Random Ramsdom: Rams gave Sean McVay “that space” to decide future

Schrager: Rams would’ve let Sean McVay take a year off, which he considered doing (ramswire)

“Shortly after the Rams’ season ended, Sean McVay took some time to think about his future. After a difficult 5-12 season that took a lot out of him, he wasn’t completely sure if he wanted to continue coaching in 2023.

So he took a few days to weigh his options and consider what would be best for him and his family. He never put a timeline on his decision, but it turns out he only needed a little bit before ultimately choosing to return to the Rams.

The front office was obviously hoping he’d return, but McVay was given all the space and time he needed. NFL Network’s Peter Schrager is a friend of McVay’s and he said on the Pat McAfee Show today that the Rams were willing to let McVay take the year off if he wanted to.

“I think he thought long and hard and I thought based on conversations with him, and we were talking daily, that he was going to take a couple of weeks, maybe a month to figure out what he was gonna do,” Schrager said. “And the Rams were giving him that space. They said, ‘If you need a year off to clear your head and come back, that’s fine.’ The Rams were awesome about it. He took about three days.”

McVay is back with the Rams and has a lot of added motivation to bounce back from their 5-12 campaign in 2022, but he actually considered taking the season off, according to Schrager.

“He was calling everybody and he was trying to get everyone’s thoughts,” he added. “And at the end of the day, I don’t think he was going to do that to Matthew Stafford, I don’t think he was going to do that to Cooper Kupp and he didn’t need the full year away. No one was pushing him to do that but he was considering it.”

Hypothetical Superstar Trade Packages That Would Shake Up 2023 NFL Season (bleacherreport)

“Los Angeles Rams receive: 2023 first-round pick (No. 25 overall), 2023 third-round pick (No. 89 overall), 2024 third-round pick

New York Giants receive: WR Cooper Kupp

The Los Angeles Rams won a Super Bowl after acquiring several veteran stars via trade, but they’re now paying for that series of all-in moves that left them bereft of draft capital.

While the Rams have been reluctant to embrace a full-blown rebuild in wake of their disappointing 2022 campaign, they’ve been parting ways with key pieces of their title run this offseason. They dealt cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins and have yet to re-sign linebacker Leonard Floyd.

With little cash to spare, few reinforcements arriving from the open market and no first-round pick this year, it will be tough for the Rams to field a competitive squad in 2023. Since the cracks in this foundation are now showing, it could be time for them to tear it all down and start over.

General manager Les Snead has called his current roster strategy a “remodel” and highlighted Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp as “weight-bearing walls” whom the team will continue to build around. However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that they “would have welcomed” a trade offer for Stafford this offseason.

A deal for Stafford may not materialize, but there should be plenty of interest if the Rams decide to get out the wrecking ball and move on from Kupp. With him only a year removed from a record-setting 145-catch, 1,947-yard, 16-touchdown campaign, the Rams could get a handsome return for their veteran receiver.

It’d be tough to find a better landing spot for Kupp than the New York Giants. The G-Men managed to scrape their way into the playoffs and even won a postseason game for the first time since 2011 despite having a subpar selection of receiver talent.

Darius Slayton was Big Blue’s top pass-catcher in 2022 with 46 catches for 724 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games. Kupp surpassed those marks in only nine games this season before an ankle injury shut him down for the year.

With quarterback Daniel Jones now signed through the 2026 season, the Giants need to find him a high-end wideout who can take the pressure off running back Saquon Barkley to carry the offensive burden. If New York is willing to part with its first-rounder and a pair of third-rounders, the Rams would get a highly respectable return for a receiver heading into his age-30 season and coming off an injury.

This trade could be a win-win for both sides. It might help the Giants make it back to the Super Bowl while positioning L.A. to become a contender again down the line.”

Rams have 11th-lowest total draft value in NFL this year (theramswire)

“Fortunately, the Rams do have a second-round pick at No. 36 overall and two third-rounders at No. 69 and 77, so they will be able to land an impact rookie near the top of the draft. For comparison, the Rams’ first pick came at No. 104 overall last year, which is when they selected Logan Bruss.

Sharp Football Analysis ranked every team’s overall draft value in 2023 and the Rams came in at No. 22. Their draft value is 10% lower than average. This is based on “a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.”

Sharp Football also listed the Rams’ top needs as edge, offensive line and “nearly everything else,” which feels pretty accurate. The Rams need a lot of help and they’ll have to hit on at least some of their draft picks in order to field a competitive team in 2023.

The Texans and Seahawks have the most draft value this year, followed by the Lions and Raiders. The Dolphins have by far the least draft value, about 60% below average.”

Fitting the mold: What do the Rams value in defensive linemen? (therams.com)

“I think two of the things that over the years since I’ve been here, that’s become extremely important for our team, are finding guys that have the versatility and athleticism in terms of that skillset,” Henderson told theRams.com. “Because it provides a tremendous amount of depth for your team when you have guys that can play multiple positions, and especially up front. That’s become one of the biggest things that has been proven to be extremely helpful for the guys, for the team. And so we continue to look for guys that have that type of skillset, along with the girth and size to be able to withstand the body blows that consistently take place on the interior.”

The most obvious example of that, of course, is Aaron Donald, whose flexibility allows L.A. to line him up at any spot along the defensive line.

However, the Rams have had other examples too, like Jonah Williams, Michael Hoecht and Earnest Brown IV.

Beyond that flexibility, Henderson also values high-character individuals with the size and physicality to defend the run and the pass. They need to fit the position room itself and match the group’s personality as well.

“The physical, the intelligent players that have that mindset and mentality, the toughness,” Henderson said. “Things that you don’t want to have to coach, but you can just truly focus on the football aspect of it because guys possess those qualities already. And so I think that’s been critical for us and we have some guys that have those attributes.”

Rams work out former Seahawks long snapper (fieldgulls)

“Free agency hits the four week mark Wednesday, and the NFL offseason has entered one of its many lulls. For the Seattle Seahawks it’s a lull filled with a lot of work, though, as the Hawks are currently slated to have ten selections in the 2023 NFL Draft, including four in the first two rounds.

Who Pete Carroll and John Schneider eventually decide to add via the draft will be known in time, but in the meantime the Seahawks remain without a long snapper on the roster. Meanwhile, though, the division rival Los Angeles Rams could be looking to steal long time Seahawks long snapper Tyler Ott.”