Random Ramdsom: What if the Rams had drafted Chris Jones?

In yesterday’s Random Ramsdom I accidently said Greg Robinson in one of the sections instead of Greg Williams, I meant to be talking about the defensive coordinator not the Los Angeles Rams draft pick that did not pan out. Again, I thank the commenter for pointing that out to me!

I mistakes often (You see that? I should say “I make mistakes often” or even “I often make mistakes.”), but all that aside let’s enjoy some links on what is hopefully a lovely Sunday! Please see our question at the bottom and comment on anything you’d like! We appreciate the words!

Rams Land Chiefs DT Chris Jones in Hypothetical NFL Redraft (fannation/ramsdigest)

“What if the NFL decided to do a league-wide reset, voiding existing contracts and holding a re-draft? Obviously, such a logistical nightmare would never happen in real life, but it’s still fun to think about. Hypothetical questions are running rampant with the offseason at a standstill, and as such, Touchdown Wire decided to take a stab at such a scenario.

The order for this redraft was entirely random, and the Los Angeles Rams received the No. 19 pick. They then use that pick to select a star defensive tackle, but not franchise icon Aaron Donald. Instead, the Rams take Kansas City Chiefs star Chris Jones in this hypothetical scenario.

“The Rams miss out on returning Aaron Donald to the fold but do land the next best thing with the selection of Chris Jones who has played close to the same level in the past few seasons,” Touchdown Wire writes.

Jones and Donald are arguably the two best defensive tackles in the game today. Donald is easily the more-accomplished player, being among the best defensive players in NFL history, but Jones is over three years younger. Additionally, Jones is coming off a career season in which he posted 44 tackles and 15.5 sacks, finishing third in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

As for Donald, he went one pick earlier to the Green Bay Packers at No. 18, preventing a “reunion” with the franchise he has spent his entire career with. Donald is also the only current Ram to appear in this re-draft, with not even star receiver Cooper Kupp making the top 32 picks.”

Will Predicted Rams QB Matthew Stafford ‘Big Bounce-Back’ Mean Playoffs? (fannation/ramsdigest)

“There are currently only six active quarterbacks who have a Super Bowl ring on their resume. Among them is Matthew Stafford, who led the Los Angeles Rams to a Lombardi Trophy during his first season with the team in 2021.

The season following, though, was an entirely different story in Los Angeles. Just one year after winning it all, the Rams went a disappointing 5-12 and suffered a mighty Super Bowl hangover.

One of the biggest reasons for said struggles was a mountain of injuries, including those to Stafford … who appeared in just nine games - only the third time in his career he hasn’t made double-digit starts. Despite that, though, Yahoo Sports listed him as a candidate for a big bounce-back season in 2023.

“When Stafford was healthy last season, he still looked like a quality starting quarterback capable of winning games, but the team around him really struggled,” Yahoo Sports writes. “This season, he’ll be getting Cooper Kupp back along with interior offensive lineman Steve Avila, the 36th overall pick in this year’s draft.”

“This should be a bounce-back campaign for Stafford, even if it doesn’t result in a playoff berth for the Rams as a whole.”

In those nine games last season Stafford threw for 2,087 yards with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 68 percent of his passes. Yes, the interception number was high, but that’s always been a part of his game”

Can LA Rams OC Mike LaFleur change the Rams offense, or has he already? (ramblinfan)

“Early information confirmed my initial suspicions. Mike LaFleur is a young offensive coordinator who is still learning, still developing his ‘style’ in terms of what his offense will hang its hat on. Still, while young, he checked all of my ‘gotta have,’ boxes for the Rams offensive coordinator job. He and Head Coach Sean McVay are familiar with one another (no surprises), he is a product of a strong rushing offense, and he is certainly not just a yes-man.

Still, there are questions over how easy it will be for him to work with veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, and all of the Rams quarterbacks for that matter. After all, without assigning blame, Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson struggled mightily in his first NFL season. While that is more likely on the shoulders of Wilson, it does drag LaFleur into questions of his ability to optimize his quarterback, regardless of skillset, personality, and experience level.

LaFleur’s offense can run the football

But one area I was not concerned about in how well the LA Rams running backs, and how Cam Akers especially, would perform in an offense that is overseen by OC Mike LaFleur. Even now, as I am more and more convinced that this Rams offense must commit to running the football, I continue to see evidence of the Rams reconfiguring to do exactly that.

The LA Rams, without a lot of fanfare, have gotten bigger offensive linemen, The team has also re-signed a physical north-south running back in Cam Akers. The Rams signed a new offensive line coach Ryan Wendell and a new running backs coach in Ron Gould, both of whom seem to align with the more physical balanced offense mindset of LaFleur.”

2023 is truly a make-or-break season for LA Rams DC Raheem Morris (ramblinfan)

“Even as the LA Rams gird their loins for a challenging 2023 NFL season, perhaps nobody associated with the LA Rams is under more pressure than LA Rams Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris. This is not my deceptive attempt to weigh in on the challenges that arise from the Rams fan base’s polarizing views over the ‘Fire Raheem Morris,’ debate that will undoubtedly resume at a fever pitch as soon as the 2023 NFL season starts. Rather, this is a step back to examine the wholesale challenges that burden the Rams DC this year.

But this is Raheem Morris’s third season as the defensive coordinator for the LA Rams. And the saying ‘Third time is the charm,’ may not be so applicable for the Morris. You see, it’s been a love/hate relationship for Morris ever since he took over the job from former Rams DC Brandon Staley. The LA Rams organization love the guy, while there is a very vocal segment of the Rams fan base that seems to despise him.

But do Rams fans have a point? Is the perception of a ‘bad’ defense merely a viral reaction that has taken on a life of its own? Or is there an uncomfortable truth to the matter? Well, there is some truth to the fact that the Rams defense has regressed since Morris has taken over.

• Year Yards Rank Pts Rank Passing Rank Rushing Rank
• 2020 1st 1st 1st 3rd
• 2021 17th 15th 22nd 6th
• 2022 19th 21st 21st 13th

It seems that there is a valid argument to be made on the surface”

If I already posted that tweet above in a previous article then I apologize for being redundant, but the tweet above is for sure what I would consider a “fun fact.”

The top article talks about what if the Rams drafted Chris Jones? I also mentioned I accidently brought up Greg Robinson in a previous article, and I think this upcoming question fits the theme (is there a theme here?) but the question is: Who should the Rams have drafted instead of Greg Robinson? Was he the right pick at the time and it just didn’t work out? I do wish Robinson all the best, even if his time with the Rams probably isn’t remembered as the most positive.

Please comment below, let us know your thoughts and have a great Sunday!