The Rams Made A Critical Error, And Now They're Paying For It

AJ Mast / Associated Press

Under Sean McVay and Les Snead, the LA Rams have had an unconventional strategy. Forget draft capital they said. Let’s win now and go get proven talent. Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters, Andrew Whitworth, Brandin Cooks, Jalen Ramsey, Von Miller, Matthew Stafford, Odell Beckham Jr, Bobby Wagner, and Allen Robinson are the biggest examples of bringing in experienced vets in favor of drafting. They would then tie themselves against the salary cap by signing these older players to big contracts and in some cases would not draft until the fourth round or later. Folks, this is something that works in Madden - I know because I’ve done it. But eventually you have to move on to the draft when those players get old. Well, the Rams didn’t got the memo and they are now paying for it with a 3-7 record and the ownership of last place in the NFC West. Talk about a super bowl hangover.

The Issues At Hand

Here is the problem. The only way to stay ahead in the NFL is to draft well, and you need plenty of picks to do that. The Rams haven’t had a first round pick in years and the top 10 pick they would have right now currently belongs to the Lions due to the Stafford trade. Only adding three or four players in the later rounds is not enough to make a team better. Copper Kupp was a fourth rounder and he’s turned out great. But with him hurt and due to the lack of young talent, there are not a lot of options for Stafford, who is has also been banged up. On top of that, starting running back Darrell Henderson and starting linebacker Justin Hollins were just waived.

The Rams now only have two backs on the roster - Cam Akers who wanted to be traded, and rookie Kyren Williams. Henderson is now with the Jaguars. The linebacker depth chart is not a long one either as Hollins is now with the Packers. Continuing with the theme of depth, the third player the Rams recently cut is tight end Kendall Blanton who has been up and down from the practice squad. He got time in the playoffs due to injuries, and without him Tyler Higbee and Brycen Hopkins are the only TE’s on the team. Part of the reason LA is in this situation is because of the stupidity of their brain trust and this bonehead philosophy.

Common Sense

If you have an older team, your main priority should be to have young players waiting in the wings. Even if they don’t play right away, they need to grow their game and be mentored by the veterans. This is an unacceptable error that has setback a solid team. Your job as a head coach and general manager is to draft to make the team better. They have now done a disservice to the team, the players, and the fans by failing to do so. The Rams got what was coming to them, it just took a while to get there.