NFL analyst says Rams pulled off one of the hardest things to do in professional sports

ESPN’s Mina Kimes explains why the Rams have a top front office in the NFL

One of the hardest things to do in the NFL and professional sports in general is understanding the championship window and when it’s time to move on. It may be easier to move on if you’ve already won. That was exactly the case for the Los Angeles Rams when they hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in 2021. For other teams, it’s very difficult to find that balance in holding out for another championship and forcing that window to stay open and eventually ripping off the band-aid and moving on to a different core group of players.

The Golden State Warriors in the NBA have been in this boat as they try to get one more championship with Steph Curry and Draymond Green at the core. While they moved on from Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala, they moved forward with one foot in the present and the other building for the future.

It’s not easy to live in two different realities and that’s especially the case in professional sports which tends to reward committing to one or the other.

This is now the world that the Rams also live in. They did the “F Them Picks” strategy with a stars and scrubs roster build. By giving up that much draft capital, the bill was supposed to come due. It was a roster that was supposed to bottom out once they couldn’t afford players like Jalen Ramsey and Leonard Floyd. Once Aaron Donald retired, there was supposed to be another step back as it’s impossible to replace one of the greatest players of all time.

However, the Rams didn’t just survive that test, but they remained competitive and have missed the postseason just once since making the Super Bowl. ESPN’s Mina Kimes explained this and how impressive it was in a podcast ranking the best NFL front offices. Said Kimes,

“Do you remember the two-track thing with the Warriors where they were like, we’re both playing for the present, but also building for the future at once? It was like a stated strategy…“the point is, this idea that a team can both be all-in with older players, but then also rebuilding at the same time with younger players. The Rams did it. It’s so hard to do. And the Rams did it. And you have to give Les Snead all the credit in the world. The fact that they did ‘F Them Picks’, won a Super Bowl, and then immediately became competitive again, through, in part, the strength of their draft picks is unbelievable. Just the last two years – Steve Avila, Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Puka Nacua. This last year – Jared Verse, Braden Fisk, Kam Kinchens…The defense post-Aaron Donald was supposed to go off of a cliff. The fact that it didn’t is Les Snead’s like masterclass to me.”

Again, following the “F Them Picks” model, the Rams’ bill was supposed to come due. That bill did come due in 2023 when the Rams re-tooled their roster. However, general manager Les Snead navigated that better than any other general manager would have. The Rams moved on from players like Jalen Ramsey and Leonard Floyd while eating nearly $75 million in dead money.

By adding talent in the draft that could contribute right away, Snead was able to offset that large amount of dead money. The important part here is that it wasn’t just young talent, but cheap talent. Puka Nacua has become a pillar for the Rams to build around. The same can be said about Kobie Turner. Players like Byron Young and Steve Avila have been solid starting-level players.

When Aaron Donald retired, the Rams defense was supposed to fall off of a cliff. Instead, with a new defensive coordinator, the Rams defense ranked 10th in EPA per play from Weeks 7-17 last season. There was always going to be an adjustment period, but after the bye week, the Rams were a top-10 defense.

Of course, it helped that the Rams drafted the Defensive Rookie of the Year in Jared Verse and his teammate at Florida State in Braden Fiske.

The Rams took the “Moneyball” approach when it came to Donald. No matter who they signed or who they drafted was going to replace Donald. Those were impossible shoes to fill. Instead, the Rams recreated Donald in the aggregate with five top-100 picks, capped off by a star player in Verse.

Snead deserves a lot of credit for navigating the post-2022 Rams. A lot of teams would have tried to hang on with the older core of players or blown it up and entered a multi-year rebuild. The Rams could have traded Matthew Stafford, but opted not to. They have kept one foot in both lanes and that remains the case as they have two first round picks in next-year’s draft.

The last two draft classes from Snead have been franchise altering. With average-to-below-average draft classes, the Rams are likely entering an actual rebuild. Instead, they are entering another small championship window with a new core group of players. The pillars that were Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Aaron Donald have evolved to Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, and Jared Verse.

It’s how Snead and the Rams navigated that trial that make them one of the best front offices in the NFL. It’s why teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions who have struggled to find consistency for years have poached from their system.

Even if the Rams don’t get another championship with Stafford at quarterback, how Snead and co. were able to navigate 2023 and 2024 will remain impressive. It’s why they’ll continue to remain a perennial contender even after Stafford retires.