Burgess
Long
Rochell (apparently)

These were all 3rd/4th round picks and all had very high expectations.

There are probably others but these really stand out because of where they were drafted and consequent expectations.

Question. Has Snead and his scouting staff forgotten how to evaluate secondary players after so many successes earlier?

OR…

Has our secondary coaching staff recently failed abysmally to develop players considered at least above average?

We are currently 0 for 3 on these promising kids. Three blown premium draft picks in a row in the secondary and guess what? We still have 2 holes to fill back there somehow this bare bones offseason.

If you think I’m frustrated, you’re right.

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No, I'm not clamoring to keep him but how many guys are just gonna walk out the door on defense?

What in the literal fuck is going on...?

KEY: Elite +Starter Starter Depth Shitter

(Using https://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/depthchart/LAR for roster reference)

OFFENSE

OL

LT: Noteboom
LG: Jackson
C: Allen
RG: Bruss
RT: Havenstein

Depth: Shelton (C/OG), Anchrum (OG/OT), Thomas (OT/OG), Arcuri (OT)

- OL has a low talent level but that is nothing new. My hope is the Rams address iOL by taking a C or G but it is possible they go again with most of the same pieces and the only new additions being pipeline types from mid to late rounds or UDFA from this draft. I suspect they're gonna give Boom & Jackson this season and I don't like it any more than you do but in some ways it is unavoidable due to overall roster needs. Things do look very different if Boom & Jackson or just one of them demonstrate an ability to be a starter and it is possible. Also and for the record I am praying they add a cheap FA but running out of hope on that as we speak.

QB

QB1: Stafford
QB2: ???
QBd: ???

- QB clearly is a position McVay is not happy with. Stafford I think would be moved if it wasn't for his contract, just my suspicion on the matter. I love him and don't want him moved for the record. But this is just my read on it. I think the rumors are valid and it makes sense because he did not play well last season, the Rams are in a rebuild, and he is very old with hard miles under his belt. Tough MFer but age beats us all. Expect to see a minor trade made for backup with probably a young QB who is out of favor with his team, and then maybe a pick in the draft for QB development if one they like is there. This pick could happen anywhere though I think midrounds is most likely. Also and btw it may be one or the other, though I do expect them to make a move before the draft.

WR

WR1: Kupp
WR2: Robinson
WRs: Atwell

Depth: Jefferson, Skowronek, McCutcheon

- WR we need Atwell to win that slot job. Period. If that happens and if Robinson knows what he's doing this year it is possible we see a resurgence by this unit. I am of the mind that Robinson's problem is mostly knowing the scheme and reads so if he can fix that then maybe Stafford starts throwing him the ball. This group is not great but they do represent a position where the Rams can stand pat in a rebuild year and still maybe see improvement. So that is my expectation. Only thing is McVay likes his toys so we'll see.

TE

TE1: Higbee
TE2: Long

Depth: Hopkins

- TE might have added a better piece in Long than people realize. Went back and watched his college tape and he's a big target with good hands and catch radius. Not a high quality starter and probably will never be that but he may be able to approach what Higs has been for us which is to say if we are lucky the Rams find a TE2 of even just low starter quality with him. I have no faith in Hopkins and praying we draft a TE in this year's haul.

RB

RB1: Akers
RBc: Williams

Depth: Rivers (RBc)

- RB we have solid starter level type players right now at the bell cow role and change of pace role. Would be nice to do better than that but at a minimum what we need is a backup for the bell cow role. Hopefully with this new RB coach the team can get smart on that.

OFFENSE NOTES

Overall the biggest problem with the offense is too much reliance on iffy players to step up across the board. We can have a good offense IF we get production from a handful of players. If if if. So not feeling confident about them but it is better than the defensive side in roster quality.

DEFENSE

DL

3T: Donald
1T: Brown
5T: Williams

Depth: Brown IV, Murchison, Carter

- DL the main need is a 5T. Generally speaking the ideal 5T is a big/lanky type strong enough to mix it up with the opposing RT but also add a little rush threat on pass downs. They're not easy to find, though not as rare as 3T where we have the best in the business. The NT types at 1T are numerous and easier to find well into drafts in comparison, though the ones who can show some interior rush threat on passing downs in addition to stuffing the run are valued and we just lost one of those in Gaines. Translation for the Rams is they will try to find a 5T or 1T in this draft if one is there at any point that they like. More than that is unlikely due to the fact they have a ton of holes and not enough picks. Also and btw Brown may have enough to him to play 5T but I kept him on the nose for now because like most of these guys he has a ton to prove, the key is him simply becoming a starter on that line which is possible. So this unit is potentially solid if that happens plus AD's presence.

OLB

Blind side: Hardy

Strong side: Hoecht

Depth: Thomas, VanValkenburg

- Edge I have Hoecht on strong side because he is our best option to handle opposing OT/TE combos. He's also our best rusher of the holdovers so no telling what side he ends up on but I am guessing strong side more often than not with a draft pick handling the rush on the blindside. Barring a situation where a good one falls to us at 36 the chances are whoever we draft will be marginal on the rush but with hopefully good contain. At the very least this group must hold up vs the run and contain well. Last but not least with this group I think it is possible that Hardy develops into a guy who can help us. But as we have seen with other positions we are talking rainbows and unicorns which generally are not going to come home for you across the board.

ILB

SILB: Jones

WILB: Hummel

Depth: Rozeboom

- ILB is not as bad as it looks. Jones may not be special as an ILB but he's not gonna be terrible either, he's a starting talent for us there. I think he saw where the bar was while playing back there with Wags (who is not what he was but is still a starter) and hopefully he is working his ass off to become a top player. Would not surprise me to see Jones move to being a +starter and one of the reasons they moved Wags (other than cap) was to clear room for the young ILB they drafted. At that other spot we will see more of a rotation with safety perhaps, though there is a chance Hummel steps up and plays well in that role for us this year because his college tape had similar usage with excellent results. We are actually in better shape than it looks at ILB I think.

CB

CB1: Durant
CB2: Rochell
CBs: Kendrick

Depth: Jolly

- CB is probably our position of greatest need on this roster now that Ramsey is gone. Even with Ramsey they needed another corner. Now that is even more true. But the silver lining in all this is that the Rams got out at a good time with Jalen and it's a good draft to restack this group. At a minimum they require a good starter for outside the hash to pair with Durant. That bumps Rochell down to depth where he should be. Unit still is not ideal because I am not certain Kendrick is fully bought in mentally, but if he is then he is definitely capable of being a good slot corner because you can get away with a lack of athleticism there if the corner has good hand use/control which he does. Some will quibble with Durant being a starter but I think he demonstrated his quality and he is going to get a lot better. He is likely going to be a +starter for us I think and probably this season. I'll feel best if they draft two corners but we only have so many picks so I am expecting one plus a ton of UDFAs.

S

S1: Fuller
S2: Yeast

Depth: Lake, LeCounte

- Safety is really interesting. It is entirely possible they have more here than meets the eye for a couple reasons, those being that first off it's a position where quality can be found anywhere, meaning we probably have enough raw talent in that group. Second reason being our staff was not good last season with this group and changes were made to fix that by bringing back a quality secondary coach. Complicating things is I have no idea what is up with Fuller. Can we count on him next season. If the Rams have any doubts on this then S is a need and they'll take one.

Looking at the rest of the guys who appear to be depth types, are Yeast and Lake capable of pushing for jobs in camp. So if they bring in a good safety in the draft and Fuller is healthy in 2023 it is possible this unit quickly returns to being a team strength.

DEFENSE NOTES

This unit is reliant on too many what-if scenarios to expect a top unit. The question is can we have a solid unit and that comes down largely to the secondary because they are the weakest part of this 11. Chances are this group will be hit and miss game to game and will need to be carried by the offense. But if they can find a starting corner in this draft and get some good breaks in development it is possible this defense surprises by finishing somewhere mid-pack in scoring which would be a miracle from where we are sitting now.

OVERALL

Everyone wants to count us out. Even our own fans. And we can be counted out as Super Bowl contenders. But so long as we have McVay steering this ship we will always be a few games better than people expect.

Unfortunately this season is going to be dependent on the draft, and from that perspective our front office has not shown an ability to consistently find starters. So from where we are sitting now it feels unlikely we surprise by chasing a wildcard and more likely we end up selling players at the deadline. But since we're still early in the FA period I see no reason to throw in the towel quite yet. Will revisit this after the draft and hopefully have a more positive outlook with two or three position groups which may be enough for us to irritate the Foolios of the media circlejerk by putting up another winning season for McVay.

He leaves, goes to GB then to Detroit. Now he's back with a promotion. When he left in 2020 he was the DB coach. Now he's DB coach and passing game coordinator. That could be significant. It should allow him to coach the DBs on how to play the scheme. If Morris wants to play a Tampa Two scheme then he coaches the DBs how to play it properly, i.e. with anticipation of route concepts to allow them to jump routes. Also, what I'm hoping is that he is allowed to pick who starts and who sits. Hopefully, he can sit Kendrick and start Rochell.

