The Los Angeles Rams made it no secret this offseason that they are aiming to be a Super Bowl contender in the 2018 NFL season after a slew of major splash acquisitions. It saw them add a few proven veterans to provide more experience and impact on both sides of the ball.
It is the first time under general manager Les Snead that he has taken this approach in the offseason to bring aboard talent in that fashion. During a recent interview with Peter King of Sports Illustrated, Snead stated that the aggressive nature that the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles have had this offseason had played an influential factor in the Rams following suit:
I got a simple rule: You can’t be scared in this league. Look at Doug Pederson this year and, it wasn’t reckless but it took courage and guess what? They won a Super Bowl on some of those fourth-down plays. So you try to do that as a general manager, but I also think, and this is long-winded answer, some of the analytics that you have now to really look at what historically draft picks bring you in reality over time
The Eagles have also not taken their foot off the pedal this offseason with adding more talent to the mix. The team has traded for Pro Bowl defensive end Micheal Bennett, agreed one-year deals with linebacker Paul Worrilow, wide receiver Mike Wallace and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. The team has also traded wideout Torrey Smith to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for cornerback Daryl Worley.
Philadelphia has made several decisions to bring aboard pieces that could keep them atop as the Super Bowl champions, which has pushed teams like the Rams to be aggressive to add talent to their respective roster. Snead is taking a risk, but each of these moves has the potential to push Los Angeles forward into being a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
All of this will be put to the test this upcoming season where their incoming talent will have a chance to make an impact on the field in helping the Rams reach their goal. If anything, it’s clear that Los Angeles is serious about taking the next step on the field in 2018.
