Rams React Survey results: Do fans think LA is tanking for Caleb Williams?

The results from our “Rams React Survey” are in, and it looks like the fan base is pretty positive on not just this season, but the future of the Rams organization.

When asked if the team is tanking for USC quarterback Caleb Williams, fans responded with confidence that LA is not doing that. Only 34% of the fan base believe the team could be tanking this season to get a high enough draft pick to select Williams.

At DraftKings Sportsbook, the Rams are still longshots to reach the Super Bowl, ranking 13th to win the NFC.

Fans thinking that the Rams are not tanking this year makes total sense to me personally, especially considering that Los Angeles still has most of their Super Bowl offense intact. Matthew Stafford, Cam Akers, Cooper Kupp and Tyler Higbee are all returning, just to name a few. Injuries seemed to played more into last season’s offensive slump than a lack of talent.

While their defense has some big question marks outside of Aaron Donald, I think LA will have an offense potent enough to keep them in too many games, making tanking not worth it. This is proven even more by teams like the Arizona Cardinals that just cut their veteran backup quarterback Colt McCoy, who was slated to start the year in place of Kyler Murray while he continues recovering from a knee injury that will likely keep him out for the entire 2023 season. Instead, they chose to go with Josh Dobbs, who is 4-4 in his career and only joined the team less than two weeks ago.

No disrespect to Dobbs, but he is a career backup and does not instill much confidence in the Cardinals effort to win. They also traded Isaiah Simmons, their eight overall pick in 2020, and offensive lineman Josh Jones for pennies on the dollar. The Rams are not making desperate moves like this and it shows they are trying to at least win while developing a multitude of young talent this season.

When asked if fans have trust in the front office to handle a rebuild, almost 80% of fans believe Los Angeles have the right people in place to set the team up for the future.

Again, I agree with this assessment. General manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay have orchestrated five winning seasons in their six years together, including two NFC championships, two Super Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl championship in 2021. It seems fair that fans are willing to exercise some patience with this current group, especially given that the Rams were eventually going to need to pay the bill on some of the big contracts they gave out during their Super Bowl run.

This year is going to be a developmental year for LA but with so many rookies signed to the active roster, even if half of them are successful starters by the end of the year, Los Angeles will be set up for the future, heading into 2024 with a relatively young team, tons of cap space and a first round pick for the first time in 8 years.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Los Angeles Rams (+4) fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.