2020 Rams Offseason Superlatives

[AvengerRam]

With the 2020 offseason coming to an end, here is my list of superlatives:

Best Move: Locking in Jalen Ramsey
Given the amount of draft capital expended, this had to happen. The fact that it got done before the season through a smooth process that never resulted in Ramsey openly complaining or, worse yet, sitting out, is a big plus. The Rams are banking on a Donald/Ramsey core being the key to having a strong defense in the next few years. I think that's a good bet.

Worst Departure: Corey Littleton
While I get the economics, I wish we could have retained Littleton, who was a Swiss Army Knife for the defense. His ability in coverage could be tough to replicate.

Best Draft Pick: Van Jefferson
I have high hopes for Cam Akers, but I think Jefferson could prove to be a real steal. While some prospects may have better measurables, on the surface, throughout the pre-draft period and forward through training camp, all I've heard about this guy is that he really knows how to separate and has great hands. Isn't that pretty much the job description for a WR? Remember - the pick that was used to acquire Jefferson was the one obtained in the Brandin Cooks trade, so Jefferson could also save us money in the long run.

Riskiest Draft Pick: Terrell Lewis
This one is pretty obvious, particularly with Lewis being shelved for at least 3 weeks. Of course, risky does not necessarily mean bad. He has a ton of potential which, hopefully, will display itself if he gets (and stays) on the field.

Biggest Surprise: David Edwards/Bobby Evans - both backups?
If the Rams' "unofficial" depth chart is to be believed, neither Edwards nor Evans will be starters on opening day. This surprises me (particularly Edwards), as I thought they showed potential last year. Perhaps they will work their way back to the starting lineup or, perhaps, I just overestimated them.

Key Sleeper: Jordan Fuller
The positive reviews he has been receiving are encouraging. For this year, he could be a valuable backup and contributor on special teams (and, perhaps, in dime packages). More importantly, if the Rams can't retain John Johnson, he could be a quality replacement at a bargain price next year.

Addition by Subtraction (tie): Saying Good Bye to Todd Gurley and Wade Phillips
Its hard to say good bye to people who had a positive impact in the past, but when its time, its time. Todd Gurley, in my opinion, has never really been a "we, not me" kind of guy. When he was at his peak physically, that was okay, as he was good enough to be a bit selfish. Last year, he was not at that level, and I don't know that he'll ever get back. Phillips was a great support system for Sean McVay in his first couple of years, but I think it was time for some innovation and change on the defense. I think Brandon Staley will bring those elements.

 

[Snaz]

Best Move: Locking in Jalen Ramsey
Agreed, better now than later.

Worst Departure: Corey Littleton
Disagree. He would have been better as the Co-MLB but just was a liability against the run due to size.
Not sure about who we have now, but not thinking his departure is that big a deal.

Best Draft Pick: Van Jefferson
Neutral: I think he'll be great, but Cam Akers may be more of an impact on offense.
Remember - the pick that was used to acquire Jefferson was the one obtained in the Brandin Cooks trade, so Jefferson could also save us money in the long run.
Brook is injured again, so bargain/upgrade.

Riskiest Draft Pick: Terrell Lewis
High ceiling, worth the risk due to draft position.

Biggest Surprise: David Edwards/Bobby Evans - both backups?
Nope. Knew it would be Corbett as one. Noteboom being healthy and ready is bigger surprise.

Addition by Subtraction (tie): Saying Good Bye to Todd Gurley and Wade Phillips
Phillips has a pattern of decreasing defense after first year, so agree.
I'm not sold on we shouldn have keept Gurley one more year. Judgement will be on how he does in Atlanta.

 

[oldnotdead]

The Rams basically traded the Cook's contract for Jalen's money, which is a huge upgrade in talent. I loved the Ramsey signing and the contract IMO is well structured. But to say it was the best move when it was clear from the day he was signed that the Rams would extend him long term is a bit of a reach in terms of sounding unexpected.

What I don't like is Kromer's stupid o-line depth chart. Anchrum and Evan's at OT? Are you kidding me? Both are undersized, especially Anchrum at LT. He's only 6'2" and although he has 33" arms which is good for an OG, not so much for an LT. His foot speed is also in question. Evans showed last year he was only a slight improvement over Havenstein, but not much as he also has slow feet, with the physical build of an OG, not OT. Worse yet it's not like he doesn't have better options. He has Noteboom and Edwards who both have the feet and physical metrics to play OT in the NFL, Kromer sees both as OG's? What is it going to take to wake people up that Kromer doesn't know what he's doing? I began to question Kromer last year. Edwards struggled at RG because of his height he had problems playing low which is a prerequisite for an OG to play with leverage. Kromer had better options in Evans and Shelton but he ignored them instead moving Evans to RT. Bobby lacks short area quickness (i.e. slow feet) to mirror and showed stiff hips in college, which made him vulnerable to speed rushers. Sound familiar? That's the same issue with Havenstein. At OG his feet are protected and his lack of height an advantage allowing him to play with leverage.

