What the LA Rams didn’t show in the season opener

As we all tuned in to see the LA Rams, we were all eager to witness what would be the result of the offseason additions, draft, and promotions. It’s always a time filled with hopeful optimism, fed by years of the team’s personnel department finding the gems late in the draft, after the draft, and in the NFL Free Agency market. But this isn’t a case of impulse shopping. The LA Rams do not just add players in the offseason, shake things up at training camp, and wait to see which players rise to the top.

Oh no, this team plays chess while some other teams play checkers. The multi-year process of building the LA Rams roster begins not just at the draft, but in the undrafted free agents signed afterward. The team seeks out the player who exhibits incredible athleticism, like defensive lineman Michael Hoecht signed in 2020. Or to grab a player whose body of work far exceeded their Pro Day measured performance, like offensive lineman AJ Jackson.

So where are we going with this? Well, if you were all set to see some of the new faces added to this team playing heroics for the Rams offense on week one, you are likely a bit disappointed this week.  There was no Tutu Atwell in the opener. In fact, the Rams pretty much stuck with familiar faces in the season opener.

So what are the chances for new blood in week two? Will the LA Rams sit on their laurels and simply wash rinse repeat the same offensive strategy with the same personnel packages and the same players? I don’t suspect that is likely. The Rams’ week one strategy was cobbled together out of the need to face one of their more difficult defensive opponents while entering the game a bit short-handed in terms of preparedness of some of the recently arrived players. So what is in store this week?