grades/assessments of Rams off-season

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April 5, 2018 at 4:41 am #84934

Agamemnon
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https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-rams-prove-all-in-for-2018-continue-aggressive-offseason?utm_content=buffer4febe&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=nfl

Rams prove all-in for 2018, continue aggressive offseason
By Gordon McGuinness • Apr 4, 2018

The Los Angeles Rams have a young quarterback still on his rookie deal for the next three seasons assuming they pick up Jared Goff‘s fifth-year option, and they are taking advantage of the luxury of not having a large quarterback contract on the books with the most aggressive offseason in the NFL to date. They have made moves both up front and in the defensive backfield, and added playmakers on offense. So what do the Rams moves mean for their outlook in 2018?
Trade for Brandin Cooks

On the surface, trading a first-round draft pick for Brandin Cooks when the Rams already have Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods on their roster might seem like a luxury, but when you look at the Rams personnel usage in 2017, another top receiver was a team need. The Rams used three or four wide receiver sets on 86 percent of their offensive snaps last season, way up on the NFL average of 59 percent.

While neither of the trio have shown themselves to be clear No. 1 WR so far in their career, Woods, Kupp and Cooks produced PFF grades of 83.2, 81.2 and 77.1 in 2017, respectively. It also gives them three of the 25 most productive receivers in the NFL from last season, with Cooks averaging 1.78 yards per route run, Kupp 2.05 and Woods ranking eighth in the NFL averaging 2.17. So far in his career, Cooks has been primarily an outside wide receiver and both Woods and Kupp saw time in the slot last season, giving them versatility there.

Impact signing of Suh up front

As we covered after the signing, the Rams’ signing of Ndamukong Suh made a huge statement of their intentions this season, and rumors that he wouldn’t be a scheme fit were quickly dispelled, with Suh seeing plenty of time at 1-tech and 2-tech in 2017, where he would fit to allow Aaron Donald to remain predominantly at 3-tech and continue to wreak havoc on the NFL.

The duo should strike fear into every offense on their schedule in 2018, combining for 17 sacks, 21 hits and 96 hurries a season ago. The level of disruption they can bring to the interior is something we really haven’t seen in recent memory, so it will be interesting to see how teams attempt to deal with the duo. By alignment, it will be easier to double team Suh at 1/2-tech, but Donald’s level of play has been so transcendent that he requires extra attention too.
Playmakers in the defensive backfield

With dominant pressure on the interior, plays will be there to be made from the Rams defensive backs with quarterbacks forced into early throws and likely several mistakes. With that in mind, the addition of Marcus Peters this offseason was huge. Peters is not without his flaws and has allowed 2,240 yards in coverage over the past three seasons, though that has dropped from 1,057 to 687 to 496 over his three-year career, but he is one of the top playmakers on defense in the entire NFL. Since arriving in the league as the 18th overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft, Peters has racked up 21 interceptions and 34 pass breakups and his NFL passer rating allowed of 65.2 on throws into his coverage is the lowest among all cornerbacks with 1,500 or more snaps in coverage since 2015.

Third-lowest on that list is the other cornerback the Rams dealt for this offseason – Aqib Talib – who has allowed an NFL passer rating of 71.5 on throws into his coverage in that span. Talib has been one of the stingiest cornerbacks in coverage over the past two seasons, allowing just 601 yards in coverage since the beginning of the 2016 season.

Remaining holes

The Rams have been aggressive this offseason, but they still have holes to fill on their roster. Their offensive line is solid across the board, with the exception of right guard where Jamon Brown struggled in 2017 and produced a PFF grade of 52.1 which ranked 38th among players at the position.

As much as the duo of Donald and Suh can wreak havoc on the interior of their defense, the Rams could benefit from improving on the edge as Matt Longacre (73.8) and Samson Ebukam (70.0) both graded outside the top-60 players at the position in 2017. They could also do with strengthening the linebacker position with Mark Barron sitting as their highest graded player at the position despite ranking just 44th with a PFF grade of 71.2 in 2017.

