The Los Angeles Rams rebuilding project, aside from signing Andrew Whitworth, didn’t turn a lot of heads.
There could be a reason for that, according to a recent MMQB 10 Things podcast.
Podcast hosts Andy Benoit and Gary Gramling say the Rams tipped their hand about 2017 when they failed to go after a big-name free-agent wide receiver.
“The fact that they didn’t go after (Alshon Jeffery, Terrelle Pryor or DeSean Jackson) , that tells you that maybe they’re taking the long view on this, that maybe they’re even saying, ‘We don’t know who’s going to be on this team after this year,'” Benoit said. “Before we sign anybody to any big-time money, let’s see what we’ve got and what we can keep for 2018 because we’re going to want to build around that.”
It’s prudent for the Rams rebuilding effort to take a wait-and-see approach because it takes some pressure off second-year quarterback Jared Goff to try to do a 180-degree turnaround and become a prolific passer in 2017. He still doesn’t have the premier weapons to light up the scoreboard, and coach Sean McVay can ease him into the system without asking him to do too much too soon.
However, Los Angeles also would be flirting with two issues by putting off its makeover until 2018. Running back Todd Gurley has to recapture that elusive running style that helped him earn four consecutive 100-yard rushing games in 2015 as he was coming off a torn ACL.
If the Rams don’t figure out a way to get some production from their passing attack, he could be stuck trying to find any daylight, as he was for most of 2016. Benoit said that the offensive line’s issues early created indecision in Gurley that manifested itself as the season went on. It was Gurley who was becoming as much to blame as the line for his lack of production later in the year.
Second, the Rams would be one year closer to having to decide what to do with defensive tackle Aaron Donald. The two-time Pro Bowler’s rookie contract expires in 2018, and Los Angeles will have to make him one of the highest-paid—if not the highest-paid—defensive linemen in the NFL or let him leave in 2019 via free agency.
The Rams defense is pretty good right now, but with several defensive players having contracts set to expire, it may look vastly different by the time the coaching staff finds what it needs offensively.
If the Rams rebuilding doesn’t get serious until 2018, the front office and coaching staff better have a plan in place on how to maintain the team’s strengths during the transition.
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