As I said, I'm not inherently averse to zone coverages. But I think they need to be disguised and played aggressively, i.e. jump the damn routes and contest the receptions. If he can do that then this defense could be much better than its 18th ranking. Also, as passing game coordinator he's one step under being a DC. In Detroit under Aaron Glenn, they ran a hybrid 3-4 one gap scheme with mostly zone in the secondary. But Glenn also ran man coverages about 43% of the snaps. What man coverages do is to take away the quick dump off reads.

So will Pleasant who coached under Wade Phillips who ran the same scheme as Glenn bring that with him to LA? Play cover two 60% and man coverages 40% of the snaps? Pleasant left Detroit because of personal differences with Glenn who coached under Payton and like Payton he can be abrasive. The hybrid 3-4 is a one gap attacking scheme. Morris didn't play it that way, he was playing it as a read and react hybrid one and two gap front.

I find it interesting that they brought Pleasant back and gave him a promotion in doing so. What I'm hoping is that Pleasant designs the scheme and simply leaves Morris to call the plays during the game. If Pleasant indeed has the ability to change the way the Rams play defense I'm all for it. I wasn't happy when Pleasant wasn't promoted to DC and Sean brought in Morris.

So I'm hoping bringing Pleasant in is Sean's way of kicking Morris upstairs in the same way he did with Kromer. This way Morris gets the credit and gets hired as an HC somewhere next year and Pleasant becomes the DC.

Here is a collection of ROD members’ selection for Round 2 (some after a trade down). I’ve included the dates the picks were posted, as some may be a little outdated in light of free agency and trades.

Flatlyner (3/17): John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota
HitStick (3/20): Felix Andudike-Uzomah, EDGE, Kansas State
Riverrumbbq (3/17): Adetomiwa Adebawawore, DE, Northwestern
OldSchool (3/16): B.J. Ojulari, EDGE, LSU
OnceARam (3/13): Felix Andudike-Uzomah, EDGE, Kansas State
AvengerRam (3/7): Adetomiwa Adebawawore, DE, Northwestern

And, some other picks from the “experts”:

Vinnie Iyer (TheSportingNews): Matthew Bergeron, OT, Syracuse
Chris Trapasso (CBS Sports): Mazi Smith, DL, Michigan
Jeff Risdon (Draftwire): Cody Mauch, OT, North Dakota State
WalterFootball: Tyler Steen, OL, Alabama
Chad Reuter (NFL.com): Nolan Smith, EDGE, Georgia
DraftTek.com: Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
Luke Easterline (Draftwire/USA Today): B.J. Ojulari, EDGE, LSU

Who do you like?

Are the Rams preparing for 2023, or 2024?

Maybe a little bit of both?

The Rams have been active players in the trade market in recent years. If they wish to play that card this Fall, they finally have a full compliment of future draft picks to offer.

They’ll also have something else… the ability to trade for a player with an expiring contract and immediately sign him to an extension, thereby avoiding the one-and-done problem they had with Von Miller and, to a lesser extent (due to injury) Odell Beckham, Jr.

Looking at the crop of players who currently are going into the final years of their contracts, there are some intriguing names, including: Brian Burns, Chase Young, Josh Uche, Quinnen Williams, Devin White, Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Taylor, A.J. Dillon, Montez Sweat and Rashan Gary. We don’t know, of course, if any of these guys will be available, but some might be, and others who could be good fits might hit the market.

The trade deadline hits after 6 or 7 games (depending on bye week). What if the Rams’ plan, to an extent, is to fill some holes with some low priced veterans and draft picks, try steal some wins early in the season, then trade for some key reinforcements and make a run?

Its just so crazy it might work.

I’ve eliminated players who, from my review of several boards and mocks, seem to be consensus Top 20 picks.

With that, here are my Top 30 prospects for the Rams:
1. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama
2. Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia
3. Nolan Smith, EDGE, Georgia
4. Will McDonald, EDGE, Iowa State
5. Adetomiwa Adebawore, DE, Northwestern
6. O’Cyrus Torrence, OG, Florida
7. John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota
8. Cody Mauch, OT, North Dakota State
9. Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee
10. Sean Tucker, RB, Syracuse
11. Zach Charbonnet, RB, UCLA
12. Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia
13. Steve Avila, OG/C, TCU
14. Felix Anudike-Uzoma, EDGE, Kansas State
15. Darius Rush, CB, South Carolina
16. Eli Ricks, CB, Alabama
17. Julius Brents, CB, Kansas State
18. B.J. Ojulari, EDGE, LSU
19. Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan
20. Isaiah Foskey, EDGE, Notre Dame
21. Zach Harrison, EDGE, Ohio State
22. Joe Tippman, OG/C, Wisconsin
23. Jaelyn Duncan, OT, Maryland
24. Luke Wypler, C, Ohio State
25. Matthew Bergeron, OT, Syracuse
26. Tyjae Spears, RB, Tulane
27. Roschon Johnson, RB, Texas
28. Tyrique Stevenson, CB, Miami
29. Jaylon Jones, CB, Texas A&M
30. Terrell Smith, CB, Minnesota

2023 is looking more and more like a season where they are setting themselves up for next season. A throwaway season. See how many rookies get playing time and valuable experience for next year.

Then look at free agents. Will Houston let Laremy Tunsil walk? He'll be a free agent after this season. He played every snap last year and gave up one sack. PFF gave him a 91.7 pass block rating. Best among all offensive tackles. He's 28 years old.

I say the Rams have to do whatever they can to land this guy and make him their cornerstone left tackle for the next 5 to 7 years. Maybe even longer. Heck, if the Texans are not competing they may want to move him before the deadline. Rams have draft assets. He could be our next Andrew Whitworth.

It'll probably cost quite a bit to acquire him. But I think it would be worth it.

Using the pff mock simulator, I’ve done my only mock I plan to do. Have at it.

Free Agents:
JJ3
Dalton Risnor

Resign:
A’Shawn Robinson
Brandon Powell

Draft:
Only reason I went back to back guards, is I didn’t like some of my options there, so I went BPA.

Hell yeah!

The best Woman's Basketball Player of All Time!

MOVING ON!

The Seahawks thread has been a good read.


There are overlapping points already made in that thread, but let’s talk the Cardinals…

They have a new GM and HC.

It sounds like Hopkins will be traded before the draft. A 2nd rounder?

Their draft position #3 has them in RIPE position for trade down. Many Cards fans expect it. So… we know they will have some draft picks. Premium draft picks.

Kyler Murray has a franchise QB contract, but he will miss games entering the 2023 season recovering from ACL injury. How does he jive with the new offense, when he does return? His new HC?

We have our challenges, but so do the Cardinals.

What do you think about the Cardinals right now, pre-draft?

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35895322/sources-cowboys-trade-texans-wr-brandin-cooks

FRISCO, Texas -- Wanting to add speed and a complement to Pro Bowler CeeDee Lamb, the Dallas Cowboys are acquiring Houston Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks for a fifth-round pick in 2023 and a sixth-round pick in 2024, sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Adam Schefter.

The Cowboys and Texans had discussions regarding a deal before last year's trade deadline but could not come to an agreement.

Cooks' $18 million salary in 2023 is guaranteed. Cooks restructured his contract Saturday so that Houston will pay $6 million of his salary this season and Dallas will pay the remaining $12 million, sources told ESPN. He is under contract through 2024.

"Beyond blessed and can't wait to go be special for the star! Very thankful for the Jones family for this opportunity for my family and I," Cooks said in a text message to ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime.

Most 1,000-yard seasons, since 2015​

Brandin Cooks recorded his first 1,000-yard receiving season in 2015. Since 2015, the only NFL players to record more 1,000-yard receiving seasons than Cooks are Mike Evans and Travis Kelce.

Last year, the Cowboys traded Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round pick but only added veteran James Washington in free agency and Jalen Tolbert in the third round as a replacement. Washington suffered a broken foot in training camp and played in only two games, without a catch, before his release. Tolbert caught just two passes as a rookie.

With Michael Gallup coming back from a torn ACL in his left knee, executive vice president Stephen Jones said it was "probably fair" to criticize the Cowboys for not doing enough to replace Cooper.

In Cooks, the Cowboys acquire a speed threat to pair with Lamb and Gallup, whom the organization believes will be much better in his second year off of major surgery.

Cooks, 29, has been vocal about his unhappiness in Houston and said he didn't want to be part of a rebuild. He caught 57 passes for 699 yards and three scores in 13 games for the Texans last season.

In his career with the Texans, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints, he has 630 receptions for 8,616 yards and 49 touchdowns.​

This is the fourth time he has been traded in his career.

