You have made some great points and I don't think we disagree as much as it might appear.
I did state that I thought the Rams had a different approach than many teams, but I don't think their approach is 'all in'. If I had to label it I'd probably call it 'go big or go home'.
The Rams don't throw their future away to go for a title. IMO what separates them is they make bold moves that other teams are afraid to make.
The Rams trade up for Goff, for example. How often does a team trade up from #15 to #1?
The trades for Stafford and Garrett standout among all the deals the Rams have made. What other team makes moves like that?
I agree 100% that the Garrett trade is not an 'all in' move. The guy is signed thru the 2030 season and he will be a cornerstone of this defense for at least that long. But there's a reason he's on the Rams and not one of the other 30 teams sitting on the sidelines.
The Browns restructured Garrett's contract this year. He was due to get $29.2M in March and they moved that date to Sept. Why? So if they traded Garrett his new team would pay the $29.2M.
Garrett agreed to that change. Why? Because he wanted to give the Browns an opportunity to trade him.
It was clear to anyone who was paying attention, and certainly clear to the other 31 teams in the league, that the Browns would at least entertain offers for Garrett.
I am not aware of any team other than the Rams making a play for Garrett. If I missed it and someone has some info please share. But at the time the Rams traded for Garrett they were already co-favorites to win the SB along with Seattle and this move gave the Rams a clear advantage.
The 49ers were lagging both teams. As of today they have the most cap space in the NFL: $65M. (The Titans are second with $43.9M.) Why wouldn't the 49ers made this bold move and leapfrog both the Rams and Seattle? Or the Chargers ($41.9M in cap space)?. Or the Patriots ($30.8M in cap space)?
Maybe a lot of teams are risk-averse. "What if we make this trade and it doesn't work out?"
I wouldn't say the Rams are risk takers per se, I'd put it that they have a different metric for weighing risk vs. reward that compels them to make bold moves where other team shy away fro them. More like "if we don't do this we'll kick ourselves in our collective a$$es forever".
The Rams pursue all avenues to make the team better and pull the trigger when the opportunity presents itself. I think that's what separates the Rams from teams like the Steelers.
And it must be pointed out, that strategy probably doesn't work unless you are able to restock with lower round draft picks, undrafted players, and free agents.
The Rams starting offense: a 2nd round pick, three 5th round picks, a 6th round pick, an undrafted player, three free agents, and two trades.
And the starting defense: a 1st round pick, three 3rd round picks, a 6th round pick, an undrafted player, four free agents, and two trades.
The four trades I just referenced: Dotson, Stafford, McDuffie, and Garrett.
AlbaNY_Ram
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/2026 04:21AM by AlbaNY_Ram.
