LA Rams: 5 ways Matthew Stafford set up to succeed this season

Method I: Offensive weapons

What was left for the LA Rams to do in the offseason? After all, Stafford arrived at a team that had four running backs, four tight ends, and six wide receivers. So what did the LA Rams do in terms of offensive weapons? The team merely filled up the roster with new offensive weapons, that’s all. That includes adding a new rookie running back in the draft, a new rookie tight end in the draft, and five new wide receivers: One via free agency, two via the draft, and two undrafted free agents signed after the draft.

The Rams are, in fact, so loaded on offense that the team will be forced to cut players who will most certainly be signed on elsewhere. In the NFL Free Agency market, the Rams said farewell to tight end Gerald Everett, running back Malcolm Brown, and wide receiver Josh Reynolds. The Rams have replaced them with tight end Jacob Harris, running back Jake Funk, and wide receiver Ben Skowronek.

That leaves veteran DeSean Jackson to likely bump wide receiver Trishton Jackson, and wide receiver Tutu Atwell to bump WR/KR Nsimba Webster as the two most likely changes to the Rams 53-man roster for 2021. Of course, if the Rams carry one fewer running back or offensive lineman, that could open up an additional roster spot for the Rams offensive weapons to increase their number on the roster.

The team entered the 2021 NFL Draft without any need for more offensive weapons, and yet the team converted four of nine draft picks into rookies who will give Stafford more to work with on offense. While the driving force behind all of this was clearly head coach Sean McVay’s vision of the path to restoring the high-scoring offensive potency, the personnel department obviously agreed that those roles were lacking on the pre-draft roster.

In the end, new quarterback Matthew Stafford has a great number of offensive weapons at his disposal. But then again, so does offensively-minded head coach Sean McVay. Coincidence? Well, if you believe this was all random, you clearly have not been following the Rams draft strategies over the past five years.