All things considered, this is a Rams team which has planted a flag and made it clear that they expect to contend for the Super Bowl in 2018. They don’t have a shrinking window because of an aging quarterback, but their aggression highlights that the brass in Los Angeles understands that the window to be aggression in roster additions closes as soon as they have to spend big at quarterback, so it is well worth the risk to take the swings they have taken this offseason.

Agamemnon

April 5, 2018 at 10:55 pm #84947

zn
Moderator

from NFL execs unfiltered: Winners and losers for all 32 teams in free agency

http://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/23003327/nfl-2018-free-agency-execs-unfiltered-every-team-free-agent-signings-trades

…

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams have hogged the headlines during free agency. Former defensive mainstays Robert Quinn, Alec Ogletree and Trumaine Johnson are out, as is one-year receiver rental Sammy Watkins. Cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib are in, along with defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

“When you look at the Rams’ roster, I think they are actually a little worse now than what they were, which is kind of interesting,” an insider said. “They clearly have the best interior defensive line in the league, but they also have one of the worst edge-rushing groups after trading Quinn. Maybe they can get favorable one-on-one matchups with Aaron Donald and Suh in there, although Suh has been in decline.”

It’s only April. The Rams will add players through the draft. And if you’re paying close attention, you’ll notice that by using the trade market and by picking up a released player such as Suh, the Rams are coming out ahead in the equation for compensatory draft choices, which is based on activity involving unrestricted free agents. The Rams are in position to gain two additional third-round picks in 2019, and then some. But all the high-profile players Los Angeles added come with reputations as strong personalities.

“Suh almost seems like a contract worker,” an insider said. “He will come in, do his work and get out. He is not as invested. If they start losing early, can they handle all those personalities at once?”

That was the No. 1 question an exec raised as well.

“Over time, just because you go sign a bunch of guys in free agency or add them by trade, it does not guarantee success,” this exec said. “That locker room is going to be interesting. Wade [Phillips] can handle it for a year, but if it goes south, it won’t just go south, it will bottom out.”

“Suh almost seems like a contract worker. He will come in, do his work and get out. He is not as invested. If they start losing early, can they handle all those personalities at once?”
An NFL insider

April 5, 2018 at 10:56 pm #84948

zn
Moderator

from: Best (and worst) of NFL free agency: Overrated deals, best bargain, more

http://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/22925341/best-worst-2018-nfl-free-agency-signings-overrated-underrated-deals-best-bargain-more

…

Best move under $1 million guaranteed

DT Dominique Easley, Los Angeles Rams

Easley missed all of 2017, but in a limited role he has proved to be an effective player since entering the NFL in 2014. He has racked up eight sacks, 11 hits and 45 hurries in 696 career snaps as a pass-rusher — not bad for a player who will provide depth behind star defensive lineman Aaron Donald.

…

Biggest unit upgrade

Los Angeles Rams: Secondary

The Rams improved massively in 2017, and if their aggressive approach at upgrading their defense is anything to go by, they expect to be even better in 2018. They acquired Aqib Talib from the Denver Broncos after he allowed just 250 yards in coverage last season, then added one of the NFL’s premier ball hawks to the other side with Marcus Peters, who has 21 interceptions and 34 pass breakups since entering the NFL in 2015.

April 5, 2018 at 10:57 pm #84952

zn
Moderator

Rams offseason moves are bold blend of action, reaction and improv

VINCENT BONSIGNORE

link: https://www.ocregister.com/2018/04/05/bonsignore-rams-offseason-moves-are-bold-blend-of-action-reaction-and-improv/

The smile was hard to suppress as Les Snead rolled out the latest add on to the ambitious superstructure currently under construction at Rams headquarters. It was a mixture of satisfaction and awe and surprise. Kind of like a guy who reaches into the pocket of an old pair of jeans and pulls out a crumpled up lottery ticket he’d long forgotten about.