Just because a kid played OT in college doesn't mean that translates to the NFL where the outside rushers are much faster, bigger, and stronger. Kromer continues to play to a player's weaknesses, not to his strengths. If this o-line struggles IMO it's at the feet of Kromer and Dickerson not due to a lack of talent in the players.

Littleton is a limited player and was exposed when asked to play outside of his limitations. Kiser is IMO a clear upgrade because he's a thumper and has the speed to allow him to be used in ways they could not use Littleton. I doubt he will last in Vegas either. Their worst move was signing Robinson without doing a complete medical workup prior. Another contender for worst move is keeping Banks who looks to be a permanent gameday inactive type of player. He's clearly the slowest guy on defense and not particularly strong yet he's backstopping AD? As bad as Smart was he was still better than Banks.

The riskiest draft pick was Sloman who I sincerely hope doesn't cost this team wins. I didn't like it when he was picked and like it even less after they released two 77% kickers to keep a 53% kicker. To kick that poorly means there are some serious flaws in his technique. That is why rookie kickers go to kicking academies run by former NFL kickers because the NFL is so much different than the college game. They need to hire one of these guys to coach the kid up during the season. During the season kickers are pretty much left on their own because they simply don't have a coach to work with him. So tell me how is Sloman supposed to improve this season? Every time he kicks we will be holding our breaths and crossing fingers. 53% success rate is the same as a coin toss.

 

[Rams43]

With the 2020 offseason coming to an end, here is my list of superlatives:

Best Move: Locking in Jalen Ramsey
Given the amount of draft capital expended, this had to happen. The fact that it got done before the season through a smooth process that never resulted in Ramsey openly complaining or, worse yet, sitting out, is a big plus. The Rams are banking on a Donald/Ramsey core being the key to having a strong defense in the next few years. I think that's a good bet.

Worst Departure: Corey Littleton
While I get the economics, I wish we could have retained Littleton, who was a Swiss Army Knife for the defense. His ability in coverage could be tough to replicate.

Best Draft Pick: Van Jefferson
I have high hopes for Cam Akers, but I think Jefferson could prove to be a real steal. While some prospects may have better measurables, on the surface, throughout the pre-draft period and forward through training camp, all I've heard about this guy is that he really knows how to separate and has great hands. Isn't that pretty much the job description for a WR? Remember - the pick that was used to acquire Jefferson was the one obtained in the Brandin Cooks trade, so Jefferson could also save us money in the long run.

Riskiest Draft Pick: Terrell Lewis
This one is pretty obvious, particularly with Lewis being shelved for at least 3 weeks. Of course, risky does not necessarily mean bad. He has a ton of potential which, hopefully, will display itself if he gets (and stays) on the field.

Biggest Surprise: David Edwards/Bobby Evans - both backups?
If the Rams' "unofficial" depth chart is to be believed, neither Edwards nor Evans will be starters on opening day. This surprises me (particularly Edwards), as I thought they showed potential last year. Perhaps they will work their way back to the starting lineup or, perhaps, I just overestimated them.

Key Sleeper: Jordan Fuller
The positive reviews he has been receiving are encouraging. For this year, he could be a valuable backup and contributor on special teams (and, perhaps, in dime packages). More importantly, if the Rams can't retain John Johnson, he could be a quality replacement at a bargain price next year.

Addition by Subtraction (tie): Saying Good Bye to Todd Gurley and Wade Phillips
Its hard to say good bye to people who had a positive impact in the past, but when its time, its time. Todd Gurley, in my opinion, has never really been a "we, not me" kind of guy. When he was at his peak physically, that was okay, as he was good enough to be a bit selfish. Last year, he was not at that level, and I don't know that he'll ever get back. Phillips was a great support system for Sean McVay in his first couple of years, but I think it was time for some innovation and change on the defense. I think Brandon Staley will bring those elements.

Great list, Avenger. Just a couple of different takes here.

Best move was the Brandon Staley hire, IMO. He’s gonna have a much more effective overall D. Ramsey extension was a great move, but hell, it was also a no brainer. Hard for me to give a ‘best move’ for a no brainer.