The Cooks deal is the second major trade the Cowboys have made in the past week. Dallas also acquired cornerback Stephon Gilmore from the Indianapolis Colts for a fifth-round pick (No. 176 overall).

The Cowboys have built their roster through the draft, eschewing major free agent signings. They now have one pick in each round. They had three fifth-round picks after compensatory selections were announced but have since dealt two of them.

Hard one to copy but, I think it is an interesting article with grades of players that may still be Rams. Big shout out to Gaines which I will post on his thread. Rams roster isn't completely shot.

• RAMS ROSTER OVERVIEW

Rams week 14 defensive grades: Greg Gaines leads 2nd half dominance​

Greg Gaines caused disruption without Aaron Donald in the lineup
By Steven Ridings Dec 10, 2022, 1:45pm CST
41 Comments / 41 New
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​

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Over the last month, the Los Angeles Rams defense had struggled to contain opposing offenses. Quarterbacks like Colt McCoy, Andy Dalton, and Geno Smith all looked like MVP candidates despite being below-average talents. Through the first half of the game against the Las Vegas Raiders, it appeared Derek Carr and Josh Jacobs would control the game flow. However, the momentum of the game shifted when Greg Gaines pushed the pocket and forced Derek Carr to throw a floated pass into the outstretched hands of Ernest Jones. Was Greg Gaines the main catalyst of the defense’s second-half success?

In order to gain a sense of the performance of the roster and its direction, Pro Football Focus (PFF) graded out all the players from the Week 14 contest. Using the PFF grades and the eye test of watching the game, I will provide a weekly evaluation and grade of the defensive positions.

If you have not read the Week 14 offensive grades, click here.
Los Angeles Rams | NFL roster by position | PFF

Weekly Grade: Grade for that respective week
Season Grade: Grade for the position over the course of the season
Trend: Direction of the position group from last week to this week
* Denotes player is Top 3 at position in NFL

DL​

Aaron Donald: 90.5* (INA), A’Shawn Robinson: 64.4 (IR), Greg Gaines: 61.2 (+4.7), Marquise Copeland: 65.8 (-1.7), Bobby Brown III: 81.8 (+1.3), Jonah Williams: 48.9 (-6.8), Earnest Brown IV: 63.5

The storylines entering Thursday night were centered around Josh Jacob’s leading rusher status. However, Los Angeles narrowly kept him under 100 yards, limiting his production to just 3.7 yards per carry on 27 rushing attempts. Bobby Brown III did a fantastic job in limited action of winning along the interior. For the second straight week, he finished in the top-5 for the defense’s PFF grades.

But Greg Gaines was the difference maker. The Washington Huskey had six tackles (three solo), two pressures, and a quarterback hit that led to Rams first interception. We have seen how good Gaines can be with Aaron Donald in the lineup, but this was the first time we were able to see Gaines’s effectiveness without a three-time defensive player absorbing double and triple teams.

I’m not sure what type of deal Gaines will command on the open market this offseason. Sebastian Joseph-Day cashed in a lucrative deal despite having limited pass-rushing ability. Gaines figures to warrant more money but is he a scheme fit for other teams? The trouble becomes LA fitting his contract into a tight budget when players like Marquise Copeland, Bobby Brown III, and Jonah Williams continue to develop and warrant more playing time. I think Aaron Donald would like to have at least one of Greg Gaines and A’Shawn Robinson's return. This offseason will be trying in more ways than one for Les Snead...
Week 14 Grade: C+, Season Grade: C+, Trend: Neutral
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ILBs​

Bobby Wagner: 90.7* (+0.3), Ernest Jones: 66.8 (+0.4), Travin Howard: INA, Christian Rozeboom: 61.2, Jake Hummel: IR, Jake Gervase: 60.0 (DNP)
Once again, Wagner was the standout on the defense. Wags had a whopping 14 tackles (six solo) and was flying around from sideline to sideline. In the third quarter, the inside linebacker had a huge third down stop on a scrambling Derek Carr, knocking him out of bounds a foot shy of the first down marker. With 2:38 left in the game, Copeland and Wagner stuffed Jacobs on a 3rd & 1 to give the Rams the ball back and ultimately win the game.

