Who has the better roster in 2018: the Los Angeles Rams or the Minnesota Vikings?

As the NFL Network works to navigate the dead zone between the offseason program and training camp, the Good Morning Football crew on NFL Network had a discussion this AM on who has a better roster:the Los Angeles Rams or the Minnesota Vikings.

It’s a fair question, and one we should be glad they’re having so soon after the Rams’ 4-12 trainwreck in 2016.

LA native Steve Smith went with the Rams citing the departure of Vikings Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmur as the reason that the Vikings would fall off this season. Rams fans are familiar with Shurmur, who’s dink n’ dunk offense aided former Rams and now Arizona Cardinals QB Sam Bradford in his rookie year, before he took the Cleveland Browns’ head coaching position in 2011. Shurmur’s now overseeing the New York Giants as head coach.

That departure may indeed turn out to be the difference, but it’s hard to say if that counts as a straight up roster comparison. Host Kay Adams agreed that the Rams have the better roster, though she didn’t expound too much on that thought other than to say she’s excited about the Rams recent haul of talent.

The other two show members, Peter Shrager and Kyle Brandt, went with the Vikings. Brandt’s rationale was that the while the two team’s offenses are virtual washes at most offensive positions, the Vikings are superior on every level of defense. Much of this debate comes down to whether you are rating the rosters on what they have already accomplished (the Vikings were arguably the best defense in the NFL last season) versus projections 2018, but also whether you value the Rams’ top shelf talent compared to the Vikings’ flawless defensive roster (granted the Vikings have top shelf talent too, and the Rams have very few gaps, but we’re nitpicking with two great rosters here).

For the record, Steve Smith is a former NFL great, while Brandt was on the Real World and Days of Our Lives.

You be the judge: