What should we expect from the 2023 LA Rams?
What should we expect from the 2023 Los Angeles Rams? Quite the question to answer leading up into the 2023 NFL Draft. Depending on who you ask, the answer sways between a team that is tanking to a clear cut playoff team and honestly… both sides have great arguments.
I myself find am somewhere in the middle. I don’t think that the Rams will be so bad they end up picking in the top 10 of the 2024 NFL Draft, but I also don’t think that you’re spending money wisely if you were to place a large wager on the Rams winning it all this year.
The 2023 LA Rams could likely be an overall pretty forgettable team. That’s not necessarily a bad thing even when looking at this era that we are still in. The 2019 and 2020 Rams teams had their place in this little mini dynasty that the Rams have created since returning to LA. Even though both of those seasons might not be years that we hold dearly as far as their place in team history, they were still before the Rams were able to knock off the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. They still have their place in this era.
The Rams are coming off a 5 win season so the 2022 Rams are already one that we’d all likely rather forget. Coming off of that kind of season with the salary cap situation not only being considered for 2023, but for years to come, the Rams had a few decisions. They could go all in again and try to maneuver around the cap again and try to win another ring. Or.. take a step back for one year, take a cap hit in preparation for a large clearing next offseason, and unload some expensive pieces and develop young talent. The team chose the latter and left fans using words like “tank” and saying “if we are only going to win 5 or 6 games, might as well just lose more to get Caleb Williams.” Which I guess I understand, but wholeheartedly disagree.
"You play to win the game.”
Although I know a lot of fan overlap means a good percentage of Rams fans would be thrilled at the opportunity to bring in QB Caleb Williams to take over after Stafford, every draft pick from number one overall to Mr. Irrelevant, nothing is guaranteed. This does include Caleb Williams, who in fairness, I really like. Williams might not translate into the NFL game. For any number of reasons. Pointing that out is not me saying that’s what I expect to happen, but to say that he is 100% a lock to be super sick in the NFL is just not true.
The people who believe the Rams are in a position to be absolutely terrible and will be in first overall pick conversation, who we will refer to as “Group A”, do have a point when you consider the Rams had a 5 win season and then lost a bunch of super star talent on defense. The Rams had trouble between the 20s last season and now will see Robert Rochell as the most experienced cornerback on the roster. The team also has Shaun Jolly, Derion Kendrick, and Cobie Durant. In the secondary, Jordan Fuller is the clear cut leader of the unit as he was wearing the “C” on his jersey before Bobby Wagner arrived last season. The Rams also lost multiple others in the front 7 like Leonard Floyd, Greg Gaines, and A’Shawn Robinson. The Raheem Morris ‘Bend, Don’t Break’ defense feels like it’s in need of an absolute breakout by a few guys, or one of those Aaron Donald seasons we tell our grandkids about.
The reason I’m not on board with Group A people is the Rams offense (and the existence of Aaron Donald). The Rams offense last season took so many hits when it comes to injuries. The Rams started 4 different quarterbacks which will forever include Baker Mayfield which will probably one day turn into some crazy trivia question like “Who was the quarterback for the Rams first ever Christmas Day game?” It’s truly incredible. The insane injuries along the offensive line (except for the immortal Rob Havenstein) and also at wide receiver where the Rams lost 3 of their top 4 targets due to injury following an offseason where both OBJ and Robert Woods left. I’ve said it before, but I really don’t think there’s a team in the league that could overcome the offensive injuries the Rams did last season. For a team that has seen extremely good luck in the injury department since returning to Los Angeles, it kind of just felt like the law of averages took over.
For that reason, I think I’m leaning more on the side that the 2023 Rams could be headed for the postseason. Hear me out. It’s extremely unlikely (though not impossible) the Rams deal with the same intensity of injuries for the second straight year. We could see yet another season where Matthew Stafford to Cooper Kupp absolutely dominates fantasy leagues. We could see Aaron Donald do what he was sent to earth to do (he’s a space robot, I’m fully convinced) and wreck the souls of quarterbacks around the NFL. We could see Jordan Fuller take the next step into being an elite safety. We could see Cobie Durant build on an awesome rookie season and break out as one of the top corners in the league. I’m not saying that this is necessarily my prediction, but my optimistic view on this team tells me that all of these things are certainly not impossible, no matter the actual likelihood of these things happening, it’s certainly not at 0%.
