Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead hesitated to call the team’s strategy this offseason a rebuilding one. However, that is certainly what it looked like. There was a mass exodus from the franchise this offseason as the team released and traded veterans while players departed in free agency.
That was done in part to help clean up the salary cap books and help reset the franchise. For years, they operated at a deficit when it came to young building blocks on the roster, giving away draft picks in trades like candy on Halloween.
The bold strategy worked, as the Rams won the Super Bowl in the 2021 season. But, the holes and negative side effects of such a strategy popped up during the 2022 season, as the team struggled mightily.
There will be a lot of new faces in prominent positions in 2023, but the Rams could still make some noise with a few tweaks. Aaron Donald, Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp remain on the roster, so a path to competitiveness still exists. That path would get much easier if the Rams executed this suggested trade by Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report.
In this shocking move, the Rams go back to being the buyers we have become accustomed to them being. They acquired star running back Josh Jacobs from the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick.
As things currently stand, Jacobs and the Raiders seem far apart in negotiations. He recently was on social media sending out some cryptic messages that can be deciphered as not being thrilled with how things have progressed.
If the Raiders aren’t going to work out a long-term deal for Jacobs, trading him for prime draft capital becomes an option. The package Moton suggested would give them a chance to add an impact contributor in the 2024 NFL Draft. With Zamir White on the roster and capable veterans such as Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott available, it could be a smart move to make.
For the Rams, clearing cap space to pay Jacobs would be rather easy. A restructuring of Donald’s team would save the team $20.5 million according to Moton. That would be more than enough to ink a long-term deal with the 2022 rushing champ and still have money left over.
The Rams’ rushing attack last season was anemic and Jacobs would help turn things around immediately. His presence would help take pressure off of Stafford and Kupp, who were the only source of offense for large chunks of the 2022 season.
