Rams trending towards another 2022

3 reasons that 2024 is more encouraging and more discouraging than 2022

Two years ago, the Rams went 5-12 and were outscored by 77 points as they averaged 18.1 points per game and 22.6 points per game allowed.

After losing to the Eagles on Sunday, the Rams dropped to 5-6 and have been outscored by 43 points — the fourth largest deficit in the NFC — while averaging 21.2 points per game on offense and allowing 25.1 points on defense.

The Rams should end up winning more than 5 games, but by almost any other measure they’re trending towards a worse season than the disaster that was 2022. What can be done about it now and what ramifications would another “2022” have on the team next year?

In these ways, 2024 has been more discouraging than 2022:

• 2022 was ravaged by injuries
• Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp are 2 years older; Aaron Donald isn’t coming back
• Missed free agent swings could cost Rams valuable 2025 cap space

There have been injuries to both receivers and the offensive line, but L.A.’s issues aren’t comparable to 2022’s slate of starters on IR and every team loses players like Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp during the season; the Eagles didn’t miss a beat without DeVonta Smith.

Two years ago, the front office knew that Stafford, Kupp, and Donald would return in 2023. That’s not necessarily the case in 2025. Parting ways with Stafford and Kupp feels inevitable if the Rams know that a reset is necessary should they miss the playoffs.

Unfortunately signings like Jonah Jackson, Colby Parkinson, and Darious Williams could be short-lived and eat up valuable 2025 cap space in dead money.

Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images

In these ways, 2024 is MORE encouraging than 2022:

• This time the Rams will be forced to accept a reset
• The CORE of the team is better, younger, and cheaper
• Les Snead will be forced to take fewer big swings on over-the-hill veterans

The Rams were bold in trading for Stafford and Von Miller in 2021, as well as signing Odell Beckham, Jr., and it worked out amazingly for that team. However, Snead should have been even bolder in 2022 and started the reset then instead of extending Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Aaron Donald to bloated contracts.

What Snead did instead was overpay players who were past their primes and then go a step further by overpaying Bobby Wagner and Allen Robinson.

The Rams should have accepted that they probably weren’t going to win the Super Bowl two years in a row and started to ship out older players for younger ones, which potentially could have resulted in the team recouping some of that draft value they lost in their previous trades.

Of course, 2023 was Snead’s best offseason in years — since 2017 probably — and that was because the team was forced to sit back and watch free agency unfold without any involvement. Bargains paid off and the Rams made the playoffs at 10-7.

Unfortunately, that tricked the Rams into thinking that Jackson, Parkinson, and Tre’Davious White would be good signings to put the team over the top.

If what happens is that the Rams go 7-10 and then decide to part with players over 30, it’s not the worst thing that could happen:

• Build around Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, Kobie Turner, and Byron Young. The defensive line is better now than any group (other than receiver) that the team had in 2022 or 2023.
• Cut ties with veterans who don’t fit into the 2026 — 2 years from now — plans. Stafford, Kupp, Rob Havenstein, Tyler Higbee, Darious Williams. It’s just business.
• Don’t be in a rush to spend the newfound salary cap wealth. If a premier offensive tackle or cornerback or linebacker or some other player becomes available, and he’s not at the end of his career, sure go for it. But there’s no more reason to be looking at the Tre White’s of free agency.
• Draft one of the core positions in the first round: Offensive Tackle, Edge Rusher, or Quarterback. Anything else is a luxury pick that teams like the Rams can’t afford to waste a first rounder on while they have needs at premium positions.

What happens next?

It’s no surprise that the Rams aren’t as good as the Eagles, as Philadelphia showed why they’re once again contenders to win the Super Bowl.

However, they play the Saints, Bills, 49ers, and Jets in the next four weeks. That’s three beatable teams and the Bills. Buffalo is a home game so who knows if maybe Josh Allen will be off his game.

The Rams should probably still fit into the 7-10 to 9-8 final record range. That’s probably going to keep them out of the playoffs and out of the top-10 in the draft.

But if making the playoffs in 2023 caused L.A. to overestimate how good the team actually is, then maybe not making the playoffs is what causes the Rams to realize how badly they need a reset.