The Los Angeles Rams didn’t construct their roster the conventional way. They didn’t build through the draft by clutching to first- and second-round picks, hoping young players would eventually pan out. Instead, they traded those picks for proven assets – players who have already established themselves in the NFL.
They did exactly that with Matthew Stafford, betting big on the former Lions quarterback. They traded Jared Goff, two first-round picks and a third-rounder for Stafford last January, almost one year to the day. And in the process, they ate $24.7 million in dead money just to dump Goff’s contract.
Many onlookers questioned the move. They argued that Stafford has never won a big game in his career, making the playoffs just three times and going 0-3 in the postseason. They argued that Stafford was nothing more than a guy who puts up empty stats in garbage time with his team trailing.
Mortgaging your future to acquire a 33-year-old quarterback is crazy, they said. Giving up on a young quarterback you just signed two years prior leads to salary cap hell, they said.
In response, the Rams metaphorically told everyone to watch them march all the way to Super Bowl LVI, coming one win away from their first championship since 1999. And they deserve an endless amount of credit for going against the grain.
When 31 other teams zig, the Rams zag. When struggling franchises dump veterans for draft assets, the Rams are there to make those trades.
The addition of Stafford was a game-changer for an offense that struggled the last two years. In his first season, he beat five teams that won at least 10 games, threw 41 touchdown passes in the regular season and led two game-winning drives in the playoffs. Think that move paid off for Los Angeles?
And this isn’t just about Stafford. Their bets on big names go way beyond just their quarterback.
The Rams acquired Jalen Ramsey from the Jaguars two years ago, sending Jacksonville two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder for the excellent but frustrated cornerback. Since then, he’s been named an All-Pro twice and helped the Rams reach the Super Bowl as the best cornerback in football.
They traded second- and third-round picks to the rebuilding Broncos for future Hall of Fame pass rusher Von Miller. The immediate reaction was that the Rams were out of their minds to trade two top-100 picks for a 32-year-old pass rusher coming off an ankle injury who will also hit free agency in March. Bad business, right? Well, he has seven sacks in his last seven games and has dominated as a run defender.
And finally, the Rams made their last bet on a star player – albeit, a guarded wager that didn’t cost them any future draft assets. They signed Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year deal after he was cut by the Browns. Adding a supposed diva who demands the ball to a locker room that lives by the mantra, “We, not me,” had to come back to bite the Rams.
Except, it didn’t. In fact, the Rams wouldn’t be where they are today if not for the addition of Beckham. In the NFC Championship Game, he caught nine passes for 113 yards – his best performance with Los Angeles. He didn’t play every snap, he wasn’t the most-targeted receiver on the team and he didn’t score a touchdown. But his presence on the field as WR1a to Cooper Kupp has made a significant impact on the offense.
His teammates love him, too, debunking the narrative that he’s a bad teammate and a locker room problem.
A surreal moment.
🎙@obj + @VonMiller pic.twitter.com/0DHvp0Rl8n
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 31, 2022
Pending the distribution of compensatory picks, the Rams will only have one pick in the first four rounds: a third-rounder they were awarded for the Lions hiring Brad Holmes last year. They currently have just four total picks, two of which are in the seventh round.
They don’t have a first-rounder in 2023, with their next one scheduled to come in 2024. That’ll mark seven years in a row without using a first-round pick, yet that won’t matter if they win the Super Bowl this year. To be honest, it already doesn’t matter because they’ve done something that 30 other teams couldn’t do this year: reach the Super Bowl.
For a team that constantly gambles by trading draft picks and mortgages its future with the deals it makes, making the Super Bowl twice in four years seems like a worthwhile tradeoff. How have the Jaguars, Jets and Giants made out by building through the draft?
The Rams don’t need to win the Super Bowl to validate their roster-building strategy. They’ve already proved that collecting star players in pursuit of a ring is a successful strategy. It just takes great coaching, strong drafting in the later rounds and a staff that can develop younger players into starters – guys like Darious Williams, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Greg Gaines, Nick Scott and Brian Allen.
At this point, it’s foolish to question the approach taken by Les Snead, Sean McVay and the entire Rams organization. Winning the Super Bowl would be nice, but there’s not much left for Los Angeles to prove.
The Rams have been a perennial contender, and it’s not because they’re nailing first-round picks. It’s because they’re aligning the stars in L.A.
