The Rams’ offseason program is officially in the books. All that remains now is the waiting game until training camp opens late next month in Irvine.

Setting aside the inability to lock up All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald on a new long-term contract – resulting in Donald going AWOL throughout OTAs and minicamp and casting an uncertain shadow on his training camp status – the Rams checked off an impressive list of boxes as they went about trying to push themselves from division champs to legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

That isn’t just obvious while playing the name game – the Rams added dynamic, experienced difference makers in Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib, Ndamukong Suh and Brandin Cooks – but also in visual observation during OTAs and minicamp. Even to the untrained eye and without the benefit of Donald’s presence, the Rams look like an elite team equipped with star-caliber players across nearly every position on the field.

That isn’t to say or predict they’ll be booking a trip for Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3 in Atlanta. But it’s hard to imagine there are many other teams in the NFC with similar talent as the Rams. Provided they avoid any key injuries, the Rams should be among the top NFC teams that make a push to Atlanta.

Here are some observations on how the Rams got here and who stood out this offseason:

FRONT OFFICE GETS CREATIVE

Raise your hand if you imagined the Rams could pry Peters, Cooks and Talib from their former teams via trades while also adding Suh to play alongside Donald and Michael Brockers on a potentially dominating defensive line.

Anyone?

Didn’t think so.

Give General Manager Les Snead and front-office cohorts Kevin Demoff and Tony Pastoors credit for their aggressiveness and creativity in manipulating their cap space, roster and assets to add Pro Bowl-caliber players at positions of need.

They entered free agency in March with uncertainty in the defensive secondary. Trumaine Johnson and LaMarcus Joyner – their top players at cornerback and safety – were on the brink of hitting the open market and blowing a hole in the backend of their defense. They didn’t just sidestep potential disaster. They managed to upgrade dramatically by reeling in Peters and Talib to form a shutdown tandem at cornerback and keep Joyner via the franchise tag.

And when Sammy Watkins, their deep-ball threat whose presence at wide receiver helped create space for Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Todd Gurley and others, bolted to the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent, the Rams immediately found a superior replacement in Cooks. Yes, it cost them their first-round pick. And certainly, there is risk as Cooks is currently slated to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. But given the need, the talent level and both sides’ willingness to make this a long-term relationship, the first-round pick was a worthwhile investment.

The Rams could have closed up shop at that point and celebrated a strong offseason. But after monitoring the Suh situation from afar after he was released by the Miami Dolphins in a cost-cutting move, they aggressively jumped into the chase to not only land a meeting with Suh, but convince him to come to Los Angeles on a one-year deal. It was a stunning coup that sets the Rams up with one of the most lethal defensive lines in the NFL.

The collateral damage in the Rams’ offseason pursuit was the loss of starting linebackers Alec Ogletree, Robert Quinn and Connor Barwin, but the Rams believe they have replacements on their current roster to mitigate those losses.

JARED GOFF’S GROWTH CONTINUES

Remember last year at this time when Goff represented the Rams’ biggest question mark? Yes, Gurley was coming off a dreadful sophomore season. Absolutely, Sean McVay was a 31-year-old first-time head coach and a huge unknown. No doubt, the Rams’ offensive line and wide receiver groups needed major retooling. But all of those concerns took a decided back seat to Goff, the first pick overall in 2016 who posted a shaky rookie campaign that left some pundits tossing around the dreaded “bust” word.

A year later, it’s astonishing how little attention Goff garnered during OTAs and minicamp. All the result of the former Cal star flourishing under McVay and around a dramatically improved supporting cast to finally settle the Rams’ frustrating quarterback questions.

Now standing on a sturdy foundation and representing certainty rather than concern, Goff looked poised, sharp and in charge throughout the offseason while working with Gurley, Cooks, Woods, Kupp and young tight ends Gerald Everett, Tyler Higbee and Temarrick Hemingway. Between his experienced, talented supporting cast and the offensive creativity of McVay, the third-year quarterback appears poised to elevate his game to another level.

LINEBACKER STILL A BIG QUESTION

The moves the Rams made on the trade and free agency markets came with a trade-off. To upgrade at cornerback and defensive line – and make it work under the salary cap – they traded linebacker mainstays Ogletree and Quinn and opted against bringing back Barwin.

As a result, the Rams will have three new starters at linebacker, with only Mark Barron returning from the top group.

On the bright side, they are extremely high on second-year OLB Samson Ebukam and third-year ILB Corey Littleton as replacements for Quinn and Ogletree. They have confidence veteran Matt Longacre can take over for Barwin.

Longacre was sidelined during the offseason while rehabbing from a back injury, but Ebukam and Littleton looked good while getting the majority of first-team reps. Both made plays in their limited playing time last year, but it remains to be seen how they’ll hold up in full-time roles across an entire season.

The Rams added ILB Micah Kiser and OLBs Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Trevon Young and Travin Howard via the draft. They also signed ILB Ramik Wilson, who played the past three years with the Kansas City Chiefs. Wilson looked impressive during the offseason filling in for Barron, who worked exclusively to the side during workouts. Veteran Bryce Hager provides depth.

There is optimism in this group. But it’s still an unknown.

BRANDIN COOKS IS THE REAL DEAL

The speed and athleticism jump out upon watching Cooks during workouts, but even more so his nuanced approach to playing wide receiver. There is an obvious precision in Cooks’ footwork, route running and pass catching. His early understanding of the Rams offense’ flashed bodes well in the quest to get on the same page with Goff as quickly as possible.

That’s something that seemed to be missing with Sammy Watkins last year, as he and Goff sometimes appeared out of sync. It would be surprising if that was the case with Cooks, a veteran of intricate, creative offenses in New Orleans and New England. It’s obvious the plan is to get him the ball in an array of ways – including handing it off to him. He already looks like a perfect fit and has a chance to put up some big-time numbers alongside Woods, Kupp, Gurley, Everett and others.