Here are my Ram needed position upgrades in order to be a SB contender…

[Allen2McVay]

... They really need to be better prepared when guys on the line go down.

I agree with everything in your post, except for the above.

I believe the Rams played eight different Guards before the Season was ten games old. That's almost impossible. Also had their starting Left Tackle and top back-up-tackle go down to season-ending injuries.

I just don't think a team can prepare for that many injuries to a critical unit.

 

[fanotodd]

The Rams need a star, plain and simple. They can’t upgrade everywhere, but they can elevate the play of players surrounding a star, a la Donald.

Speaking of #99, he and the other stars are will be fading out sooner than later.

This team is built that way—a handful of stars and lots of rookie contracts and role players.

There is the absolute best player at every position in the draft and one of them should be there when the Rams pick. Several OTs, Edge guys, and WRs will go along with QBs in the 1rst round. So maybe it’s a TE or a Center? I don’t care which position he plays, the Rams need to find a player who will come in, start, turn heads, and kick ass. Then we build and scheme around him.

 

[rdlkgliders]

It starts up front for me, fortifying the O.L with at least 1 new stud starter and on D add edge help both these things help every position that lines up behind them.

concerns:
Can Note be a serviceable LT?
Does Bruss have enough ability & nastiness?
Who plays Center?

 

[So Ram]

Your list seems to be pretty spot on. I'm honestly of the opinion that our OL will actually be above average next season provided we don't lose 8 to injuries. We certainly found out what we have with all of the OL. Bruss could be the answer at OG, we saw zero real snaps for him. Edge would be my top priority with our first pick personally, and likely the Rams will agree. Pathetic contributions from our edge this season and our D has played pretty good

It starts up front for me, fortifying the O.L with at least 1 new stud starter and on D add edge help both these things help every position that lines up behind them.

concerns:
Can Note be a serviceable LT?
Does Bruss have enough ability & nastiness?
Who plays Center?

Bonifay’d your off your rocker again. I drink the look-aide & wish for the best.My stance Ain’t goin to change as of now.

Just wondering about your Car-Berry? He needs a hug.Kromer is the TE’s coach & was thinking he was gone.Maybe Mcvay gets rid of his & just throwing him a bone.The Kool-aide says other wise though.

The Edge Rush was NEVER FIXED!! Standup for that call.Once Garrett got cut I knew The Rams were in trouble.
I’m not a Copeland fan because he is a twinner DE/DT.

—Whose playing Center in 2023.Like I I’ll also wait till the end of 2022,but who do you think ? 1 thing is for sure you think Brian Allen can play guard. LMAO. If Shelton doesn’t beat Allen out at center,you will NEVER see Brian Allen at GUARD!!

 

[So Ram]

BTW- Austin Blythe is a starter in The NFL & would have been last season if The Rams drafted Humphries?

I’ll add Whitworth will tell you Mcvay how bad it was in 2019 because Brian Allen was the starter. Plus Austin Blythe was never a RG.He was like Shelton,a solid swing C/G that might be a starting center.

John Sullivan was never a swing guard & Brian Allen should have never been drafted by The Rams.I say that because of size & depth in 2018 when The Rams should have won the SuperBowl.
The Rams (Les Snead) should have known that Austin Blythe was not a RG,but a Swing C/G & The Rams needed a big Guard.

Add Big Rob has been a solid Ram,but he STILL has trouble against a pure 1 on 1 pass rusher keeping the Edge.He works hard on it & I think his mind set will be better Monday Night?

Once again I was not a Humphries Fan coming out & you could look at 2 other starting centers in Myers & another player. Tyler Baddazz wasn’t drafted in 2020 instead of T. Lewis.Talk about Badgers(Bruss) who was highly rated unlike Bruss in 2022.

—My pick choice was to trade up & draft swing C/G L.Dickerson.He was The Team Leader for Bama. We can go down the Bama tree with hurt players entering The NFL. This guy was a different BEAST!! He is BIG,STRONG & can play GUARD!! Corbett was NEVER a Center & The Rams had questions about Brian Allen’s injury & size.

 

[So Ram]

Another thing Tutu Atwell might be better than we ALL thought or think?

His size is my thing & Les Snead should know his value & draft slot.
I call it a reach,because The Rams could have drafted him later.
E.Jones was a player The Rams traded back for because of where he was slotted.

LES Snead traded back for LESS with of ALL TEAMS the 8ers getting screwed by the value chart.LES Snead win that draft.

 

[So Ram]

A big class of FA RBs this year, I’d love to see Pollard wearing horns.

If there is a player who is a difference maker no matter the position trading up in the first round to get him would be good with me even if they traded away the 24 first round pick to get it done.

They can’t keep expecting 6th round players and UDFAs to fill the roster.

Well that is true with Pollard.He is the better of the 2 RB’s.