Ernest Jones was the benefactor of the Rams first turnover. He picked off Derek Carr in the Rams end zone, preventing the Raiders from scoring before halftime. This was one of his stronger games this year despite a limited box score of five tackles (one solo).
Week 14 Grade: A, Season Grade: A-, Trend: Slight Upward

EDGE​

Leonard Floyd: 67.6 (-0.2), Terrell Lewis: 46.1 (DNP), Mike Hoecht: 64.1 (-7.2), Daniel Hardy: 40.9 (-20.6), Keir Thomas: 68.6 (+18.8)
Raheem Morris’s defense struggled to contain the edge in the first half. Josh McDaniels dialed up a few reverses that Michael Hoecht failed to keep containment, resulting in Mack Hollins rushing for 40 yards on three carries. On a positive note, he did have the final pressure and QB hit on Carr that forced an interception to Taylor Rapp.
Thomas (15% snap share) received a longer look and performed well, collecting the Rams only tackle for a loss.
Week 14 Grade: D-, Season Grade: D, Trend: Slight Downward

CBs​

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Jalen Ramsey: 80.4 (-1.8), Troy Hill: 69.9 (+4.5), David Long Jr.: 53.1 (INA), Robert Rochell: 58.1 (DNP), Derion Kendrick: 45.8 (DNP), Cobie Durant: 60.0 (-2.1), Grant Haley: 70.8 (IR)
Jalen Ramsey was beat over the top twice by Davante Adams, though Adams only finished with three receptions for 71 yards.

Troy Hill started on the outside and Cobie Durant got his first start at the nickel. Hill did not allow any receptions on the evening, receiving a grade of 83.2.
Week 14 Grade: C, Season Grade: C-, Trend: Neutral

S​

Nick Scott: 59.8 (+0.2), Taylor Rapp: 70.3 (+4.0), Russ Yeast: 54.5 (+3.0), Quentin Lake: DNP, Jordan Fuller: 60.5 (IR)
Taylor Rapp had one of his top-5 career games, only allowing one reception for our yards and securing the game sealing interception.

Nick Scott chipped in four tackles as the other starting safety, while Russ Yeast (12% snap share) added one tackle.
Week 14 Grade: B-, Season Grade: C-, Trend: Slight Upward

Special Teams​

Riley Dixon: 83.5* (-1.3), Matt Gay: 87.8 (+4.5)
Matt Gay was only 1/2 on field goal attempts, but he connected from 55 yards and missed from 61 yards.
Riley Dixon punted three times for 156 yards (52.0 avg) with one punt inside the 20 and one touchback.
Las Vegas did a good job of bottling up Brandon Powell on kick returns, utilizing a short kickoff each time. Powell only managed 18.3 yards per return.
Week 14 Grade: B+, Season Grade: A-, Trend: Neutral

Coordinators - Raheem Morris & Joe DeCamillis​

After a shaky first half, Raheem Morris managed to shutdown Josh McDaniels in the second half. Derek Carr only passed for 11 yards in the second half. Josh Jacobs failed to eclipse the 100-yard mark. Overall, it was a significant improvement compared to the previous four games.
DeCamillis could look to improve the team’s kick return blocking after Las Vegas exploited a weakness.
Week 14 Grade: A- (Morris), A- (DeCamillis)
Season Grade: C (Morris), A (DeCamillis)
Trend: Slight-to-Moderate Upward (Morris), Neutral (DeCamillis)

Poll​

What should LA do with the defensive line in 2023?​

This poll is closed

• 28%​

  Re-sign Greg Gaines and A’Shawn Robinson​

  (66 votes)

• 65%​

  Re-sign Greg Gaines and promote Bobby Brown III to starter role(155 votes)​

• 8%​

  Let Greg Gaines and A’Shawn Robinson walk in free agency (receive 2024 Compensatory picks) and draft DE in Round 3 of this year’s draft​

  (19 votes)​

240 votes total

Anyone into it this year? Today’s schedule looks good.

Final scores​

Tuesday, March 14 (First Four in Dayton, Ohio)

• No. 16 Texas A&M CC 75, No. 16 SE Missouri State 71 | Watch highlights
• No. 11 Pitt 60, No. 11 Mississippi St. 59 | Watch highlights

Wednesday, March 15 (First Four in Dayton, Ohio)

• No. 16 FDU 84, No. 16 Texas Southern 61 | Watch highlights
• No. 11 Arizona State 98, No. 11 Nevada 73 | Watch highlights

Thursday, March 16 (Round of 64)

