Still 7 games to be played, but here are my offseason thoughts to fix things…

First a caveat. I don’t intend to sugarcoat anything and so my thoughts might ruffle some feathers on certain posters with ‘sacred cow’ fandom for particular players.

And in no particular order:

Regarding Offense

McVay needs to turn over playcalling to LaFleur. Too many impulsive and irrational calls and decisions now being made that defy explanation. Our O stats speak for themselves. I really think that Rams would be 7-3 today with better decision making and play calling. This needn’t wait until the offseason, it should be done before the upcoming Cards game.

QB. Stafford is a warrior but he’s been too wobbly/injured of late. Unless Rams are prepared to commit to Wentz as their franchise QB for next 5 years then they must draft their future heir to Stafford with their 1st rounder. Maybe even have to throw in picks to trade up to get their reasonable favorite. Yeah, expensive and somewhat risky, but we’re talking about a franchise QB here without which nothing else much matters. Too good of a QB class to pass on this rare opportunity. Gotta do it.

RB. Gotta keep drafting one every year. Freeman does look like a pretty good #3 RB but we need to bring in someone to really challenge Williams. Unfortunately, probably not gonna happen until after 3rd round because of other more pressing needs.

LOT. Either sign a proven stud (emphasis stud) LOT in FA or draft one high. Probably with their 2nd, actually. No more pussyfooting around with this OL. Stafford deserves at least that much. Jackson will be a fine swing OT/OG.

OC. Here again, either sign a real stud OC in FA or draft one fairly high, such as with the 3rd. Both Stafford and KW deserve at least that much. Rams need to stop ‘making do’ on their OL if they want a dominant O once again. Shelton will be a good swing OC.

OG. Extend Dotson. He’s certainly earned it and such investments are exactly what those newly available cap dollars are for. This move will complete Rams OL.

TE. Effective immediately I recommend reducing Higbee’s snaps in order to experiment with Allen, Hopkins, and Long. Higbee is playing hurt anyway and he’s been missing too many blocks, dropping too many passes, and not scoring as he should be. I recommend that the 4 above each share approximately 25% of snaps until someone steps up to claim that starter role. Also, be prepared to draft and/or sign a TE for next year. Hopefully, our new play caller will actually use his TE’s in his game plans.

WR. We all love Kupp but he’s always injured lately. Time to bring in another WR via draft or FA for the future. Btw, Trammel seems to make plays when given opportunities.

Regarding Defense

OLB. Hoecht is playing out of position and though he flashes occasionally he is mostly a liability on the field. Opponents constantly abuse him. So bite the bullet and sign a proven vet OLB, dammit! Sure, it will be costly but it will transform this D. And that’s exactly what those cap dollars are for. Draft doesn’t look like a realistic option because we’ve already invested our top 3 picks on O above (unless Snead gets incredibly lucky again). Just do it.

CB. Gotta keep drafting CB’s for the foreseeable future. I like Durant and still think Tomlinson could be a quality starter but they scarcely give him snaps unless others are injured. Maybe hedge their bets with late pick and a 2nd tier FA signing? I’ve soured on Witherspoon and Kendrick.

DL. What to do? AD won’t play forever, 2024 might be it for him. So I see Rams drafting DL relatively late here and maybe sign a FA if there’s any money left. Hoecht could help on DL and Mathis looks promising. DL is gonna be tricky for Rams in 2024.

S. Keep drafting for the foreseeable future. Fuller is a goner and should be. We’re not there yet at S.

Regarding ST

Actually might be finally coming around.

PK
P
Snapper
Returner (Trammel seems fine back there)

McVay’s patience with Blackburn might be rewarded in these final 7 games.


So there you have my thoughts.

Major changes in several areas:

Playcalling
QB
LOT
OC
TE (emphasis, anyway)
WR
OLB
CB

I do believe that if Snead can address these personnel areas with some combo of FA and early draft picks AND if McVay can bring himself to hand over playcalling duties, then Rams can be a force in next year’s playoff run.

Thoughts?