LA Rams new strategy may be unusual for the team, but I like where this is going

The LA Rams are certainly not a football team that can be pigeonholed into loading up the roster in the same way each season. For GM Les Snead, the resources at his disposal are like a contractor's toolbox. Whether the scenario calls for a blockbuster trade, a trade for an out-of-favor veteran languishing on another NFL team roster, signing a free agent, signing a player on a practice squad, or a college free agent after the NFL draft, or even using draft picks to select players . . . well, get the picture. Every tool fits the right job. And Snead seems to have an instinctive recognition of which method will yield the best results for the Rams roster.

And the results have been very impressive.

And after exhausting NFL trading to the point that there are few bargains left to be fount, Snead did not pout or strop trying. In typical Snead fashion, he simply pivoted to other methods of roster building that still had intrinsic value for the team. Even as the Carolina Panthers rejected not one, but two trade offers form the Rams for either RB Christian McCaffrey or DE Brian Burns, the team had already begun to pay close attention to the NFL Draft.

While RB Kyren WIlliams would not star in the offense in 2022, the Round 5 selection from the 2022 NFL Draft would star in the offense in 2023. The team found a few more stars in that 2023 NFL Draft, loading up on IOL Steve Avila, OLB Byron Young, NT Kobie Turner, and WR Puka Nacua.

In less than a year's time, the team had drafted the equivalent of RB Christian McCaffrey and DE Brian Burns in RB Kyren Williams and OLB Byron Young. Now keep in mind that I said the 'equivalent' and did so for good reason. Both McCaffrey and Burns had plenty of NFL experience under their belts by the time that the Rams made offers for them. But the impact of their performances in 2023, the first year that the team might have enjoyed the benefits of either player, were nearly replicated by younger players.

And at a much less expensive hit to the salary cap.

Buoyed with the confidence of their previous two draft successes, the team turned to the 2024 NFL Draft and loaded up with 10 rookies. And with almost no exception, those rookies all appear to be capable of not only earning a slot on the team's 53-man roster, but in making positive contributions to the success of the team in their first NFL season.

It's unusual for a team with sights set on competing in the upcoming Super Bowl to embrace so many young players. But the team turned their fortunes around in 2023 based on the resolve and passion of young players. So why not try more of the same?

Football may be a professional sport. But it is fundamentally just a game. Right now, the Rams roster is loading up with players who simply love to play the game. And, it's working.

Thanks for reading.