Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead has said that the 2023 season will be a one-year reset for the franchise. He is planning to have the team back to being competitive in 2024 after this offseason was focused on cleaning up the salary cap and replenishing the roster.
Los Angeles said goodbye to a ton of veterans, as the team released or traded a bunch in addition to the players who were free agents and left voluntarily. Defensively, there aren’t many recognizable names other than Aaron Donald.
Offensively, the team isn’t in much better shape. Matthew Stafford is back for another season at quarterback, while Cooper Kupp remains in the fold as well at wide receiver. If this unit has better injury luck in 2023, they can still produce at a good clip.
However, it would likely behoove the Rams to continue selling off valuable assets and stockpiling for the future. This isn’t a contending team as currently constructed and it is hard to imagine things drastically improving in 2024.
With that in mind, it makes sense why Matt Holder of Bleacher Report suggested tight end Tyler Higbee be placed on the trade block this preseason. Higbee has been a steady contributor for the Rams the last few seasons, recording at least 500 yards receiving and three touchdowns in four straight campaigns.
But, this is a partnership likely coming to an end after the 2023 season. Higbee is set to be a free agent and will 31 years old, which likely doens’t fit the timeline in Los Angeles any longer. If they can get a draft pick in return for him, it is something they will have to strongly consider.
While the goal for 2023 is to still win as many games as possible, it wouldn’t hurt the Rams’ long-term outlook if they did a lot of losing this upcoming season. It could put them in position to select a new franchise quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft, brightening their outlook.
Given their salary cap concerns, the money the Rams would save moving on from HIgbee is also enticing. Los Angeles can save $6.75 million in cap space by trading him, which could be all the incentive the team needs.
