LA Rams Sean McVay-Jay Gruden combination is huge for NFL

Gruden can help the Rams make tough decisions

Well, the LA Rams organization is stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. Roster cuts are coming, and the Rams must send 27 young men packing, only to pick up the phone one day later and offer to re-sign 16 of those players back to the practice squad.

The Rams are deeply talented at defensive back and wide receiver. But does that abundance of talent compel the team to load up the roster with players who may not even take the field this year? What of the positions where the depth is more shallow, or the talent level is not nearly as robust?

Should the Rams choose to go right to the edge of disaster by shorting the roster there, just to retain talent upon talent elsewhere?

Not-so-easy decisions ahead

For fans, these decisions are easy to do. Depending on the day or the latest performance that is reported, opinions can take the direction of whichever way the wind blows. But for any NFL team, the deliberation and discussions that lead to those final roster cuts are fraught with uncertainty. Teams must consider the immediate ability to perform, the potential development of younger players over the course of the season, the degradation of older veterans, and finally, the sequencing of existing contracts.

Take the challenge of drafting a fantasy football team and trying to stagger the impact of the NFL BYE week on your roster. Now, multiply that by 53, and you begin to approach the complications involved with resetting the roster.

In almost any non-football industry, the title of a consultant is a hired gun who is brought in to help a business develop new lines or to reduce staff by observing excesses and duplication. In this case, Gruden is likely tasked with both.