Are LA Rams GM Les Snead and HC Sean McVay still on the same page?

The LA Rams are emerging from their Week 6 BYE with a record of 1-4. But a recent discussion with Rams Head Coach Sean McVay could give the impression that this team is just one or two plays per game away from a 4-1 record at this point in the season. That seems ridiculously optimistic based on what I've seen from this team so far, but let's go with that sentiment for now.

If the Rams are indeed better than their record, than the belief is that this team is not just capable of success, but long overdue for some. We know that bad bounces in the NFL in one game can quickly reverse course into good bounces in another game. The expectation is that, much like controversial calls by officials, the Rams will end the season with everything balancing out.

Still, there is the everlasting debate in the NFL between potential and production. Potential is the responsibility of an NFL team's front office, and has to do with the ceiling of the team's roster. Production is the responsibility of the coaching staff, and has everything to do with what happens on the football field throughout the course of the season.

If potential fails to translate into production, ultimately jobs are lost and new personnel are hired.

While there is little chance of the LA Rams making sweeping changes to the coaching staff, there seems to be evidence of a disconnect between the offseason strategy to building an optimal roster

I love the confidence shown by HC Sean McVay in his players. But I have to admit, there are plenty of facepalms when either an unexpected injury or trade forces backups into starting roles. In those circumstances, I believe that the situation calls for modifying the game plan to give those backups enough help to gain confidence as a beachhead in games when they are starting for the first time.

Whether that means big blocker-gobbler defensive tackles to shelter suspect inside linebackers, huge tight ends to aid backup offensive tackles, or simply a rapidly rotating offensive backfield to pound the rock and take pressure off the team's passing game and defense, I'm all for it.

Rams roster does not match the playbook

The LA Rams offseason strategy is clearly not optimal when considering the teams first five games. Despite the team's interest in focusing on tight ends and running backs for the 2024 NFL season, the team has persisted in sticking with their base 11 personnel on offense. That defies all common sense, particularly in the face of the team's injuries this season.

The team lost WR Puka Nacua in Week 1. The team lost WR Cooper Kupp in Week 2. However you grade them in terms of offensive usage, it's clear that the offense played most of their games before the Week 6 BYE with a depleted wide receiver room. And yet, the team only used 12 personnel in Week 3, the lone victory for the season. In all other games, the team stuck with 11-personnel.

Making the team's disinterest in going with two tight ends is the fact that both offensive tackles were unable to suit up until Week 3. And yet, the team left backup offensive tackles alone on islands against some of the fiercest pass rushers in the league. Is it any wonder that wide receivers, tasked with blocking on par with much larger tight ends, burned out so quickly?

The Rams active roster has three tight ends, four running backs, and six wide receivers on the roster. Per Lineup.com, the first five games so far have distributed offensive snaps as follows:

• 4 Running backs (31 percent) - 327 offensive snaps (20 percent)
• 3 Tight ends (23 percent) - 362 offensive snaps (22 percent)
• 6 Wide receivers (46 percent) - 946 offensive snaps (58 percent)
• Total offensive snaps for skill players - 1635 offensive snaps

The table above illustrates my point. Ignore injuries. Ignore quality of backups on the roster. The front office loaded the Rams roster with nearly one-third offensive skill players in the running back room, only to get 20 percent of the offensive snaps from that group. And while the team seems to have matched the skill players in the tight end room to the current usage rate, that masks a far greater problem. The team's OT injuries should have amplified the use of tight ends significantly.

But as you can see, the Rams altered nothing.

And the team is carrying one TE on the IR/PUP list (starting TE Tyler Higbee). Beyond that, the team is carrying two more tight ends on the practice squad. And then there was the 2024 NFL Draft, and the revelation that Jared Verse was not the team's first choice in Round 1.

Imagine the debacle so far this season if the team had drafted TE Brock Bowers. Would the team carry four tight ends and four running backs on the roster? The scenario is believable, if unlikely.

What were Rams thinking?

The LA Rams front office and coaching staff have typically been remarkably aligned. GM Les Snead is the epitome of great front office management from the perspective of ensuring that the team is given the best fit at a moment's notice to ensure that the roster matches the whims and wishes of the coaching staff.

The problem of the front office no longer aligning with the gameday strategy of the coaching staff seems to be growing.

That is not to say that the team has always synched up roster construction with the on-field usage. The team had consistently added one large running back to ensure an option for tough short-yardage scenarios in the past. But the team failed to use those big running backs like Malcolm Brown, Sony Michel, or Royce Freeman. And so, the team jettisoned those players after limited use.

This team had invested significant value (Round 2 in the 2021 NFL Draft, 57th overall) in selecting speedy WR Tutu Atwell. Now in his fourth season, Atwell has accumulated 1,182 offensive snaps. Despite playing just one game in 2024, WR Puka Nacua has already accumulated 1,025 offensive snaps.

The LA Rams invested significant value (Round 3 in the 2024 NFL Draft, 84th overall) in selecting RB Blake Corum. Thought to be on par with RB Kyren Williams, the rookie has seen action in just 19 offensive snaps in five games. I don't think the lack of usage for either Atwell or Corum has anything to do with the player's fit or ability to compete. When they do see action, both players are every bit as productive as their more veteran teammates.

For whatever reason, the team has mothballed them.

I'm not trying to profess greater understanding of the team than the coaching staff. I'm simply pointing to the fact that the team is not getting full value out of the players on the roster in the present.

The LA Rams defense is struggling. But the underlying problem right now is the offense. The team is dedicating nearly 80 percent of the payroll to the offensive side of the football. But the team is not getting nearly that level of value out of that group. And it is not all about injuries. The offense has the potential to keep players rested, showcase some underused talent, and even add a bit of future development into the routine.

So it's probably true that the team is better than a 1-4 team. But unless this coaching staff and front office do a better job of aligning the potential with the production, little will change.

As always, thanks for reading.

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