One year from next Sunday, February 6, 2022, SoFi Stadium will host the Super Bowl LVI.
Ever since NFL and Rams officials broke through the dirt with ceremonial shovels in 2016, the Rams have dreamed of winning the sport’s biggest game at their $ 5 billion stadium.
That dream was born with defender Jared Goff in a lead role – the No. 1 choice in the 2016 draft threw passes to stadium construction workers in 2018 – but Goff was supplanted by Matthew Stafford, acquired on Saturday in an exchange with Detroit Lions by Goff, a third round pick in this year’s draft and No. 1 picks in 2022 and 2023.
The deal will not become official until March 17, when the new year of the league begins, and the Rams are betting that 12-year-old veteran Stafford will do what Goff didn’t do: win the Super Bowl.
Goff helped the Rams and coach Sean McVay to reach Super Bowl LIII in 2018. Therefore, Stafford’s mission, and perhaps a measure of the success of the trade, is nothing short of the Rams winning a championship.
To do this, McVay and the Rams must continue to redo an attack that hasn’t been the same since the ex-running back Todd Gurley’s left knee problem appeared in the latter part of the 2018 season.
Stafford cannot be the only new piece if the Rams intend to advance in the NFC divisional round, where they lost to the Green Bay Packers.
“The attack will be something we will discuss many times,” said general manager Les Snead five days before negotiating for Stafford. “I know that Sean and I already have, on how we can get back to giving us that kind of advantage that we want.”
Rams’ off-season shopping list may include a receiver that provides a legitimate deep threat. With Sammy Watkins and Brandin Cooks filling that role – and Gurley forcing defensive coordinators to commit to stopping the race – the attack flourished in 2017 and 2018. But last March, the Rams cut Gurley and switched Cooks to clean the ceiling space salary, leaving Goff without two of the weapons that helped him become a Pro Bowl selection twice.
Prior to this season, McVay opined that Josh Reynolds could replace Cooks. But the Rams’ only notable deep pass was a 56-yard stroke for Robert Woods in his victory over Washington. Unlike other callers who apparently sent the receivers in search of a penalty of receipt or pass interference, McVay did not.
“The long explosives and some of the shots in the field were not as common as in previous years,” acknowledged McVay the day after the defeat to the Packers. “I think it made it more difficult, and your margin of error is much smaller as an attack when you feel like you need to make 10 and 13 moves to score touchdowns.”
Quarterback Matthew Stafford warms up before a game between the Detroit Lions and the Tennessee Titans on December 20.
(Wesley Hitt / Getty Images)
Goff said before this season that his goal was to have three 1,000-yard receivers. The Rams ended up with none.
Woods took 90 passes for 936 yards. Cooper Kupp, who had knee surgery at the end of the season in 2018, had 92 receptions in 974 yards and missed out on the defeat to the Packers because of knee bursitis.
Reynolds is an unrestricted free agent and Van Jefferson showed during his debut season that he is ready to take action.
In 2019, Tyler Higbee showed signs of ascending to one of the elite tight ends of the NFL by producing four 100-yard straight performances. This season, his record was 67 yards and his receptions dropped from 69 to 44.
Tight Gerald Everett is an unrestricted agent. Brycen Hopkins, a fourth round pick last year, played only a few crackles in a game.
The Rams’ racing game will be built around Cam Akers, who showed emotional moments as a rookie, but was also sidelined twice because of injuries.
Akers ran for 625 yards and two touchdowns and made several plays as a receiver. In the defeat to the Packers, McVay implanted Akers several times in the wildcat formation, perhaps a preview of a wrinkle that could be added next season.
But in addition to Akers, the hasty attack is not resolved. Darrell Henderson was not durable, ending each of his first two seasons with injuries that required surgery. Veteran Malcolm Brown is an unrestricted free agent.
The offensive line may also be in flux. The Austin Blythe Center is an unrestricted free agent. Left veteran tackle Andrew Whitworth has indicated he can return for a 16º season, but not announced.
“He mentioned that he plans to go back,” said Snead, “but I know it’s something he wants to think about.”
Offense may not be the only major area of concern. The defense was among the best in the NFL this season, but there is no guarantee that it will be nearly as dominant next season.
Brandon Staley, who coordinated the 3-4 hybrid scheme inspired by Vic Fangio, who uses multiple defensive backs, is now the Chargers coach. Internal lineback coach Joe Barry joined him, and cornerback coach Aubrey Pleasant left to take on more responsibilities with the Lions team.
Snead said McVay “has a vision to keep the DNA of the scheme that Brandon has implemented” and wants the new coordinator Raheem Morris to continue with his own approach. But Morris never practiced this scheme.
Lineman Aaron Donald and full-back Jalen Ramsey are the pillars of a unit that could lose several important players.
Edge rusher Leonard Floyd, safety John Johnson and cornerback Troy Hill are unrestricted free agents, as is rotational defense striker Morgan Fox. As the salary cap decreases from $ 198 million to a projected $ 176 million, according to overthecap .com, and the Rams add Stafford’s $ 20 million limit to Goff’s $ 22 million dead money limit, other veterans can feel the pinch.
“It will be an interesting off-season, which will require maneuvers, adjustments, no matter what,” said Snead, speaking in general about the situation of the limit in the league before the negotiation. “Some veterans with higher salaries, will there be more veterans who want to continue with some appearance of stability and welcome pay cuts?
“Will these veterans and teams agree to split up and test the waters and the market, find out what it really is and maybe rehearse?”
In a move to further strengthen his team, McVay hired Joe DeCamillis to replace John Bonamego as coordinator of special teams.
Kicker Matt Gay proved to be a reliable remedy after the problems of the Rams’ early season, and gambler Johnny Hekker is among the best in the NFL. Long-snapper Jake McQuaide, the oldest Ram, is an unrestricted free agent.