Los Angeles Rams
2019 Record: (9-7) 3rd
NFC West
2019 Season Recap:
Offense
Points: 24.6 (11th)
Yards: 374.9 (7th)
Pass Yards: 281.2 (4th)
Rush Yards: 93.7 (26th)
Defense
Points: 22.8 (17th)
Yards: 339.6 (13th)
Pass Yards: 226.6 (12th)
Rush Yards: 113.1 (19th)
For what transpired in 2019 became a far cry from the club which
reached the super bowl the season earlier. Coach Sean McVay was being crowed as
an offensive mastermind in how he was able to transform this offense and young
passer – Jared Goff. While losing the super bowl in the fashion they did, we
fully expected a hangover in 2019, and that’s exactly what we got.
Looking at the Rams statistically, they still managed to produce a
great deal, but were far less consistent when you review the tape week-to-week.
While Goff still managed to produce a healthy 4638 yards passing, finding the
endzone with heavy regularity became the largest obstacle on this offense.
Adding to that, the play of Todd Gurley fell off a cliff as his nagging knee
issues appeared to be a bigger problem then we had anticipated. Even as Gurley
managed to see better production as the season wore on, the overall dynamic of
this offense was never duplicated from the 2018 campaign.
Adding to the mess, the NFC West witnessed the emergence of the
San Francisco 49ers which made three clubs of playoff caliber in the division.
Having split the season series with the Seahawks and losing both contests to
the 49ers, that unequivocally sealed their fate and missing the postseason was
the outcome.
Its not that we are suggesting this Rams team can’t still be an
elite force, but going back to the drawing board in some area will have to be
done. Firing Wade Phillips as the defensive coordinator was the first step, and
adjusting this roster will be the primary focus on finding a way to again win
the division. We have a very strong belief in Coach McVay, leaving this club potentially
under the radar and jumping back to very high levels.
2020 Offseason
WorkBook:
The Offense
As we dive into this offense, we begin as always with the
quarterback position. Jared Goff in our eyes is still a very good passer, but
saw different defensive schemes once the Rams run attack wasn’t feared by the
opposition. Based on the downtrend of Todd Gurley, Goff was forced to throw the
ball more often which equated to a career high in pass attempts of 626.
Year-over-year, Goff throw 65 more balls and basically held a similar stat line
as the previous season. Throwing 11 less touchdowns then in 2018, it was clear
this offense wasn’t the same without the fortitude of a strong run game.
Needless to say, the Rams are committed to Goff for the long haul, but will be
looking to get back to that high-octane unit.
Jumping into what went wrong with super star Todd Gurley, we will
be the first to admit we didn’t believe his knee was as bad as was forecasted.
At times, Gurley didn’t appear to be close to the same runner we’ve seen in the
past, as the lack of east-west running was evident. Having lost the ability to
be the juking, elusive back – more of a downhill north-south approach was
taken. With that, many hoped to see rookie Darrell Henderson take some pressure
off of Gurley with having sound potential to steal a fair share of the workload
– this didn’t happen. With no viable backup to assist (including Malcolm Brown),
the Rams may again be forced to search for added weapons at the position.
Everything will be contingent on Gurley’s health, but we are truly fearful of
his future.
When we look and review what this receiving core was this past
season, nothing but gleaming assessments can be provided. Led by the prowess of
Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, they both remained top targets for Goff and
produced on nearly a weekly basis. The asterisk from this powerful trio does
come from the lost season of Brandin Cooks. While Cooks was a beast in his own
right a season ago, injuries and lackluster play was the result for the often-traveled
receiver. Dropped passes and concussions filled his 2019 tape which lead Coach
McVay to alter the offensive approach. Having more reliance on Woods and Kupp,
both men were able to secure over 1100 yards and accounted for 12 touchdowns
between the two. A choice will have to be made on if they can keep all three of
these receivers, and in our eyes, Cooks could be the odd man out.
Continuing down the path of that altered offensive approach, McVay
finally utilized his tight end position with Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett
seeing a coming out party. Without Cooks on the field, Higbee blew away former
career highs to become a staple in this pass game. Not to forget about his
teammate Everett – he too saw contests with great statistical achievements.
Between the two, they elevated their games to reach 106 receptions for 1142
yards and five touchdowns. Based on these stats, is this enough for the Rams to
move on from Cooks, its very possible.
The Defense
Heading to the defensive side of things, this unit was leaps and
bounds worse than the group we enjoyed watching the season before. Wade
Phillips schemes and systems were dissected and exploited leaving them to be
far worse in the statistical rankings.
Starting with the obvious strength of this side, the defensive
line was still a force. Led by all world super star Aaron Donald, this group
helped the defense collect a whopping 50 sacks on quarterbacks. Even though
Donald couldn’t get back to the likes of his 20.5 sacks in 2018, he still
secured a healthy 12.5 in 2019. Dante Fowler also chipped in with a great 11.5
take downs of his own which equated to 48% of the club’s sacks on the year.
