Re: wow...

Quote
Rams43

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Meanwhile, I see glaring needs if not outright holes at the following positions:

Edge
RB
CB
Safety
Backup QB
TE

All this with just a handful of cap dollars without restructuring and only 2 premium picks, and that’s assuming that Snead doesn’t trade out of them for an experienced vet.

While I won't disagree with the need to get another edge player, I just don't see it as: A) overriding the need to solidify the OL; and/or, as difficult to address.

The Rams defense came into the 2022 season with an ailing Leonard Floyd at one OLB position and two unproven players (Hollins & Lewis) at the other OLB position. None of those 3 helped AD in terms of a pass rush which limited the effectiveness of the defense.

With that said...

More than halfway through the season, the Rams defense was top-5 vs the run and held their opponents to 18 ppg. As mentioned before, this is highly inconvenient (and as yet, unexplained) for detractors of the defensive scheme. Now, the bottom eventually fell out as the unit couldn't continue to overcome the ineptitude of the offense (caused, in large part, by its dysfunctional OL). But in taking a step back and reviewing the performance of the entire team, I see an edge rusher as a "nice to have" as opposed to a "need to have."

Be that as it may, I suspect that the team will try to address that position. But I think that they'll do so in the same manner as they've done in the recent past (i.e. make a modest trade or FA acquisition for a young, former 1st round DE/OLB who hasn't panned out with his original team). In this regard, I'm thinking of Clelin Ferrell, Marcus Davenport, Rasheem Greene (3rd rounder), etc. Like Leonard Floyd or Dante Fowler before him, Ferrell and Davenport have 1st/2nd round talent (allegedly), but haven't been productive with the teams that drafted them. I could see the Rams picking them up on "prove-it" deals and watching them try to parlay the opportunity to gravy-train off of AD to get longer term contracts. I actually see this moreso than them being able to pony up the capital for Brian Burns.

As for RB, McVay has proven that this really isn't a position of value to him. Even when he had Gurley, we could argue that McVay underutilized him. I could very easily see Akers returning and the Rams looking to pick up another back late in the draft (if they don't try to go back to Sony Michel).