5 reasons why LA Rams will overcome odds and return to playoffs

V- Rams added players to the 2020 roster who fit the new game plan

The most prominent fault of the Rams 2019 season was something nobody discussed at all until now. The Rams injuries in 2019 were widespread and impacted a huge number of starters for the team on both offense and defense.  While the focus of the sports world fixated on the numerous injuries to the Rams offensive line, the Rams had to endure minor injuries to wide receiver Brandin Cooks, as well as to running backs Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown.

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On defense, the team was hit hard too. Safety John Johnson’s season ended due to injury, forcing an emergency promotion of rookie safety Taylor Rapp. CB Aqib Talib fell to injury, which forced the team to promote cornerback Troy Hill. Then a series of trades which forced the Rams defensive backfield to undergo a complete facelift in mid-season. The team traded away CB Aqib Talib (injured reserve) and CB Marcus Peters, eventually adding CB Jalen Ramsey. That did not happen during training camp, nor offseason, but rather in the midst of the season. Even newly acquired cornerback Jalen Ramsey fell to injury in 2019.

The same hot-swap happened on the offensive line in mid-season as well. The Rams injuries were too numerous to repair strategically. Ultimately, the patched-up offensive line became a series of swapping players until OL Coach Aaron Kromer found five players who seemed to gel together.  In mid-season, that is awfully hard to do.

But the adversity of 2019 has become the plans for the 2020 roster. The LA Rams have emphasized versatility for players selected in the 2020 NFL Draft. The team learned the hard way that players get injured, and the most successful teams have accounted for injuries in their plans.  New defensive backs, offensive linemen, and more have the “multi-role” background so important to the team’s 2020 philosophy. The Rams learned important lessons in 2019, and have added the personnel to resolve those issues.