The Rams are in a really good position to make some noise in the NFL. They brought in Matt Stafford and sent Jared Goff packing to Detroit.
This was the move that made the most sense for an organization dying to win a Super Bowl.
The Rams have a head coach in Sean McVay who has a great offensive mind but it was the defense that stepped up under Brandon Staley. They allowed a league-low .15 expected points added per play and that helped them go 10-6 on the season.
The Rams don’t have a high amount of cap space and capital to be making a slew of moves. After all, they made a blockbuster trade with the Lions to make Matthew Stafford the next quarterback of the Lions. The running back was supposed to be Cam Akers, who had a PFF grade as the 22nd best running back in the league and 70th overall last season.
Akers just went down for the season with a torn achilles. He was working out and a freak accident occurred which will keep him out of the full 2021 season.
Per Adam Schfter on Twitter:
The Rams don’t have any immediate plans to pursue a free-agent running back. They believe in Darrell Henderson, like last year’s undrafted free agent RB Xavier Jones and also drafted RB Jake Funk in the seventh round this year. For now, they’re standing pat, but could revisit later.
This was supposed to be a new-look and improved offense for the Rams and now Akers is out. Stafford projects to perform better than Goff this season and has plenty of reliable targets.
The Rams had to give up a lot just to get Stafford but performance, again, should increase.
At wide out, the Rams won’t have Josh Reynolds anymore who left for free agency and is now with the Tennessee Titans. Instead, Stafford is going to look to get Van Jefferson some added looks.
Meanwhile, this Rams team also lost out on Gerald Everett who left via free agency to Seattle. Stafford is really good with his tight ends and will still have Tyler Higbee under contract to lead that position.
The big question will be how the offensive line holds up. Stafford is used to getting sacked a whole lot and now without Akers, the Rams are going to have to really figure out their run blocking this season.
Austin Blythe left the Rams at center but the Rams should still be alright. The Rams offense ran for 126 yards on the ground per game and they also finished with 19 rushing touchdowns. Both were top 10 in the league.
This was a team that averaged five yards per carry on first down. If the Rams can do that with Stafford under center, they’ll put together some easy drives. The offensive line also allowed just 25 sacks in the league, tied for 6th best. Andrew Whitwoorth didn’t allow a sack and gave up just six pressures on 340 block snaps last year until his injury. Joe Noteboom saw increased playing time at left tackle and looked really good as well.
But the reality is, ther Rams only produced 4.27 yards per carry last year and now will be without Cam Akers. They’re trusting Henderson and the rest of their running backs. This could be a year where the Rams need to switch some things up and become more of a passing offense.
The resurgence of the offensive line was key last year. If Stafford can be protected, he’s a top quarterback in the league. He’s really never played behind a really good line and if he gets one here and stays safe in the pocket, the Rams might’ve found themselves a gem.
With that, the Rams can make it far. They’ve got a terrific defense and an offense anchored by a much better quarterback in Matthew Stafford. If all works out, the running game won’t be much of an issue as long as Stafford can make good decisions.
