This was supposed to be a reset year for the Rams. They had no first-round pick (gone to Detroit as part of the Matthew Stafford trade). They were carrying $75 million in dead money (accounting for money pushed forward to extend the team’s title window). They moved on without Jalen Ramsey, Leonard Floyd, Greg Gaines, Nick Scott and a bunch of others. They came into the season with a banged-up Cooper Kupp, rookies contributing everywhere, and fans eyeing Caleb Williams.
Yet, here we are. The Rams (8–7) enter the weekend as the NFC’s sixth seed, and set up after a year of restraint to be the aggressor again. They have a first-round pick for the first time since selecting Jared Goff with the No. 1 pick in 2016, and could have as much as $50 million in cap space.
And, yes, Stafford and Sean McVay deserve a ton of credit. But so too does GM Les Snead, and the team’s personnel department, and the team’s roster—with a third of the team’s cap space dedicated to players who are no longer around, and nearly another third dedicated to three players (Stafford, Kupp and Aaron Donadl)—is a testament to the work that’s been done within an organization that’s constantly thought outside the box.