Only to realize there’s a thousand bucks waiting for him at the liquor store around the corner.

Oh, nice.

See, for all the admiration Snead and Rams coach Sean McVay had for dynamic wide receiver Brandin Cooks over the last couple of years, it wasn’t like Cooks was a legitimate part of the blueprint the two Rams architects drew up a few months ago as they plotted an offseason designed to lift their club another rung higher after last year’s breakthrough season. Seeing as Cooks was employed by the New England Patriots and all.

But then, neither were Marcus Peters or Aqib Talib or Ndamukong Suh, for that matter. None of whom were officially available this time two months ago.

Yet each is now a member of the Rams.

Hence, the satisfied smiles.

Life moves fast. The Rams, to their credit, are keeping up. And defying odds in the process.

Yes, they knew they needed to address the defensive backfield, especially with the lure of free agency beckoning either Trumaine Johnson or Lamarcus Joyner onto the open market. After all, Wade Phillips’ 3-4 defense requires lockdown cornerbacks suffocating opposing wide receivers to hum at optimal level, and Snead knew he’d have to figure out a way to get his veteran defensive coordinator the help he needed.

“You knew you had to solidify that,” Snead said.

And certainly the interior of the defensive line needed a big, strong, sturdy force to help stop the run and create pass rush pressure alongside Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers.

Meanwhile, Sammy Watkins was a strong possibility to leave as a free agent, so it was only a matter of time before McVay asked for an adequate replacement. Watkins wasn’t all that in terms of big numbers last year, but the fear he put in the hearts of opposing defenses was a real factor in blowing open gaping holes for teammates like Todd Gurley and Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. If Watkins left, as feared, an suitable replacement was a must.

“Les and our coaching staff and our personnel staff, we’ve had great dialogue in terms of how we wanted to fill that void,” McVay said.

Still, it’s one thing to want to fill every important hole during free agency, and quite another to actually pull it off.

Let alone with a package of Pro Bowl caliber players that, added to an already loaded young roster, would push the Rams to the upper echelon of the NFL.

That is, without blowing up their salary cap for the next five years or surrendering a bunch of premium draft picks for the foreseeable future.

In other words, you’re playing entirely too much fantasy football or Ultimate Team Madden to even contemplate the Rams drawing up some crazy plan in which players the caliber of Peters, Talib, Cooks and Suh were added within the span of a few weeks.

Maybe that’s why Snead was smiling so much on Thursday, as was McVay, his partner in crime, as they flanked Cooks during his introductory press conference in Thousand Oaks. The player they’ve coveted from afar for more than a year is shockingly now in their fold. And armed with enough money under the cap to secure the Stockton native long-term – along with Donald and Gurley and Jared Goff and Peters, for that matter – it looks like Cooks wants to call Los Angeles home for the foreseeable future.

“It’s a special opportunity to be closer to home, being on the West Coast, where the sun is shining every single day, you can’t complain about that,” Cooks said. “As far as making this home, absolutely I’d love to do that.”

And it’s why Snead and McVay will flash the same look of satisfaction on Friday when Suh gets unveiled to the media in L.A. Just as they did a couple weeks ago upon adding both Peters and Talib.

The both of them outta be locked up for the kind of heist they’ve pulled the last month or so adding star caliber talent to an already young, thriving roster. They didn’t just pull it off, they got away scott free.

And they did it in a way that dramatically improves the Rams in real time while leaving them perfectly situated salary cap wise to keep all their core players in the fold for the long term.

For that, a major tip of the cap goes to Tony Pastoors and Kevin Demoff, the co-managers of the Rams salary cap who went all Beautiful Mind on everyone to insure the Rams could fit everyone in the fold in 2018 while also leaving close to $100 million to work with under the cap next year, and even more in 2020.

“We have plenty of space of the next few years to lock up these guys for the long term and (keep) this core together,” Snead said. “And that’s the goal.”