• No. 8 Maryland 67, West Virginia 65 | Watch highlights
• No. 13 Furman 68, No. 4 Virginia 67 | Watch highlights
• No. 7 Missouri 76, No. 10 Utah State 65 | Watch highlights
• No. 1 Kansas 96, No. 16. Howard 68 | Watch highlights
• No. 1 Alabama 96, No. 16 Texas A&M CC 75 | Watch highlights
• No. 5 San Diego State 63, No. 12 College of Charleston 57 | Watch highlights
• No. 15 Princeton 59, No. 2 Arizona 55 | Watch highlights
• No. 8 Arkansas 73, No. 9 Illinois 63 | Watch highlights
• No. 9 Auburn 83, No. 8 Iowa 75 | Watch highlights
• No. 5 Duke 74, No. 12 Oral Roberts 51 | Watch highlights
• No. 2 Texas 81, No. 15 Colgate 61 | Watch highlights
• No. 7 Northwestern 75, No. 10 Boise State 67 | Watch highlights
• No. 1 Houston 63, No. 16 Northern Kentucky 52 | Watch highlights
• No. 4 Tennessee 58, No. 13 Louisiana 55 | Watch highlights
• No. 10 Penn State 76, No. 7 Texas A&M 59 | Watch highlights
• No. 2 UCLA 86, No. 15 UNC Asheville 53 | Watch highlights

Friday, March 17 (Round of 64)

• No. 7 Michigan State 72, No. 10 USC 62 | Watch highlights
• No. 3 Xavier 72, No. 14 Kennesaw State 67 | Watch highlights
• No. 3 Baylor 74, No. 14 UC Santa Barbara 56 | Watch highlights
• No. 5 Saint Mary's 63, No. 12 VCU 51 | Watch highlights
• No. 2 Marquette 78, No. 15 Vermont 61 | Watch highlights
• No. 11 Pitt 59, No. 6 Iowa State 41 | Watch highlights
• No. 6 Creighton 72, No. 11 NC State 63 | Watch highlights
• No. 4 UConn 87, No. 13 Iona 63 | Watch highlights
• No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson 63, No. 1 Purdue 58 | Watch highlights
• No. 6 Kentucky 61, No. 11 Providence 53 | Watch highlights
• No. 5 Miami (Fla.) 63, No. 12 Drake 56 | Watch highlights
• No. 3 Gonzaga 82, No. 14 Grand Canyon 70 | Watch highlights
• No. 9 Florida Atlantic 66, No. 8 Memphis 65 | Watch highlights
• No. 3 Kansas State 77, No. 14 Montana State 65 | Watch highlights
• No. 4 Indiana 71, No. 13 Kent State 60 | Watch highlights
• No. 6 TCU 72, No. 11 Arizona State 70 | Watch highlights

Saturday, March 18 (Round of 32. All times Eastern)

• No. 5 San Diego State 75, No. 13 Furman 52 | Watch highlights
• No. 4 Tennessee 65, No. 5 Duke 52 | Watch highlights
• No. 8 Arkansas 72, No. 1 Kansas 71 | Watch highlights
• No. 15 Princeton 78, No. 7 Missouri 63 | Watch highlights
• No. 1 Houston 81, No. 9 Auburn 64 | Watch highlights
• No. 2 Texas 69, No. 10 Penn State 66 | Watch highlights
• No. 2 UCLA 68, No. 7 Northwestern 63 | Watch highlights
• No. 1 Alabama 73, No. 8 Maryland 50 | Watch highlights

Sunday, March 19 (Round of 32. All times Eastern)

• No. 3 Xavier vs. No. 11 Pitt | 12:10 p.m. | CBS
• No. 3 Kansas State vs. No. 6 Kentucky | 2:40 p.m. | CBS
• No. 2 Marquette vs. No. 7 Michigan State | 5:15 p.m. | CBS
• No. 4 UConn vs. No. 5 Saint Mary's | 6:10 p.m. | TNT
• No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 6 Creighton | 7:10 p.m. | TBS
• No. 9 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 16 FDU | 7:45 p.m. | truTV
• No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 5 Miami (Fla.) | 8:40 p.m. | TNT
• No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 6 TCU | 9:40 p.m. | TBS

Favorite High School / coming of age movie


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Just announced he's signing with the buccaneers

RIP Lance Reddick

We’ve released some players.

We’ve traded some players.

There may be more to come, like A Rob.

We don’t have much cap space. 2024 we do. But now we don’t, unless we spend early.

We have 11 draft picks.

How much do you press the pedal this 2023 offseason?

What is your next move?

I didn’t want to go cookie cutter on this, since it never happens exactly as we predict. I am also not a cap guru so I didn’t estimate contracts or cap room. I assume they can move some money here, some money there and have some cap available. Hell, the Saints do every year and are far more over the cap every season. And the whiners are doing is this year.

