I disagree on his take of Rams signing FA RB, but all else is intriguing, I think.
Here’s Oldnotdead…
IMO Snead and McVay are going to talk to Stafford at the end of the season. What they say will be predicated upon how well Mayfield plays the last 4 games. If he plays as well as he did Thursday, I think they will tell Stafford that his window of play is open through 2024. But he can opt to be a non-starting mentor to Mayfield through 2023 and retire in 2024. His other option would be to start through 2024 and retire in 2025. If he chooses that route he must understand that should he incur another concussion as bad as these past two, they will shut him down permanently be it in 2023 or 2024.
This will allow them to tell Baker that if he stays with the Rams under the above-stated conditions he's their starter in 2025. With that there is no way Baker walks away. There is no way McVay walks away anytime soon, which is IMO more important. Snead sold the farm once to get Stafford to keep McVay happy. If Baker is the QB he wants then Snead & Co will do what they must to make it happen.
McVay is the engine of this machine that makes it function. Snead provides the fuel for that engine. If Baker is what McVay wants then Snead will do what he can to make it happen.
Regarding the OL. I think people are underestimating what they have in Noteboom and Jackson. Noteboom when healthy is as good as some of the best LT's in the NFL. I didn't say that but Whitworth and Havenstein have and IMO they should know. If anyone of them is going to play OG it will be Jackson but IMO that would be only for one year. I think the Rams see both Noteboom and Jackson as their LT and RT of the future. Thomas was a targeted acquisition. I think the Rams see an OG of the future in him in the same way they look at Bruss. That completes their starting OL going into the future. The only thing is whether or not Allen stays. He's signed through the 2025 season but the Rams have a contractual out in 2024. So I think they keep him for one more year. If he stays healthy they keep him into 2025. Shelton is their other option as he can start all along the interior OL.
With Nsekhe and Anchrum they have a backups swing OT and OG next year. Arcuri looked terrible and it wouldn't surprise me if they brought in OTs and OGs this year to compete for backup positions.
I think they draft or sign a FA RB to give them a long term option to Akers.
Rumor has it that backroom talks between @#$%& Face and the Chargers have occurred. If Staley gets fired McVay better hire him and dump Morris. IMO that would make this a Super Bowl winning contender again.