Much to the chagrin of the rest of the NFL, which now has to deal with the emerging power rising in Los Angeles.

They did it by acting aggressively when surprising opportunities fell their way. Such as jumping at the chance to acquire a dominating young cornerback when the Kansas City Chiefs called asking if they had interest in Peters.

And by getting creative, even if it meant saying goodbye to valued veterans in order to create or preserve cap space to add players of greater need. As was the case in trading Alec Ogletree to pave the way for Talib.

They did it by being daring and diligent, even when the odds were stacked against them. Such as calling Suh’s agent to express interest in the veteran defensive tackle shortly after he was released by the Dolphins. Snead was upfront he wasn’t in position to offer the most money, and that he’d first need to talk to his bosses – Demoff and Rams owner Stan Kroenke – to get the OK to spend the kind of money required to reel Suh in.

But by making the call – in spite of the odds – he firmly planted the Rams on Suh’s radar.

And when the interest was reciprocated, Snead was soon calling on Demoff and Kroenke to pitch them on the idea of adding Suh.

The key question being, as Snead recalled: “Can we get a little more allowance this week?”

You got it, Kroenke replied, greenlighting a $14 million one-year offer to Suh.

And finally, they did it by being persistent. Even after the Saints traded Cooks to the Patriots last offseason, Snead stayed on the case, if only to monitor the Patriots’ willingness to trade Cooks. As did McVay, who used a chance encounter with Bill Belichick at a recent coaching clinic to express interest.

All of which paid off when the Patriots, unable to procure a long-term contract extension with Cooks, offered him to the Rams at the cost of their first-round pick and a sixth-rounder in 2018.

Life moves fast, as they say. The Rams, to their credit, are keeping up. Even if it means trashing a blueprint and drawing up a new one on the fly.

An even better one, at that.

April 6, 2018 at 1:13 am #84953

Zooey
Moderator

https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/04/05/sean-mcvay-los-angeles-rams-trades-brandin-cooks-ndamukong-suh-marcus-peters-aqib-talib?utm_campaign=themmqb&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social

QUICKLY
The 32-year-old head coach will work with a team big on talent, but big on potential problems too. Why he’s confident it will work. Also, Dez Bryant on the brink, Lamar Jackson’s strange draft season decision-making, what RG3 brings to Baltimore, a draft prospect drawing Ray Lewis comps, high praise for Baker Mayfield and what Johnny Manziel is doing right
By ALBERT BREER April 05, 2018
Ten months ago, Sean McVay was still a 31-year-old curiosity, the Rams were coming off their 10th consecutive sub-.500 season, and the NFL’s return to L.A. was barely registering in the city’s crowded entertainment marketplace. And yet, it was right then and there, at OTAs’ end, that the stage was set for this year’s splash.

The coaching staff was running a scored offense vs. defense drill—first side to five wins; the defense won, and that meant the offense had to take a lap around the Oxnard, Calif. practice field. That’s when something funny happened. As the offensive players went to pay off the loss, the defensive players turned around too, running with guys they beat when they didn’t have to.

“You want those sorts of things to organically happen,” McVay said Wednesday evening, over his cell on his drive home. “It wasn’t something that had to be motivated by a coach—Hey, you should run, too. This goes back to where my grandfather’s history has an effect on some of the core beliefs and values that we preach day-in and day-out with the Rams.”

Making his way through traffic, the coach recalled asking his grandfather, long-time San Francisco 49ers personnel czar John McVay, what made the dynastic Niners of the 1980s so different. The elder McVay brought up Bill Walsh and George Seifert—and all the help they had, and how it related to that June day in L.A.

“Their best players were the best examples of what it looks like to do things right day-in and day-out,” Sean McVay says. “Those were the standards. Nobody was above those standards because these were the guys that led the way. Everybody followed. When your best players are coachable, receptive, accountable on a daily basis, and all your guys demonstrate what it means to do right on the practice field, in the meeting room, and they have a selfless mindset and mentality. That’s when good things can happen.”

