Rams are betting on ‘going from good to great’ at QB after The Trade...

Rams are betting on 'going from good to great' at QB by trading Goff for Stafford

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Cameron DaSilva

With the No. 1 defense in the NFL, a strong offensive line, a great receiving corps and a talented trio of running backs, the Los Angeles Rams had all the makings of a Super Bowl team. The position that held them back more than any other just happens to also be the most important position in football: quarterback.

Jared Goff threw just 20 touchdown passes last season, his fewest in a season since 2016 as a rookie. He threw 13 interceptions and fumbled the ball seven times, having a lot of trouble avoiding turnovers.

Those struggles caused the Rams to make a change at quarterback, trading Goff to the Lions for Matthew Stafford. And with Stafford stepping in, the Rams clearly feel they’ve upgraded at this critical position – hopefully enough to put them over the top as a champion.

Les Snead was asked about going from Goff to Stafford, admitting it’s an upgrade from good to great.

“Keyword is opportunity, rare opportunity,” Snead said of acquiring Stafford. “Put simply, chance to bet on going from good to great at that position. And especially from where our team was, our core group of players, where they were in their career, the coaching staff we have, felt like it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.”

Sean McVay was also asked when he and Snead lost confidence in Goff, leading to this massive change at quarterback. Once again, he stood by his former quarterback, saying there wasn’t a single moment that led to the switch.

It was more so about the chance to acquire a player of Stafford’s caliber, who they feel will take them to new heights. He feels it was a rare opportunity, one that doesn’t come up often.

“I don’t think there was ever a moment. That’s not what this situation reflects. I wouldn’t say that,” McVay said. “I think kind of at the beginning when we started talking about it is to be able to acquire a player of Matthew Stafford’s caliber, those are things that really, since I’ve been coaching in the NFL, I haven’t seen opportunities like that come up often. … It’s more of a reflection of the opportunity to acquire Matthew than anything else.”

The Rams paid a big price to make it happen, trading Goff, two first-round picks, a third-rounder and eating $24.7 million in dead money in the process. But they feel the price they paid will be worth it in the long run, based on the current construction of the team.