Can NFL teams replicate the LA Rams formula? It’s just not that simple

It don’t come easy

All told, the LA Rams made one blockbuster trade, yes?  Well, no. That is only how it all began. But it was not about one move. The LA Rams front office, with general manager Les Snead, orchestrated an entire season of roster transactions that rivaled the scores of some of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras.

The team outright released WR DeSean Jackson, who was unhappy with getting so few targets. That opened up opportunities for younger receivers. The team traded ILB Kenny Young to the Denver Broncos. That trade created a void in the heart of the defense for rookie Ernest Jones. With each roster roadblock, Snead and his staff already had a detour mapped out.  Perhaps the greatest display of just how incredible the LA Rams front office truly performs was their batch signings of nine players when the team was decimated by a COVID-19 outbreak.

A sense of urgency

The LA Rams did not make one trade, signing, or reworked contract that made the difference throughout the 2021 NFL Season. Ultimately, the organization managed to become the NFL Champions thanks to all of the trades, signings, and contract work throughout the entire season. The team was never settled, suffering numerous injuries that nobody talks about. Enduring a COVID-19 outbreak that would have, should have, led to a number of crippling losses at the worst part of the season.

Instead, the entire organization operated on DEFCON 4 all season long. The team expressed a sense of urgency at the opening of their training camp that seemed to be their mantra all season long. It was as though the Rams’ expression of vigilance to open their season served to attract a host of challenges to the team as some sort of gauntlet or right-of-passage.  The team won games through sheer grit and determination.  That experience can be very difficult to replicate.