The Rams acquired Marcus Peters five-and-a-half weeks ago from the Chiefs. They then dealt for Broncos corner Aqib Talib, before signing Dolphins castoff Ndamukong Suh, a move followed by Tuesday’s trade for receiver Brandin Cooks. Each player has had his problems, and each was let go for a reason—this isn’t the first time for three of the four.

And somehow, the Rams are confident this will be different, largely because of what they’ve established over the last year. It’s in that scene from last June, and what it represents. And it’s in their best players not just being the right kind of athletes, but the right kind of people.

In this week’s GamePlan, we’ll look at why Dez Bryant is on thin ice in Dallas, check out the Lamar Jackson weirdness, check in on Robert Griffin III, explain why NFL business is still robust, and dive into the importance of knowing who will throw the ball for your team, courtesy Jay Gruden, coach of the suddenly quarterback-stable Redskins.

But we start with the biggest story of the week, and that’s the Rams (again) and their big trade (again), and maybe the most important question for this team: Given the egos, varied personalities, expectations, and contract situations, how in the world are they going to make it work?

We’ve seen this fail before. The Eagles won their division in 2010, and hatched the Dream Team in 2011. The Cowboys had big years in 2007 and 2014, and dice-roll acquisitions (Pacman Jones in 2008, Greg Hardy in 2015) took down an all-in Jerry Jones in the years to follow.

So one more time: How does this work where the others didn’t? As McVay sees it, it starts with guys like Aaron Donald, Jared Goff and Todd Gurley, their experience during last year’s turnaround, and their willingness to repeat what it took to get to a division title and fight the temptation to feel like they’re starting this year where they left off last year.

“One of the things I’ve heard Coach Belichick say, when you look at the consistency the Patriots have had over a handful of years, ‘You wipe the slate clean,’” McVay says. “What we did last year won’t do anything for us. We’ve gotta recommit and focus on building from where we left off while understanding that what we did last year won’t get us any yards, won’t get us any sacks. You’ve gotta earn it every day.”

Still, these are individual people coming in, and as such each had to have his tires kicked before the Rams took them on. What eventually made McVay and GM Les Snead comfortable with injecting these newcomers into what they believe has become a pretty good mix was a tie binding the four—their passion for football. That showed up in the research the team did. For example:

• In tape study of Peters, coaches noticed how positively he responded to bad plays, and his concept recognition, which could only be the result of hard study.

• Talib was with McVay in Tampa in 2008 and, of course, Wade Phillips in Denver, and he was a Broncos team captain last year. So the Rams know him, and feel like, at 32, he should be a positive influence on Peters and others.

• Rams strength coach Ted Rath was with Suh for six years in Detroit, and he vouched for the maniacal manner in which the former All-Pro takes care of himself. The Dolphins had issues with his selfishness at times, and the Lions with his temper, but he does seem to still love football.

• McVay called around on Cooks, and heard that he’s universally liked off the field, and relentless on the practice field. Then, just after the deal went down, a Patriots assistant texted the Rams coach and told him Cooks didn’t miss a single practice rep in 2017.

There’s no assurance, of course, that all of it will hold up; McVay will be first to tell you that. There’s also risk involved in depleting the team’s war chest of draft picks. The Rams don’t pick until 87, haven’t had a first-round pick since taking Goff first overall two years ago, and are already out their second-round pick for 2019.

The team’s counter on this front is in its ability to make more out of third- and fourth-round picks, which it believes is a product of McVay’s clarity in what he’s looking for. Three major contributors in 2017 were rookies drafted in that range (WR Cooper Kupp, OLB Samson Ebukam and S John Johnson), where a team that already has blue-chippers can find its middle-of-the-roster talent.

