23
Rushed for 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2025, his third straight 1,000-yard season (2025 season).
Williams carried 259 times for 1,252 yards and 10 scores in 2025, adding 36 catches for 281 yards and three more touchdowns. He became the first Rams back with three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons since Steven Jackson, and his 4.8 yards per carry and top-five PFF rushing grade show it wasn't just volume. He is the engine that keeps Stafford's play-action honest.
Agree? Disagree? Tag @beinglewood with your five. And if you are heading to the stadium, the arena or the Forum this season, wear the city.
Sources
- https://www.nfl.com/news/matthew-stafford-rams-qb-most-valuable-player-2025
- https://www.deseret.com/sports/2026/01/04/puka-nacua-nfl-receptions-leader-2025/
- https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/browns-trade-de-myles-garrett-to-the-rams-f
- https://www.therams.com/news/aaron-donald-unretires-will-play-for-rams-in-2026
- https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/kyren-williams/97118
Sports stats are from the 2025 NFL season and 2025-26 NBA season unless labeled otherwise (2026 NFL Week 1 and 2026-27 NBA had not produced full stats at research time). Jersey numbers from ESPN/team rosters as of Sept 2026.
