Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead has a proven track record of swinging big when it comes to acquiring talent.
Under Snead, the Rams have not been afraid to trade precious draft capital in exchange for stars and proven talent. That roster-building strategy was justified when Los Angeles won Super Bowl LVI, but the 2022 season was an indication that they will be paying a price for going all-in.
A championship is always worth it no matter the cost, but the Rams will now have to find ways to improve with a limited amount of resources. The team does not have the draft picks or cap space to truly upgrade which will make for some tough decisions during the offseason.
When talking about the organization’s thought process the next couple of months, Snead admitted that they will likely have to resort to a more conservative approach, via Gary Klein of L.A. Times:
“We’re probably going to have to, let’s call it, not press the gas as much and pay a little bit of the debt that we’ve accumulated,” Snead said.
While Snead acknowledged they might not be as aggressive looking for players, he pushed back on the idea of tearing down the roster:
“We’re very well aware that some of our core players, right, are in their primes and are getting closer to the twilight of their primes,” he said. “But that does not mean, right, when you’re a player like that in your prime that you’re still not very productive and can be very successful.”
Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald are all under contract through the 2024 season, so it doesn’t make sense for Snead to trade away its veterans and start over yet. Poor injury luck and a tough schedule were too much for the Rams to overcome in 2022, but with better circumstances, there’s reason to believe they could compete in 2023.
The focus for L.A. will be looking for value signings in free agency and nailing their draft picks in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft. Along with Snead, head coach Sean McVay will also be busy trying to revamp his coaching staff after the team parted ways with several members. The Rams might have more positions to fill as several members are in the middle of interviewing around the league.
Plenty of change is coming to the Rams, but the team has earned the benefit of the doubt given their previous successes.