Given that he’s armed with a third-rounder and three fourth-rounders, Snead will have a chance to go looking again in that area. And the team expects to get a couple comp third-rounders next year to add to its 2019 haul, which should help to make up for the ’19 second-rounder dealt as part of the Peters deal.

For now, the focus is back where it was last year at this time, and that’s on building and bonding.

April 6, 2018 at 9:15 pm #84979

zn
Moderator

Meet the new Rams – A closer look at team’s biggest offseason additions for 2018

RICH HAMMOND

link: https://www.ocregister.com/2018/04/06/meet-the-new-rams-a-closer-look-at-teams-biggest-offseason-additions-for-2018/

In 2016, the Rams changed cities. In 2017, a new coach. This year, they reshaped their roster.

It’s been a dizzying offseason for the Rams, who stunned the NFL community with a series of trades and signings. In the end — this is the end, isn’t it? — the Rams maintained their strength on offense, made major upgrades on defense and looted their own stash of draft picks to make it happen.

The Rams formally will convene for the first time this month for the start of the optional offseason program, but first a couple introductory ice-breakers might be helpful.

For now, here’s a look at the five major additions the Rams have made since the last week of February:

Brandin Cooks, Receiver

Height: 5-10 Weight: 189

Age: 24

Contract status: Signed through 2018

Acquired: April 3, 2018

The price: Rams traded 2018 first- and sixth-round draft choices to the New England Patriots for Cooks and a 2018 fourth-round choice.

Analysis: When Sammy Watkins left via free agency in mid-March, the Rams publicly indicated they’d feel comfortable with an internal replacement, but really, a move like this needed to get done. Cooks is a speedy field-stretcher and a three-time 1,000-yard receiver whose presence also should open up things for teammates such as Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. The biggest question about Cooks is whether he has as strong a nose for the endzone as Watkins, who had eight touchdowns in 15 games last season, or Odell Beckham Jr., whom the Rams discussed before they traded for Cooks.

Marcus Peters, Cornerback

Height: 6-0 Weight: 197

Age: 25

Contract status: Signed through 2018 (with team option for 2019)

Acquired: Feb. 23, 2018

The price: Rams traded a 2019 second-round draft choice and a 2018 fourth-round choice to the Kansas City Chiefs for Peters and a 2018 sixth-round choice.

Analysis: It feels as though it’s been eons since the Rams made their first big move, to acquire Peters, but it’s only been six weeks. Peters is a ball hawk, with 19 interceptions in three NFL seasons, and the Rams’ ability to pair him with Aqib Talib means they essentially have two No. 1 cornerbacks and almost never will get caught in mismatch scenarios. The Rams say they’ve done due diligence on Peters’ behavior. He hasn’t been involved in off-field problems but regularly has had on-field issues, including last season when he threw a penalty flag into the stands and walked off the field.

Ndamukong Suh, Defensive lineman

Height: 6-4 Weight: 305

Age: 31

Contract status: Signed through 2018

Acquired: March 26, 2018

The price: A one-year contract reportedly worth $14 million.

Analysis: Nobody saw this one coming. The Rams didn’t seem like a fit for Suh when the Miami Dolphins released him in March, but after visits with New Orleans and Tennessee, Suh agreed to only a one-year contract with the Rams, who sold him on the idea of a dominating partnership with Aaron Donald and a chance at his first Super Bowl championship. Suh might not be as individually dominant as he was a couple years ago, but he’s a run-stopping plug in the middle of the defensive line, which was an issue for the Rams last season, and coordinator Wade Phillips will utilize Suh’s versatility.

Aqib Talib, Cornerback

Height: 6-1 Weight: 205

Age: 32

Contract status: Signed through 2019

Acquired: March 8, 2018

The price: The Rams traded a 2018 fifth-round draft choice to the Denver Broncos for Talib.

