Not much about the 2022 season went right for the Los Angeles Rams. Injuries were out of their control, but even when players were healthy, some key contributors fell way short of expectations.
Although these seven players aren’t to blame for the Rams’ 5-12 record, there was high hope for them before the season began and they finished with disappointing performances.
1
WR Allen Robinson
There may not have been a more disappointing free-agent signing in the NFL than Robinson. The Rams gave him a three-year, $46.5 million deal in the offseason and in his first season, he caught just 24 passes for 369 yards and scored three touchdowns.
Don’t blame his lack of production on the fact that he missed six games, either. Those numbers are terrible for an 11-game season, averaging only two catches for 33.5 yards per game. Robinson and Matthew Stafford never seemed to develop chemistry and it resulted in the wide receiver falling way short of the high expectations he entered 2022 with.
2
LT Joe Noteboom
Noteboom is another player who got hurt and missed significant time, but like Robinson, he was struggling before going down. Noteboom allowed five sacks in six games played, giving up a total of 23 pressures in that span. For comparison, he allowed just three sacks and 24 pressures in the previous two seasons combined.
It’s not his fault he got injured, but he wasn’t playing well enough in pass protection when he was healthy. And given the contract he signed in the offseason, there was high hope for him in his first year as a full-time starter at left tackle.
3
CB Troy Hill
Hill returned to the Rams in a trade on Day 3 of the draft, immediately stepping in as a starter again next to Jalen Ramsey. It was an up-and-down season for the veteran corner, allowing three touchdowns in coverage with just one interception and three passes defensed.
He gave up 41 catches on 59 targets, totaling 460 yards. His tackling needed to be better, too. Hill missed seven times in 12 games, finishing the year with 67 tackles.
4
OLB Terrell Lewis
Lewis was supposed to help replace Von Miller opposite Leonard Floyd. He didn’t come close to doing that. In fact, he had his worst season to date despite being the healthiest he’s been. On 174 pass-rush snaps, Lewis recorded only four pressures and one sack.
He struggled against the run, too, finishing the year with a 58.6 run-defense grade. The Rams cut Lewis during the season and thrust Michael Hoecht into a starting role at outside linebacker, which resulted in much better production off the edge.
5
OLB Justin Hollins
Hollins was equally disappointing at outside linebacker. He started five games and also had just one sack, recording six total pressures on 143 pass-rush snaps. Hollins has always been known as a better run defender than pure pass rusher but he didn’t excel in either area this season.
Like Lewis, Hollins was released by the Rams during the season after an underwhelming first half of the year.
6
QB Matthew Stafford
Stafford dealt with a lot in 2022. He came into the year with an elbow issue, then suffered a concussion and eventually a neck injury that ended his season after just nine games played. His offensive line was one of the worst in football, too.
But there’s no denying the fact that Stafford played poorly when he was available. He threw just 10 touchdown passes and eight interceptions, averaging 231.9 yards per game. Big plays were tough to come by, too, with Stafford being forced to check the ball down and take short throws because the protection couldn’t hold up.
He couldn’t have carried this injury-riddled team to the playoffs, but he could’ve played better than he did in those nine games.
7
CB David Long Jr.
Long got the first crack as the nickel defender alongside Ramsey and Hill, playing the majority of the snaps in Weeks 1 and 2. He got hurt and returned in Week 6, reclaiming his role as the No. 3 cornerback. But from that point on, his struggles in coverage resulted in his playing time being reduced.
He only played more than 51% of the snaps once after Week 6, ceding playing time to Cobie Durant and Derion Kendrick. Long fell short of expectations after he was given the chance to be a starter, ending the season with just seven defensive snaps played in the final three weeks.