I drink the Kook-Aide & HENDO was one of those players I learned to accept without Pollard being involved.

I think your WRONG about you idea on trading draft picks & you can’t build a roster on those 6th rd. types?You just can’t miss on the early RD. Picks & or have to give time to develop.

To say The Rams aren’t in a good place right now is VERY Questionable.
I think 2022 draft is a Perfect example of Rebuilding the Right way with the DB’s. Ram Fans can complain about Kendrick’s & cutting him or Morris? He isn’t any worse than David Long has been if you wait another 3 seasons to evaluate it.

Nick Scott is a GREAT example of building with LATER PICKS.

Pollard is another example of it as well for the Cowboys.

The BIGGEST ISSUE with D. Henderson is what LES SNEAD gave up to get him. There is the example of why I drink The Kook-aide,but that was one that was hard to swollow.

Totally Opposite of what your thinking,because what if it doesn’t workout ?

 

[So Ram]

Another point is J. Taylor if we are talking Badgers again? Or trading up to trade for a DIFFERENCE MAKER?

IMO Johnathan Taylor is(was) a difference Maker who was following to The Rams in the 2020 draft.

The Rams needed a RB & Cam,Jefferson, & T. Lewis we’re all together value enough to trade up for?

In a perfect world The Rams could have worked at late 4th with the T.Lewis 3rd rd pick & had

Both Tyler Baddazz & Johnathan Taylor. Those were both PLAYERS at NEED for VALUE!!

I always try to find that perfect slot.It was there as well. I remember training camp 2021 & HENDO was not that guy. Jake Funk was GREAT in practice & worked hard. Brought a Excellent attitude.

The thing with D. Henderson was he is a Pollard type of RB who isn’t as good,but extra RB.He never was a every down RB.

Durability was an issue. & The Rams did him a disservice as a player.IMO you keep him smaller quicker. When Hendo had to take on the bigger role The Rams lost his value as a 3rd dwn. Back. —That is on Sean Mcvay. He’s got CHUNKY NOODLE on his face.

 

[fearsomefour]

The good news is that some of these upgrades are already on the roster.

In no particular order:

Backup QB. Mayfield would be perfect and my personal favorite option. Not only a tremendous upgrade but a quality starter if Stafford can’t go. But if not, then SOME upgrade over Wolford and Perkins must occur.

RB. Duh! I’m talking definite starter here. Great draft for a RB, though. No FA’s, please.

OC. Could draft OG/OC stud with a high pick. If not, Shelton is an upgrade over Allen if only because he stays healthier.

LOT. A high draft pick if one falls or a solid FA works for me. Otherwise, Jackson is an upgrade over Boom here.

LG. Could be Jackson if Rams acquire a new LOT. If not should be the OG/OC suggested above, leaving Shelton at OC.

RG. By default it would be best of Anchrum, Bruss, Brewer, or ???. Not sure any are an upgrade over Shelton in ‘23, though. Gotta cut corners somewhere, I guess.

TE. This position has become a wasteland. It’s officially embarrassing. Even Higbee and his salary might be expendable. Might need 2 TE’s. Great draft for TE’s, though. Snead has never drafted a solid TE. Rams can’t even run 12 personnel sets right now. Gulp.

Edge. Just absolutely, positively gotta have one. FA, trade, draft, who cares? Probably Job One for Snead this offseason. Reportedly a pretty good draft for edge.

CB. Gonna be some shuffling here this offseason. Unless Rams are comfortable with Durant as starter opposite Ramsey they must do a FA or draft pick for a starting CB.

S. Rams are weak at this position after expected UFA losses occur. Fuller can’t stay healthy, Scott is a UFA, and Rapp can’t cover. Other than Edge, this seems our biggest weakness on D.


I haven’t dealt with pending UFA’s much. Gaines, Gay, and Dixon seem like locks to be extended. Others, not so much. Rams might be forced to sacrifice some players, in fact, they’ve already started the pruning.

A few ‘upgrade players’ are already on board and under contract. Jackson, Shelton, some combo of Anchrum, Bruss, Brewer, and possibly Durant.

However…

That leaves a ton of needed upgrades that must come from outside via trade, FA, or draft.

RB
LOT or LG or OC (I’ll count this as just one acquisition based upon above suppositions)
TE (maybe 2)
Edge
CB
S

IOW, Snead has to hit on those 6 positions this offseason. And if he replaces Higbee then he needs a 7th hit.

Mathematically doable with 10 draft picks, some shrewd contract restructuring to free up a bit of cap room for FA, and maybe a 2nd tier trade here or there. But Snead needs to step it up with his drafting this time. ‘Pretty good’ won’t be good enough.

Meanwhile, McVay needs to shake up his asst coach staff. Recent results demand that, at least. Probably his own Job One project.