Analysis: Talib didn’t exactly deny reports that he vetoed possible trades to other teams and sought to come to the Rams and reunite with Phillips, with whom he won the Super Bowl with Denver two years ago. Talib’s prime years are in the past, but he remains a big-play threat — in the past three seasons, he has returned three of his five interceptions for touchdowns — and he could enjoy a resurgence in 2018. No longer can teams avoid Talib and throw to the other side of the field, as they sometimes did when playing the Broncos, because Peters is there. For all the talk about Talib’s on-field brash behavior, he’s considered a solid locker-room citizen who could help mentor teammates such as Peters.

Sam Shields, Cornerback

Height: 5-11 Weight: 184

Age: 30

Contract status: Signed through 2019

Acquired: March 8, 2018

The price: A one-year contract reportedly worth $1 million.

Analysis: If this works out, the Rams will have extraordinary depth at cornerback, with Peters, Aqib Talib, Nickell Robey-Coleman, Troy Hill and Shields, who made the Pro Bowl in 2014 but whose career has been interrupted by five concussions, the last of which has kept him on the sidelines since the 2016 season opener. Shields recently indicated that he will retire if he suffers one more concussion. Shields, who has 18 interceptions in 80 career regular-season games, has been cleared by doctors and said he no longer experiences symptoms. If healthy, he has starter-level skill.

April 7, 2018 at 8:29 pm #85000

zn
Moderator

NFC Roster Reset: Crowded at top of conference hierarchy

Gregg Rosenthal

LINK: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000925341/article/nfc-roster-reset-crowded-at-top-of-conference-hierarchy

Our Roster Reset series takes a division-by-division look at where things stand across the league heading into the 2018 NFL Draft. Gregg Rosenthal examines the pecking order of the NFC.

This is the year for sky-high expectations in the NFC. There are so many loaded depth charts and teams with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations that will necessarily end in disappointment come January.

The Eagles are bringing back an MVP-candidate at quarterback to a championship squad. The Vikings expect Kirk Cousins to put them over the top. The Rams have acquired a group of Pro Bowl veterans to one of the most exciting young cores in football. Aaron Rodgers will be back and essentially the entire NFC South has reason to believe in their firepower.

Forecasting an NFL season in April is like taking a half-court shot, but the NFC sure looks better at the top and deeper than the AFC. A Saints squad returning one of the best rookie classes of all time might be favorites in the AFC, but they are one team in the crowd.

“Our competition is a little stacked,” Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan told me during a recent trip to NFL Network. “It would be nice to be in the AFC something or other.”

A lot of NFC teams could be thinking the same in 2018. After a week’s worth of evaluating all the NFC changes in our Roster Reset series, here’s how things stand in the conference less than three weeks away from the NFL draft.

The real deals:
Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints.

It’s not like the Eagles’ offense can necessarily play better than it did while scoring 79 points combined in the NFC Championship and Super Bowl, but the return of Carson Wentz should help prevent a step back. This is a roster that is deep in the right places (the lines) and has a compelling mix of youth and veterans in their prime.

The Eagles — and the rest of this tier — would be bitterly disappointed by anything but a playoff trip. In one year, the Rams will have gone from afterthoughts to handling outsized expectations following their offseason trade spree. By the time the Rams added Ndamukong Suh and Brandin Cooks after free agency died down, it was as if people were offended the team added too many good players. (Note: Good players are helpful in football.)

The Suh signing was a coup in part because he chose the Rams over the Saints, a would-be NFC rival the Rams will face for a second straight season in 2018.

“No disrespect to anyone, I just felt with Suh there — there was no way I could have caught a full line slide and a chip,” Jordan said about the impact Suh could have made on Jordan’s path to opposing quarterbacks.

The Rams were shut down at home in the playoffs by the Saints’ division rival last season, inspiring brief visions of a potential Dirty South NFC title game between the Falcons and Saints. I believe that if you ran the 2017 playoffs 10 different times, 7-8 different champions might have emerged. It was that kind of season, with the Falcons and Saints both rightfully believing they were close to ring-worthy. There’s no reason for either team to feel differently about 2018 with both rosters boasting mostly homegrown, young and increasingly balanced talent.