RE-SIGN
DT - Gaines
KR/WR – Powell
OG – Aboushi
OT – Nsekhe (old but reliable on a 1 year deal)

FA
CB – Greedy Williams – Loved him coming out of college but can’t seem to stay healthy. But that’s also the reason we can afford him. Worth a shot.

G – Isaac Seumalo – Hopefully we can give him a multi year deal that is back loaded. He can play any interior OL position and well.

LB – Rashaan Evans – Still young and can be fairy effective. I don’t expect him to cost much and likely a short prove it deal.



DRAFT

I wasn’t going to include any trades, as the first mock I wrote out had us getting far more in return for Ramsey. So I had to scrap that completely. I find it very hard to believe that we will not try to trade down for our pick at #36 seeing as how many holes we have on the roster and would benefit by filling them with cheap rookies.


*TRADE: #36 TO Green Bay for #45 & #78

2.45 – John Michael Schmidtz, C - MINNESOTA
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Perfect plug and play Center that can step in day one for always injured Allen. Best center in the draft and may ease some Tutu hatred. Immediately improves our line for years to come.

3.69 – Derek Hall, Edge AUBURN
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Very productive and athletic edge. Needs to work on some pass rushing moves, but that is what NFL coaches are for. Already a very good run defender/edge setter. Think he could step in day 1 and start for this squad.

3.77 – Garrett Williams, CB - SYRACUSE

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I go back and forth on a few guys here (Clark Phillips, DJ Turner) and both would be solid options. I keep coming back to Williams because of his aggressiveness on the run, which we will sorely lack with Ramsey’s departure. Biggest concern is he’s coming of an ACL and likely won’t play in camp. Also, that means lack of athletic testing before draft. He’s big enough (6’) and appears to be pretty athletic from the games I’ve watched.

3.79 – Jordan Battle, S ALABAMA

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A very experienced and battle hardened player. Another guy who would be a plug and play in our depleted secondary. Hard hitter who can play either safety role well. IMO, an upgrade over what we have now.

5.167 – Jaren Hall, QB BYU

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I’m a pretty big fan of Hall. He’s not going to come in and force us to sit Stafford, but, he has all the tools to be a good starting QB in the future. He’s not the biggest guy, which is certainly a knock on him. He has a very nice arm and above average athleticism. Would be nice to have a guy back there that has a good arm, is fairly accurate, and has wheels. He does come in as an older prospect too at 24 and a fairly injury prone past, but that is the reason he lasts to this pick. I think he has as much upside as any of the QB’s outside of the top 10 guys.

5.171 – Andrew Vorhees, OG The Mighty USC

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My personal favorite prospect in the draft. Yes, I’m a USC guy, but I’ve loved him as a prospect for a few years. The only reason he lasts this long is he’s likely on IR for next season due to a torn ACL at the combine. Bummer for him for sure, he was looking to be a 3rd rounder at worst in my opinion. I’d have been more then happy to have him in the 3rd healthy. So, to our 2024 plan, Vorhees will be fully recovered and ready to roll with us. Powerful blocker who we have lacked for years. Great guy to counter the fortywhiners pass rush IMO.

5.177 – Kenny McIntosh, RB GEORGIA

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There is just something about this kid that makes me think he is going to be better at the NFL level then he was in Georgia, and I think he was more then solid there. For one, he is a great receiving threat out of the backfield. He also has pretty good size for an every down back. A solid compliment to Akers and ability to take over as main back next season.

6.182 – Zack Kuntz, TE Old Dominion

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Maybe he doesn’t last this long because of his good combine performance. Another raw weapon to add to our offense and hopefully he can contribute next season, when we lose 2 TE’s. He definitely needs to work on his blocking technique and strength, but he’s already a pretty good receiving threat. Guys this size shouldn’t be able to run 4.55 40’s. Rest of his numbers were pretty outstanding too, including an incredible 40” vertical.

6.189 – Dante Stills, DL West Virginia

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Depth to make up for our numerous losses on the DL. This guy is a pretty nice pass rusher from the interior. He’s fairly small but can play DE in our 3 man front. Certainly not a NT.

7.223 – Jake Moody, K Michigan

One of if not the best kicker in the draft. We need badly and cheaply

7.251 – Michael Turk, P Oklahoma

See above, need a cheap punter. He’s supposed to me amongst the best in draft

I can at least say, I'd be quite satisfied with this draft class. It addresses needs and helps us in '24

3yr, $12mil.

Unreal.

We can't even afford that shit for a damn nice safety.