Rams earn grade of D- for departure-filled offseason
There isn’t a team in the NFL that has made fewer additions this offseason than the Los Angeles Rams. That’s because they still have yet to sign a single free agent. The only non-draft additions to this roster are Hunter Long, who was acquired in the Jalen Ramsey trade with the Dolphins, and Vincent Gray, who was claimed off waivers from the Saints this week. That’s it.
On the flip side, they’ve lost Ramsey, Leonard Floyd, Bobby Wagner, Allen Robinson, Nick Scott, Greg Gaines, A’Shawn Robinson, Taylor Rapp, David Long Jr. and David Edwards. See the contrast?
In no way did the Rams get better this offseason. That doesn’t mean they won’t have a better record than they did in 2022, but the roster itself has certainly not improved.
Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated has been unimpressed by the Rams’ moves this spring and he appropriately gave them a terrible grade on his NFC West report card. He gave the Rams a D- for their offseason so far, expecting another losing season from Los Angeles.
Outside of creating cap space for next season, the Rams didn’t do much for this year’s team. McVay will likely use the underdog role to motivate his inexperienced roster, and they’ll probably win a few games with Stafford, Kupp and Donald still there. Perhaps the rookie class will show enough flashes throughout the season to become building blocks for the future. But expect the Rams to endure back-to-back losing seasons after winning the Super Bowl, as they might find themselves in the race for Williams and Maye by Halloween.
The Rams aren’t necessarily looking to compete this season. They’re using 2023 as a reset year before likely getting more aggressive next offseason with an abundance of cap space and a first-round pick (yes, really!). Of course, they could choose to trade that first-rounder for a proven veteran as they have so many times before, but with their new shift in mentality from the “F them picks” era, they’ll probably hold onto that pick.
If they’re bad enough in 2023, they could even find themselves in contention for the top two quarterbacks, Caleb Williams or Drake Maye, as Manzano mentioned.