If the above are accomplished then I think Rams are back into SB conversations. Some are critically important, others are merely HIGHLY desirable. We’ll see if both Snead and McVay can get their acts together so Rams can hit the ground running come September.

Where did I go wrong?

Hard to argue with any of your points.
McVay seems to have little interest in having a clear bellwether back. I would choose between Williams and Akers (Williams would be my pick) and draft two RBs. I would not sign any FA RBs.

I prefer Shelton at C as well. As it is now having both Allen and Shelton playing at the same time is the best option. I don't see the Rams signing or drafting a C. I could see them upgrading a G in FA. G is normally an easier position to replace than C. I think the only way Allen gets replaced at C is if there is enough of an upgrade at G, say the Rams sign Risner from Denver and Bruss develops to the point that Shelton can be moved to Center.

My draft, by position, not player name or order would look something like....
DL, Edge, S, RB x2, TE, OT, G.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Mathematically doable with 10 draft picks, some shrewd contract restructuring to free up a bit of cap room for FA, and maybe a 2nd tier trade here or there. But Snead needs to step it up with his drafting this time. ‘Pretty good’ won’t be good enough.

Where did I go wrong?

 

[PARAM]

st round - TRADED TO LIONS (Matthew Stafford)​

2nd round : TE/RB/Edge​

3rd round : TE/RB/Edge​

4th round - TRADED TO PATRIOTS (Sony Michel)​

5th round - TRADED TO BROWNS (Troy Hill)​

5th round comp (D. Will) : TE/RB/Edge
5th round comp (Corbett):

6th round​

6th round - FROM PACKERS (Corey Bojorquez)​

6th round - FROM TITANS (Robert Woods)​

6th round comp (SJD)

7th round​

7th round comp (Obo)



Should be able to do something with 10 picks

 

[Kupped]

I'm not putting too much weight in Mayfield being the Rams backup next year. If he's good enough to be someone we're really excited about.. he's going to get another chance to start.
X factor is Stafford's health.
Agree that it's time to refresh the back-up room, either way.

Young players have to grow.. and they need to hit on at least one real day-one starter in this upcoming draft.

 

[Malibu]

Two most important areas are LT and OLB. These are a must. Noteboom has proven he can't handle it and we don't have a strong OLB opposite Floyd.

Second tier is SS yes a SS and CB maybe RB

Third tier in importance is RB and IOL BU QB.

Some must be achieved in the draft and some in FA. Our fortunes changed when we got Whit and Sullivan we already had Scaffold who was 5 years younger than now 8 yeas in. With a stong RB in Gurly a great Safety in Jj3 Goff looked like a miracle worker.

Not sure who in FA equals a great LT or great OLB but one of the 2 positions must be filled by a FA.

 

[blackbart]

Well that is true with Pollard.He is the better of the 2 RB’s.

I drink the Kook-Aide & HENDO was one of those players I learned to accept without Pollard being involved.

I think your WRONG about you idea on trading draft picks & you can’t build a roster on those 6th rd. types?You just can’t miss on the early RD. Picks & or have to give time to develop.

To say The Rams aren’t in a good place right now is VERY Questionable.
I think 2022 draft is a Perfect example of Rebuilding the Right way with the DB’s. Ram Fans can complain about Kendrick’s & cutting him or Morris? He isn’t any worse than David Long has been if you wait another 3 seasons to evaluate it.

Nick Scott is a GREAT example of building with LATER PICKS.

Pollard is another example of it as well for the Cowboys.

The BIGGEST ISSUE with D. Henderson is what LES SNEAD gave up to get him. There is the example of why I drink The Kook-aide,but that was one that was hard to swollow.

Totally Opposite of what your thinking,because what if it doesn’t workout ?

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. That is the epitome of what you are suggesting. You still need those generational talents to build around with the late round bit players. The Rams need to find that next wave of generational talent to back fill for the players we’ll be losing in the next 2-3 years. Trading up is the best way to get there when you don’t have first round picks that are in the upper 10-12.

 

[Allen2McVay]

...
Not sure who in FA equals a great LT or great OLB but one of the 2 positions must be filled by a FA.

Does not look like there's going to be anything 'great' at either position in Free Agency.

There's a good site called Spotrac that allows you to filter by all types of categories. You can look at 2023 Unrestricted Free Agents; and can filter by position ... as detailed as Left Tackle and Edge.

Sometimes players under contract are released for cap relief but the current crop of FAs ain't that good.

 

[So Ram]

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. That is the epitome of what you are suggesting. You still need those generational talents to build around with the late round bit players. The Rams need to find that next wave of generational talent to back fill for the players we’ll be losing in the next 2-3 years. Trading up is the best way to get there when you don’t have first round picks that are in the upper 10-12.