We can look at the current situation and be sad that we’ve lost some of our favorite players and it looks like the bill came due for our Super Bowl ring, but what does it hurt to be hopeful that the next break out star could be in our building or part of our draft class? What if Daniel Hardy or Jake Hummel have seasons that earn them Pro Bowl bids and big pay days? What if the Rams draft a running back who ends up breaking team records? What if Cobie Durant and Derion Kendrick become the next sick cornerback duo? What if Ben Skowronek breaks out and goes for 1300 yards or Allen Robinson and Matthew Stafford finally ‘click’? Again, I’m not saying I think all of these things are going to happen. Maybe none of them do, maybe all of them do. Maybe you agree or maybe you’re sitting there thinking that I’m not being ‘realistic’ and maybe not. Maybe the Rams fan in me sees a way that this team could pull off something really cool but from all other perspectives, I’m basically an idiot and I’ve got my Royal and Sol colored glasses on.
Which brings me to ‘Group B’. The group that I probably lean more towards, if for no other reason than I tend to be more optimistic. This group believes that 2022 was a bit of a fluke and the team got too high on themselves after winning the Super Bowl, McVay included, and just didn’t have the same fire and now that they’ve returned to reality after winning just 5 games, this team is in position to strike once again.
While the arguments that I made about the Rams offense are very in line with the arguments of Group B-ers, I’d also like to reiterate my understanding that maybe not all, if any, of those things actually happen. That’s where my personal ‘realism’ comes in. Letting go of the idea that the Rams are somehow special and deserve to be better than everyone else because they are the Rams. Some fans do sit on this side and I’d never try to change anyone’s level or view of fandom, I have difficulty relating to the mindset.
It would not absolutely blow my mind off if the Rams were to win the Super Bowl this year. Why? Because Matthew Stafford to Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald on defense with Sean McVay calling the shots. Those are the four main pillars of this on-field machine and now they all have rings. They know what it takes.
Football is very much a team effort, however. These four can lead the young guys, but the young guys also will need to step up. Break out stars are needed. We don’t have to predict who it will be, just be stoked when it happens.
What I’m trying to say is to pull off another Super Bowl ring, the Rams really need a sweet draft class and a few guys to absolutely break out and major seasons from their super star vets.
What I’d guess is a lot more likely is that the Rams enter most games with the betting spread 4 points or less, experts split on game picks, and a big play or two being the difference in most games. Some in our direction, some in the opponents. I’d guess that the leadership of this team sees the ability to overcome some close game obstacles. Stafford will hit Kupp late in the 4th for a win or two. Aaron Donald will close a game with a timely sack or force a fumble that clinches a win. Those things are likely to happen but we also will probably see a game winning field goal. Maybe a missed potential game winning field goal by whoever our next kicker will be. Maybe a late touchdown given up by our young secondary to lose a game or two. I’d guess that this season probably goes pretty 50-50 with those things. The Rams good luck of 2021 was evened out by the terrible luck of 2022. The 2023 Rams are karmically even right now by all accounts and are actively shedding money while maintaining super stars and coming off a bad injury season with health in abundance entering the offseason programs. While there are less super stars than before, there are players here today that give fans a reason to at least be hopeful this could be the year they break out.
If I were a betting man, and I am… I would be willing to bet the Rams finish the 2023 season with a 9-8 record and an appearance in the postseason. Winning 9 games really should be more than enough to make the playoffs in the NFC which is made up of Philadelphia and… no one else… the media will tell you San Francisco but any team with a quarterback controversy is not a team to fear. Once you’re in the postseason, all bets are off and anything could happen. The Rams could get a first round win over a team like the Cowboys or Saints. Overall I’d guess that would be about where the season comes to an end, but the playoffs are anything but predictable.
Not a lost season by any means, maybe just one we don’t tell stories about years from now. Maybe we talk about the 2023 season as much as we talk about the 2019 season or the 2000 season. It’s there. It had it’s moments, but overall you can tell the story without it.
That doesn’t take away the high fives, beer chugs, curse words yelled, or celebrations. No season is lost when you had an awesome time watching the games with incredible people \m/
Stay awesome, Rams fans! Enjoy the Ride
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