Having Michael Brockers hold his place opposite Fowler, offensive lines again
struggled in stopping this trio from getting to the quarterback. Adding to the
dismay, Fowler and Brockers are both looking for new contracts this off-season,
leaving us to wonder if their future will be elsewhere with limited funds for
the Rams to spend.
Looking at the line backing core which saw Clay Matthews brought
on via free agency, he too added more rushing ability and sacked the
quarterback eight times. Matthews found new life on this defense but was lost
for three contests to a jaw injury which did hamstring this unit in his
absence. Adding to that, seeing Cory Littleton take yet another step in his
progression – he found career highs in many areas planting him as a true
difference maker at middle line backer. Outside of that, this group requires a
talent infusion like no other, and could be without Littleton as he is also
vying for a new contract.
Taking a look at this defensive secondary, the Rams have seen a
great deal of changeover within one season. Having Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters
their starting tandem at the start of the year, we witnessed them both traded
as Los Angeles acquired Jalen Ramsey from the Jaguars thereafter. On paper they
appeared to be that true shutdown group, but the front office had seen enough
and was willing to make a drastic change. Moving forward with Ramsey, possibly
Nickell Robey-Coleman and Taylor Rapp as the steadfast leaders on this unit,
more talent will undoubtedly be added this off-season via the draft to make this
group much better.
Team Free Agents / Team Salary Cap
When you look at a club that went to the super bowl only a couple
seasons ago, you would expect the roster to hold very little in available
funds. Having only 23.2 million in free space as of today, L.A will be hard
pressed to be a more talented team with the team free agents they possess.
As mentioned above, the Rams don’t hold a large list of team free
agents but are having to deal with high end talent potentially leaving the team.
With Dante Fowler, Andrew Whitworth, Michael Brockers, Cory Littleton, Greg
Zuerlein and Nickell Robey-Coleman (club option) – many tough days are on the
horizon to re-up these players. In terms of what it could take to resign
Fowler, his market value has spiked to a mammoth 14.8 million per season on
what could be a four-year contract. Adding to that, Littleton has also seen his
market value increase to levels that will be difficult to bring back. Looking
to fetch 12.2 million a year on a four- or five-year deal, these two players
would eat up more cap then the Rams can give.
In terms of trying to find more money to bring back coveted
players, searching the current roster for funds is always the path. With the
decreased performance of Brandin Cooks, you would have to believe they will try
and get out from under his massive deal. Unfortunately, Cooks dead cap may
preclude this from happening. His current 21.8 million dead cap hit wouldn’t
provide any relief to the Rams. They could however wait and designate his
release to post June 1st, which would drop that marker to only 8
million in dead funds – but that wouldn’t help in resigning their current team
free agents.
Continuing down this path, not exercising the club option on
Robey-Coleman could be a formality as he would be due 4.5 million. That all
would be cost savings for the Rams and we should see them move on. Robert Woods
is another player that could see the ax as his 9.1 million cap hit holds a
smaller 4.3 in dead money. While we don’t see this happening, it will be an
option for L.A to consider. Staying the course with top talent, is there a
possibility to witness Todd Gurley hit the street? His 17.2 million is eating
up 8.32% of the team’s current cap and is a problem with injury concerns. If
cut, the Rams would save nearly five million but would eat a massive 12.6 in
dead funds.
While we don’t see Gurley or Woods being cut off this roster, we
must illustrate the troubles the Rams have put themselves in and players that
could be out the door this off-season. A very difficult job is on the docket for
general manager Les Snead.
The NFL Draft
Amidst all the issues in trying to find a way to re-up the talent
which may depart from the roster, the Rams find themselves in a less
advantageous situation in the NFL draft. Holding six picks in this year’s
draft, L.A will be without their first-round selection as that was given to the
Jaguars in the Jalen Ramsey deal. As of today, the Rams have no first and an
extra third rounder sitting on their board.
Coming up to draft day, the Rams will likely miss out on the top
end talent but could find good fortune with three picks in the range of 52 to
104. If the notion becomes fact and Fowler and Brockers find their way to the
open market, we could see the Rams use pick 52 to address the defensive line.
Adding more pass rushing assistance will go a long way to keep Donald from seeing
double and triple teams in 2020.
With that, we also wouldn’t be shocked to witness the majority of
this draft class being used on the defensive side to supplant the potential
losses of Littleton while adding to the defensive back core. Is it out of the
question to see Woods or Cooks released to save funds and bring back Brockers
while drafting a wide receiver from this stacked crop? That could also be on
the table and one situation we are watching close.
Nevertheless, its hard to envision the Rams being much better in
2020 if they don’t hit the jackpot on most of their picks in this draft. Coach
McVay will have to pull out all the stops to get this team to 2018 levels.
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