Anything less than a Super Bowl victory for the Los Angeles Rams is a failure, and it really isn’t even debatable.
General Manager, Les Snead is playing a dangerous game, but it would all be worth it for a Lombardi trophy. Snead has went about his roster construction in a much different way then any other General Manager in the NFL. Snead has not made a first-round draft pick since 2016, when he selected Jared Goff, first-overall. The Rams aren’t scheduled to make a pick in the first-round until the year, 2024. That’s seven years in between first-round picks.
Here’s how the Rams have utilized their first-round picks since the selection of Jared Goff in 2016:
2017: The Rams traded this first-round pick to the Tennessee Titans as part of the deal to move up and draft Jared Goff in 2016.
2018: The Rams traded this first round-pick to the New England Patriots for wide receiver, Brandin Cooks.
2019: The Rams traded this first-round pick to the Atlanta Falcons for a second, and third-round pick.
2020: The Rams traded this first-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for cornerback, Jalen Ramsey.
2021: The Rams traded this first-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for cornerback, Jalen Ramsey.
2022: The Rams traded this first-round pick to the Detroit Lions for quarterback, Matthew Stafford.
2023: The Rams traded this first-round pick to the Detroit Lions for quarterback, Matthew Stafford.
It’s clear what Snead’s philosophy is on draft picks, as he clearly doesn’t value them as much as other teams do. It’s ultimately an outlier philosophy, but it’s been how the Rams have done business. But, this season, the Rams have cranked it up a notch on their win-now mentality.
It started with the acquisition of Matthew Stafford, this past offseason. The Rams ponied up two-first round draft picks and Jared Goff to land Matthew Stafford. It was obvious that Sean McVay’s relationship with Jared Goff had went south, and Goff’s play was not moving the needle.
So, Snead and the Rams front office took care of it, and added one the most under-appreciated quarterbacks in the NFL, at a steep price. Between Jared Goff’s dead money and Stafford’s cap hit in 2021, the Rams have a total cap hit of $42.2 million at the quarterback position. Again, an all-in mentality strikes (for better or worse).
Well, the Rams didn’t stop their buyers mentality as the trade deadline approached. The Rams dealt a second and third-round pick in the 2022 Draft for pass-rusher, Von Miller.
The 32 year old Von Miller is in the final season of his current six-year contract worth a total of $114 million. The Denver Broncos took on the overwhelming majority of the remaining money on the contract in exchange for more draft capital. Which of course, the Rams were completely fine with in order to make this deal happen. Miller was the biggest name to be moved ahead of the NFL trade deadline, and he should immediately help contribute to the Rams pass-rush. Despite the fact that the Rams lead the NFL in sacks with 25, a defense with Von Miller and Aaron Donald is daunting for opposing offenses. Miller isn’t necessarily the player he once was, but, the Rams still believe that he can make an impact. The Von Miller trade feels like one of those trades in which it will either be a home run move, or a massive overpayment.
We’re almost at the halfway point in the NFL season, and the Rams are arguably the best team in football. They’re 7-1, and have won four consecutive games. Matthew Stafford has been an MVP candidate, having the best season of his career. Stafford is 2nd in the NFL in quarterback rating (118.0), 1st in QBR (77.6), 6th in completion percentage (68.9%), 1st in DVOA (39.0%), and 1st in EPA/Play (0.410).
Cooper Kupp has been the league’s best receiver. He’s tied for the league lead in receptions (64), 1st in receiving yards (924), receiving touchdowns (10), 2nd in receiving yards per game (115.5), and 1st in DYAR (252). Kupp isn’t alone, as the Rams offense is loaded with talent across the board. Robert Woods, Tyler Higbee and Van Jefferson make the passing attack scary for every single defense in this league.
But, what they do in the regular season is really irrelevant. There are no excuses with this Rams team. It’s pretty simple, if they don’t win the Super Bow, then their season can be considered a failure of epic proportions. They have too much talent, spent too much money, and traded away too much draft capital to full short.
Sean McVay and Les Snead’s credibility is on the line with this roster. They could be the architects of a future model on how to build a Super Bowl caliber team with the de-emphasis on draft picks. Or, they could be a punch line if they come up short, with the Rams facing a bleak future.
Slice it however you want, it’s Super Bowl or bust for the Rams.