Worst departure? Kinda hard to criticize allowing Littleton to leave because, as you said, it was inevitable because of the cap. Littleton was never strong in run D, anyway. Then again, what was the worst departure, anyway? I think Fowler was replaced by the less expensive Floyd, possibly a better overall defender in any case. Hmmmmm...

I agree with the rest of your fine list, man.

 

[nighttrain]

The Rams basically traded the Cook's contract for Jalen's money, which is a huge upgrade in talent. I loved the Ramsey signing and the contract IMO is well structured. But to say it was the best move when it was clear from the day he was signed that the Rams would extend him long term is a bit of a reach in terms of sounding unexpected.

What I don't like is Kromer's stupid o-line depth chart. Anchrum and Evan's at OT? Are you kidding me? Both are undersized, especially Anchrum at LT. He's only 6'2" and although he has 33" arms which is good for an OG, not so much for an LT. His foot speed is also in question. Evans showed last year he was only a slight improvement over Havenstein, but not much as he also has slow feet, with the physical build of an OG, not OT. Worse yet it's not like he doesn't have better options. He has Noteboom and Edwards who both have the feet and physical metrics to play OT in the NFL, Kromer sees both as OG's? What is it going to take to wake people up that Kromer doesn't know what he's doing? I began to question Kromer last year. Edwards struggled at RG because of his height he had problems playing low which is a prerequisite for an OG to play with leverage. Kromer had better options in Evans and Shelton but he ignored them instead moving Evans to RT. Bobby lacks short area quickness (i.e. slow feet) to mirror and showed stiff hips in college, which made him vulnerable to speed rushers. Sound familiar? That's the same issue with Havenstein. At OG his feet are protected and his lack of height an advantage allowing him to play with leverage.

Just because a kid played OT in college doesn't mean that translates to the NFL where the outside rushers are much faster, bigger, and stronger. Kromer continues to play to a player's weaknesses, not to his strengths. If this o-line struggles IMO it's at the feet of Kromer and Dickerson not due to a lack of talent in the players.

Littleton is a limited player and was exposed when asked to play outside of his limitations. Kiser is IMO a clear upgrade because he's a thumper and has the speed to allow him to be used in ways they could not use Littleton. I doubt he will last in Vegas either. Their worst move was signing Robinson without doing a complete medical workup prior. Another contender for worst move is keeping Banks who looks to be a permanent gameday inactive type of player. He's clearly the slowest guy on defense and not particularly strong yet he's backstopping AD? As bad as Smart was he was still better than Banks.

The riskiest draft pick was Sloman who I sincerely hope doesn't cost this team wins. I didn't like it when he was picked and like it even less after they released two 77% kickers to keep a 53% kicker. To kick that poorly means there are some serious flaws in his technique. That is why rookie kickers go to kicking academies run by former NFL kickers because the NFL is so much different than the college game. They need to hire one of these guys to coach the kid up during the season. During the season kickers are pretty much left on their own because they simply don't have a coach to work with him. So tell me how is Sloman supposed to improve this season? Every time he kicks we will be holding our breaths and crossing fingers. 53% success rate is the same as a coin toss.

Do you really think that if something happens to Whit Anchum takes over at LT?
Noteboom moves over, count on it
train

 

[JonRam99]

Great post @AvengerRam! I agree with all, but riskiest pick / biggest surprise were, for me, one and the same:
- didn't draft a stud C. I would at least have taken T.Biadasz over B.Hopkins in the 4th.
- didn't sign a stud C in F/A. Not sure who was out there, but all the same....
Doing NOTHING with the C position but sliding Blythe over is asking for more of the same from last season - LB's cruising through the middle & DE's looping in thru stunts. Opponent D's automatically know what to do to rattle Goff & create pressure, just do the same thing they did last year & their LB's and DE's can live in our backfield creating problems for Goff & our RB's.
Jrry & I discussed this in another thread, and I agree, the talent just wasn't there, but even if they took Biadasz for development to start next year that would be at least something.

This to me is the biggest surprise this off-season. I thought for SURE the Rams would address the C position, but they didn't. I really hope Blythe surprises us all & puts up a Pro Bowl season at C. I really do. But man am I ever nervous about this.

GO Rams

 

[RamsOfCastamere]

Let's add a few more

Best FA signing: Bringing back Michael Brockers
Thank God we did. The DL would be really thin since A'shawn is injured.

Best Move: getting out of the Cooks and Gurley contracts
We didn't know how they were going to do it and it was heartbreaking, but it had to be done to move our money to the right positions. It takes a lot of balls to move a guy that's the face of the franchise.

Best Contract: securing Ramsey
The deal is done. We locked up a top 5 (at least) corner for the prime of his career. No media/contract distractions for the regular season.