The Packers believed they were somewhat balanced until they lost Rodgers. Green Bay was ranked first in this exercise a year ago and Rodgers’ return should have them right back in the mix, like the rest of the decade. Minnesota has every right to dream big after adding Cousins and getting running back Dalvin Cook back from injury, but the Vikings are barely favorites in their own division.

Don’t forget about us:

Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys.

It’s a deep conference when this trio doesn’t crack the top tier. The Panthers have a star-laden roster led by an MVP quarterback coming off an 11-win season with a coach who has made the playoffs in five of the last six seasons. The Seahawks essentially rented a spot in the Divisional Round all decade and still have Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner leading their respective units. The Cowboys still boast the most exciting young quarterback-running back combination in football.

All three fan bases will probably light up my mentions claiming disrespect for their placement, but every team can’t land in the top tier. No one knows anything, so use your time more productively than getting muted, and try reading a book.

April 8, 2018 at 9:45 am #85005

zn
Moderator

Which NFC teams have improved the most in free agency? (via @nfltotalaccess) pic.twitter.com/H2PRlx4gK5

— NFL (@NFL) April 8, 2018

April 8, 2018 at 9:52 am #85006

Zooey
Moderator

Yikes. That isn’t a broadcast team I need to see again. They’re like the morning news team on “Good Morning, Atlanta!” or something.

April 9, 2018 at 3:37 pm #85024

wv
Participant

Zooey wrote:

Yikes. That isn’t a broadcast team I need to see again. They’re like the morning news team on “Good Morning, Atlanta!” or something.

I bin watchin Chris Carter and Nick Wright lately. I dunno why but i have liked their style lately. They say things like “what i hear you saying is…”

Thats a far cry from the usual screaming and ranting testosterone-fits that are common on tee vee sports.

w
v

April 11, 2018 at 9:51 am #85061

zn
Moderator

PFF: Los Angeles Rams 2018 offseason moves

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-state-of-the-franchise-2018-rams

One of the busiest teams since the 2018 league year began, the Los Angeles Rams bolstered their defense, shipped away a playmaker (or two) and brought back key players who put forth career years in 2017.

While we wrote about their aggressive offseason moves earlier this year, after their signing of Ndamukong Suh, the Rams are firmly on the radar for a deep and lengthy playoff run in 2018. Perhaps going under-looked, is their franchise-tagging of cornerback-turned-safety Lamarcus Joyner who registered a career-high 90.3 overall grade last season. Joyner is joined by Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib, Nickell Robey-Coleman and burgeoning star in second-year safety John Johnson III to arguably form the league’s best secondary as a whole while also holding the league’s top interior defender duo in Suh and Aaron Donald.

With their aggressive offseason approach, the Rams have set themselves up to have a successful 2018 campaign while they can also look to the draft to add some depth and a key player or two at certain positions that could become an upgrade. What do PFF Senior Analysts Steve Palazzolo and Sam Monson think of their offseason so far?

April 15, 2018 at 11:05 pm #85156

SunTzu_vs_Camus
Participant

IMO – Dom Easley is hugely underrated at RDE. I think he and NRC were the two big re-signings that made me happiest.
I also think the SamShields signing has potential…if he doesn’t wash out in OTAs or PS. Shields is a player that still has some tread left after being out of the NFL for a few years…he’s 31 but a physically young 31…cept fer the noggin. I hope he plays like Peters and steers clear of the moors…er, I mean tackling!! 😉

"I should have been a pair of ragged claws...
Scuttling across the floors of silent seas."

April 20, 2018 at 12:42 am #85262

zn
Moderator

Alden Gonzalez@Alden_Gonzalez
I had the Rams at 12-4. If you go through game-by-game predictions from the beat writers who cover each of their opponents, the rest of ESPN’s NFL Nation reporters have the Rams going 14-2. That’s some serious respect.
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