This free agent TE could help the Rams return to smashmouth football

When Sean McVay took the reins as head coach back in 2017, there was one aspect of the offense that seemed to make a ridiculous jump in overall production.

The season prior to McVay taking over, the Rams were ranked 31st in the NFL in rushing with just 1,252 yards rushing on the ground. Then, in McVay’s first season, the Rams moved all the way to 8th in the league in rushing with 1,953 yards, establishing themselves as one of the best running teams in the NFL.

In 2018 the Rams then moved to 3rd in rushing, also appearing in the Super Bowl that season as well. In fact, in the four times the Rams have made the postseason since McVay was hired, the team has been at least top ten in the league in rushing in three out of the four appearances in the playoffs. The only exception was the 2021 Super Bowl season, a year in which the Rams had a top three passing attack.

Last season, the Rams rushing attack got off to a horrendous start. easily the worst the running game has looked during the Sean McVay era. However, towards the tail end of the season, the running game looked much better, with Cam Akers averaging 102.5 yards per game in the last four contests of the season. One of the main catalyst for that resurgence in the rushing attack was Sean McVay’s return to the usage of 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TEs), allowing for more big bodies at the line of scrimmage and a much more balanced look in terms of giving the defense more things to think about.

However, with the current players on the roster, there are really no true run blocking tight ends on the team. Tyler Higbee is very middle of the road when it comes to blocking, and Brycen Hopkins is much more of a receiver than he is a blocker. With that being said, there is a free agent tight end that the Rams could get for a low risk/high reward type of deal.

Enter free agent tight end Geoff Swaim, a 6’4” 260 pound behemoth of a man that can help give the Rams a rotational player who has no issues with blocking. The veteran TE, who has played for the Cowboys, Jaguars, and Titans, has made a career with his blocking ability in his career thus far. Swaim even said so himself following re-signing with the Titans last season:

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Swaim can help bring a certain edge/physicality to the TE position for the Rams that they really have not possessed since McVay has been the coach. The closest thing to Swaim that the Rams have had since 2017 is probably Johnny Mundt, another tight end that has really made his mark as an extension of the offensive line at the tight end position.

If the Rams want to return to their ways of a run-first mentality, they will have to start adding much more 12 personnel as well as adding more willing blockers to the roster.