Rams: The trade for Matthew Stafford and the reliance on late round picks
By Hunter Neel
It is now Super Bowl or Bust
This trade means two things going forwards. 1) it puts an emphasis on the later round draft selections as discussed and 2) it perpetuates the teams Super Bowl window.
Due to the teams current cap situation and roster management the Rams are currently in a Super Bowl window. By this I basically mean that the Rams have a 2-3 year window in which it is most optimal to win a Super Bowl based on how the team is constructed, the age of the roster, and the contract situation on the big named players. The team was in this window when they had Goff, Goff just prohibited the team from capitalizing on the opportunity. The hope of course now is that Stafford can take them the distance as he is not as capped as Goff was for the team.
The Rams currently have playmakers at all the critical positions. On defense the team has its super stars in Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey but also have great complementary pieces in John Johnson, Taylor Rapp, and Leonard Floyd. They will need to add to a few spots on defense but the unit is capable of hanging with most offenses in the league and doing so successfully.
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The offense might just be the best unit Matthew Stafford has ever played with across the board. The team does not have that star playmaker at wide receiver but the trio of Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and Van Jefferson is very talented. The team has a young and talented playmaker in Cam Akers, who really came alive down the stretch of his rookie season. They also have solid options at the tight end position in Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett. Add in that Sean McVay is one of the best offensive minds in the league and the Rams look to be ready to compete for a championship.