LA Rams News: 2020 or bust for 5 defenders

5 LA Rams defensive players must perform well in 2020 or face finding a new team

The LA Rams are all about winning now. Not tomorrow. Not down the road. Now. That’s life in professional football. You see, life comes at you fast when you are in the NFL. So it should come as no surprise that the clock is ticking for these five defensive players to show up in a big way in 2020. You either show-up or go home culture in professional football.  And teams have become far more impatient over the years.  The average shelf life for an NFL head coach is decreasing rapidly. So too are the careers of NFL general managers. So with shorter careers at the top, there is ever-increasing pressure to deliver as a player.

The Rams are a bit to blame for that pace. After all, it was just two seasons for the Rams to land in the Super Bowl after hiring on head coach Sean McVay.  To many, that feat came after many years at the helm of a team. And if it only required two seasons for McVay to get there, how much patience do you truly expect to occur to see him return?

Prove it time

The NFL has committed to veterans in a sort of “prove it” mentality as more and more teams are embracing one-year contracts. While that offers virtually no long-term financial security for a player, nor long term players for teams, it does give both sides an opportunity for a short term trial-run to explore how well the team and player fit each other’s expectations. The pressure is overwhelming, and the only way to salvage careers is to give both the player and the team trial periods to see how well their chemistry works.

Unfortunately, the team is facing a fork in the road with some players. An NFL team is very competitive, both for playing time and for salary dollars.  Sometimes players underperform, and other times the math simply doesn’t work out for the role on the team any longer.  So these five LA Rams players must either prove their worth or pack their bags. It’s that simple.  First on the ejector seat?  Defensive tackle Greg Gaines.