Snead steers some smart Rams roster moves as the team prepares for the playoffs

The Los Angeles Rams front office is not perfect by any means. But nobody, or department, is perfect in the NFL. After all, the complexity of the tasks that confront Rams GM Les Snead on a daily basis could overwhelm most people. Yet he must remain stoic, objective, and insightful on a 24 by 7 by 365 basis. When you think it's time to relax, some new injury or deadline forces him to burn the midnight oil once more.

He must remain more than vigilant. He must be prepared for anything at any time. That level of performance leaves room for error. The thing is, Les Snead and the Rams front office gets it right far more often than not. And with the team once again preparing to compete in the 2025 NFL Playoffs, I think its time to give Snead and company a quick but robust round of applause.

The team has an uncanny knack for finding the right diamonds in the rough to fit the team's offensive or defensive scheme and deliver on game day. Currrently, the Rams starting center was selected in Round 6 of the 2024 NFL Draft (Beaux Limmer). The team's best receiver was selected in Round 5 of the 2023 NFL Draft (Puka Nacua). And the team's featured running back was selected in Round 5 of the 2022 NFL Draft (Kyren Williams).

But they do not simply find gems for the offensive side of the football. The team's pair of starting inside linebackers - Christian Rozeboom and Omar Speights - never heard their names called out in an NFL Draft. Rookie defensive back Jaylen McCollough leads the team with four interceptions, despite only starting a single game and competing in 335 defensive snaps.

Right moves for the Rams roster once more

The Rams roster is a complex tapestry of veterans and rookies, physicality and ingenuity, a choreographed group of football players who are peaking at the right time of the season. And yet, the team continues to parlay veteran players into the roster at just the right time to make a difference.

When the LA Rams won four successive games in the postseason to win Super Bowl LVI, the team did so by luring veteran defensive back Eric Weddle out of his two-year retirement. Paired with the hard-hitting Nick Scott, the Rams secondary was more than a match for some of the best offenses in the NFL.

Does history repeat itself? As the Rams finish the 2024 NFL season, they have restored veteran defensive back John Johnson III from IR. Of course, the Rams secondary is not depleted by injuries. But there is a sense that JJIII, having been quite active in the Rams secondary in the past, will fold into a leadership role for the team in the 2025 NFL Playoffs. Whether or not that comes to pass, it's certainly worth a shot

I had already touched on why re-signing veteran running back Royce Freeman is a step in the right direction for the team. Freeman does not fit the mold of all the other Rams running backs. He is a burly powerhouse who can find the holes or simply make holes on his own. His style of power piston running adds a new and dangerous dimension to an offense that is quite good at what it does but limited in the variety of ways it can deliver.

The Rams roster is not bursting with All-Pros this year. But this is a team that has a way of fighting tooth and nail to win a football game. Two more veterans are joining them. I like where this is going.

As always, thanks for reading.

More Rams News, Rumors, and Analysis