Random Ramsdom: Which moves would help the Rams get on track for next season?

8 offseason moves that would help Rams get back to playoffs in 2023 (ramswire)

“For the second time in four years, the Los Angeles Rams failed to make the playoffs after reaching the Super Bowl. The 2022 season was a major letdown, finishing with a 5-12 record – the worst ever by a defending Super Bowl champion.

There’s still hope for 2023, though. Sean McVay is back, Matthew Stafford is expected to be healthy again, Cooper Kupp will return from his ankle injury and they still have Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey and Bobby Wagner on defense.

There are moves to be made this offseason, both internally and in the draft and free agency, all of which can help bolster the Rams’ roster. Here are eight moves the team should make that will help them get back to the playoffs in 2023.

Hire an experienced offensive coordinator

There are already rumors about Mike LaFleur joining Sean McVay’s staff, but it’s unclear if that’ll be as an offensive coordinator or in a different role. If it’s as the OC, McVay should let LaFleur call the plays, which will take some work off the head coach’s plate.

If LaFleur isn’t coming on as McVay’s OC, the Rams should consider hiring an experienced offensive coordinator such as Frank Reich, who was excellent when he was with the Eagles. Liam Coen obviously didn’t work out as the offensive coordinator, so it’s time for McVay to go down a different path at that spot.

Cut Brian Allen post-June 1

The Rams just gave Allen a three-year, $18 million contract last offseason, but after an injury-riddled 2022 season, it might be time for the Rams to move on already. The Rams can designate Allen a post-June 1 cut, which will save them $4.4 million in cap space – though they wouldn’t gain that space until June.

Allen is a bit undersized at center and is too injury-prone to trust for an entire 17-game season, so it could be time for the Rams to make a change and shift toward a bigger center.

Restructure Leonard Floyd’s contract

The Rams could cut Floyd this year and save $15.5 million in cap space if he’s designated a post-June 1 cut, but given the state of their pass rush, they can’t really afford to lose their best outside linebacker. Instead, they should restructure his deal and push money out into future years, which includes void years in 2025 and 2026.

That would free up about $10 million in cap space for 2023, which the Rams could use to either sign another edge rusher or shore up another position of need – like cornerback or tight end.”

Texans complete interview with Rams assistant Thomas Brown (ramswire)

“Brown is the sixth coach to interview with the Texans, joining Jonathan Gannon, Shane Steichen, Ben Johnson, Sean Payton and former Rams assistant Ejiro Evero. Brown is currently the Rams’ tight ends coach and assistant head coach but has interviewed for a head coaching position for the second year in a row.

Brown, 36, was hired by Sean McVay in 2020, which was his first opportunity in the NFL. He earned the title of assistant head coach in 2021 and was moved to tight ends coach last year.

If the Texans hire Brown as their head coach, the Rams will receive a third-round compensatory pick this year and in 2024 as part of the NFL’s rule rewarding teams for developing minority coaches and executives.”

Rams’ 23 biggest salary cap hits in 2023: Five players cost $20M-plus (ramswire)

“The star-studded roster they’ve built does have a cost, though. This is a top-heavy team that allocates a lot of its salary cap space to a small group of players, leaving little money to use at other positions.

As the Rams begin the offseason, they’ll take a look at the salary cap situation and attempt to find ways to free up money – be it with cuts, trades or restructures. At the top of their cap table are five players who will each cost at least $20 million in 2023.

Here’s a breakdown of the Rams’ top 23 cap hits for next season, led by Cooper Kupp. All figures are courtesy of Over The Cap.”

LA Rams had much better options for OC than Mike LaFleur (fansided)

“If you hadn’t heard by now, LA Rams HC Sean McVay will be returning as the head coach for the Rams for the 2023 NFL season. While that is excellent news for the organization and the fans, there is not a moment to lose now, as the team already has openings in the coaching staff that are critical and need to be addressed. So, it’s time to move forward with the offseason, which starts with the coaching staff.

There will be a few coaching positions up for grabs on the Rams coaching staff this off-season, but I want to focus on the team’s vacated offensive coordinator position. The position has been a big topic recently as the Rams look for someone to fill that role and help McVay and the offense.

Rams rumors are Mike LeFleur is the new OC

It was reported today that former New York Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur is rumored to be hired as the man for the job, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.”

2023 NFL divisional playoff picks: Cowboys upset 49ers, Giants shock Eagles, Bengals stun Bills (cbssports)

“I’d like to start things off today by apologizing to the NFL. When they decided to change the name of “Wild Card Weekend” to “Super Wild Card Weekend,” I thought it was going to be the biggest marketing failure since Crystal Clear Pepsi, but I was wrong, because the football we got over the weekend was Super Wild.

That being said, if anyone from Pepsi is reading, can you bring back the crystal clear stuff, because I actually liked it. One thing I don’t like though is trying to pick games in the divisional round. The key to picking divisional games is to not overthink it, which could be tough for me because I overthink everything. I mean, I once spent four days thinking over a chess move and I wasn’t even playing anyone.

The reason you don’t want to overthink things in the divisional round is because the home team usually dominates. Over the past 10 years, home teams have gone 29-11, which basically means we’re getting an average of roughly one upset per year, which means I should probably pick at least one upset this week.

On the other hand, home teams went 1-3 last year, so maybe I need to get wild and pick all upsets. Crap. I literally just told myself not to overthink my picks this week and here we are, one paragraph later, and I’m already overthinking them.

So will I actually pick any upsets this week? Let’s get to the picks and find out.”