That is absolutely NOT TRUE!!

Tell me about Greg Robinson? Then you get a nut with AD99.
Who knew?? At the time I couldn’t fault the draft pick of AD99 from a production standpoint.If you look at his size & position there was a serious risk there.
I will not be afraid to say it,but I questioned the draft pick.I didn’t mind the pick except that The Rams didn’t trade the 2nd overall pick back for #6 overall or at least the Bills 1st. Rd pick in the following season as well.
— Don’t know what you’re looking for,but in 2017 The Rams could have had D. Cook RB Vikings,Kupp Rams,Kittle SF,plus Ebukham or Reynolds.

—We can talk draft all day.There is a process to it all.If you just go by draft boards your lucky to hit a Bullseye
IMO I will always trade back to circle a player with both value & need with an extra draft pick.

Bill Belacheat was good at that,but could never find a WR. He got lucky a couple of times,but Randy Moss is a perfect guy who has value & worth crap draft picks for.
—Bill Walsh made some nice moves as well by trading back for value & position of need adding draft picks.

 

[blackbart]

That is absolutely NOT TRUE!!

Tell me about Greg Robinson? Then you get a nut with AD99.
Who knew?? At the time I couldn’t fault the draft pick of AD99 from a production standpoint.If you look at his size & position there was a serious risk there.
I will not be afraid to say it,but I questioned the draft pick.I didn’t mind the pick except that The Rams didn’t trade the 2nd overall pick back for #6 overall or at least the Bills 1st. Rd pick in the following season as well.
— Don’t know what you’re looking for,but in 2017 The Rams could have had D. Cook RB Vikings,Kupp Rams,Kittle SF,plus Ebukham or Reynolds.

—We can talk draft all day.There is a process to it all.If you just go by draft boards your lucky to hit a Bullseye
IMO I will always trade back to circle a player with both value & need with an extra draft pick.

Bill Belacheat was good at that,but could never find a WR. He got lucky a couple of times,but Randy Moss is a perfect guy who has value & worth crap draft picks for.
—Bill Walsh made some nice moves as well by trading back for value & position of need adding draft picks.

I have no idea what you think isn’t true but that’s not uncommon, you’re all over the place and you talk as if you actually work for an nfl franchise.

There is no one method, sometimes when there isn’t a player on their board that is a difference maker when they are picking, trading back with the right partner makes the most sense.

Others moving up to get a guy that is projected to be a player who can’t miss is the right move.

Evaluations have to be right, the players have to have the skill and fire and be in the right system with the right coaches and some luck to make it all work.

 

[So Ram]

I have no idea what you think isn’t true but that’s not uncommon, you’re all over the place and you talk as if you actually work for an nfl franchise.

There is no one method, sometimes when there isn’t a player on their board that is a difference maker when they are picking, trading back with the right partner makes the most sense.

Others moving up to get a guy that is projected to be a player who can’t miss is the right move.

Evaluations have to be right, the players have to have the skill and fire and be in the right system with the right coaches and some luck to make it all work.

Thanks for helping out! Couldn’t have said it better myself.Much appreciated.

Yes & I agree as well.The Rams done things a little different that have worked out. Giving up all your picks in the draft IMO is sort of Stupid.—Example Shannahan & Niners trading up for Tran(sf) Lance or whoever he is.

 

[So Ram]

BTW - for anyone that wants to know I was on the St.Louis board back with a lot of posters here & Hammer came out with his 1,000 player list.
I use to spend hours looking deep into draft classes.Always wanted to go back to Billy Deavney’s Ram invite to talk draft & drink beers.
Made a prediction The Rams were going to win a Superbowl & they did.
At the time I thought I had more time & 2 other things were big life changing moments.Being a Rams Fan has come at a price.

—Just in case I come across like I know everything is silly. I know though that if it became myself to be a GM in most Pro Sports I would do a better job than most.

Have a lifetime of examples & like as my favorite teams sports.
—It’s hard when the Front Office is bad. Plus coaching & relationships are key.

As Rams Fans we are blessed,because they have a vision & a will.Good structure & Ownership.

 

[So Ram]

BTW - I believe I said if Copeland is atheist Rams future they’re in trouble.
Maybe it was Hollins. Maybe Lewis ? Get my drift.

The Rams lost OBO a player who was always hurt. Then that dude from NE? He was always hurt.Morgan Fox was a classic tweener & tough. He got hurt with Wade trying him on then Edge.

—Rant Rant Rant— well IMO a 3/4 edge OLB with speed you could find?

Still wanting on a nice edge rusher.Ram Fans blaming Raheem Morris & then seeing Von Miller in a Rams jersey helping win a Superbowl pretty much can see NO DEPTH & NO Starter either.

Von Miller left a big void & Shula is the DB’s coach. Who thunk it out right ?