7 LA Rams players who must step up this season

NFL plan of succession

So now the Rams juggernaut of ever improving success hits a hard snag.  The only way to overcome the decline resulting from losing so many free agents in 2020 is to find players who can fill the void.  We examined what that might look like by examining the 2020 NFL Draft mock 2.0, where the Rams attempt to fill vacancies caused by an inability to re-sign any free agents this off-season.

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While that is most certainly a worst case scenario for the Los Angeles Rams, that mock draft proves that there is plenty of promising talent to yield some potential starters next year.  Still, a team failing to plan for losing players to expensive new contracts has failed in several ways. From the moment a player earns the starting role, the front office and coaching staff must prepare for the next player to step up.

A more likely scenario for a bad 2020 free agency outcome would be promoting existing players to starting roles, and drafting players to compete for playing time.  In that scenario, the Rams enter training camp knowing who they will depend on through the season. It also adds a bit of competition to the off-season, as rookies will still have the opportunity to win a starting role by outplaying and usurping the veteran projected in that role.