ONE-HANDED PICK @JaylenWatson12!

📺: #JAXvsKC on NBC
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/3PQhoYeSUP pic.twitter.com/PQDr05mz1l

— NFL (@NFL) January 22, 2023

AJ Schulte@AJSchulteFB

Jaylen Watson wasn’t one of my immediate targets at corner for the #RamsHouse but it’s clear w/ him and McDuffie the Rams are ready for more man coverage and wanted to improve their physicality in the secondary.

Completely retooling the room

Adam Grosbard@AdamGrosbard
Team feels like Watson at 6-foot-2 provides the physicality and length the team has needed at outside corner.

Sam Monson@SamMonsonNFL
The Rams now basically have 1) no holes on the roster, 2) draft capital to play with and 3) a history of trying to trade UP for players in the last couple of drafts.

Albert Breer@AlbertBreer
The Rams had a hole at corner, and now have filled it with Chiefs imports Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. And they still have the 13th pick, and their slotted second- and third-rounders intact.

(That Atlanta trade from last April worked out.)

Vincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
The @Rams secondary looks crazy good with Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Kam Curl.

But even more so when you think about how well they rush the passer.

Rams’ Best Catches From The 2025 Season

from Brock Viera, https://www.si.com/nfl/rams/onsi/los-angeles-free-agency-mailbag-who-will-les-snead-target-come-monday

…

Coaching continuity. The only major departure was Aubrey Pleasant and the Rams replaced him with Jimmy Lake, a coach who was with the Rams last season, worked with Raheem Morris and Nate Landman in Atlanta during the 2024 season, and was a member of the Rams in 2023. He also coached Trent McDuffie at Washington.

Keeping Nate Scheelhaase and Dave Ragone was massive. Rob Calabrese fills in perfectly for Scheelhaase’s old role, while Eric Yarber continues to uphold the standards in the wide receiver room. Scott Huff is a blocking genius who has redefined the tight end room, while Ryan Wendell has established the New England Patriots/ Dante Scarnecchia culture within the offensive line. Five offensive linemen, zero first-round picks, one day two pick, two day three picks, two undrafted players, and yet, Matthew Stafford was clean all season while Kyren Williams hit his third straight 1,000-yard season.

On defense, the pieces being added indicate Chris Shula will bring more pressure, while various additions from the collegiate ranks will keep the Rams up to date with modern concepts, without sacrificing the brain trust at the top.

However, the biggest moves come from the Washington Commanders. Kliff Kingsbury and Brian Johnson will be the reason Sean McVay becomes a complete game manager. McVay’s fatal flaw is that he often gets way too aggressive or way too conservative at the wrong time. Let’s not forget McVay’s plan to launch footballs into the snowy Chicago sky in January. Those two should lead to a more succinct product that eliminates bad football.

Continuity for player development and culture, while new additions fix pressing issues without negatively affecting their overall operation.

Note: this long tweet is about Detroit GM Brad Holmes, but along the way it also says things about Snead that should also interest Rams fans.

…

Joe Chapp@JCSportsDetroit
As tampering opens Monday, I’m honestly perplexed by the amount of hate Brad Holmes gets for one down year.

I’m constantly told the gold standard of GMs in this league are John Lynch, Les Snead, and Howie Roseman. And they are — phenomenal executives. No question.

But let’s look at reality.

Times they missed the playoffs after a winning season:
Snead – 2
Roseman – 3
Lynch – 2

So what’s the point?

Point One:
Winning consistently in the NFL is extremely hard. Staying in the playoffs every single year is even harder.

We’re also told it doesn’t take long to build a contender.

Lynch was hired in 2017. It took three years to make the playoffs — that third year they went to a Super Bowl and lost. Since then, they’ve still missed the playoffs twice.

Roseman was hired in 2010 but didn’t have personnel authority until 2013. They won the Wild Card that year, then missed the playoffs the next three seasons before winning the Super Bowl in 2017. He’s missed the playoffs four times total, even with two Super Bowl wins.

Snead was hired in 2012 when the franchise was still in St. Louis. They had five straight losing seasons, including their first year in Los Angeles. Their first playoff appearance was 2017, and since then they’ve missed the playoffs twice, while winning one Super Bowl.

Point Two:
It’s extremely difficult to build a team that can consistently compete for championships — let alone win one.

Another thing I constantly hear is that the Lions are “built only through the draft.”

That’s partially true… but if you could build through the draft at a high level, why wouldn’t you?

Players drafted during each GM’s tenure:
Holmes – 29
Roseman – 81
Lynch – 74
Snead – 89

Pro Bowl players drafted:
Holmes – 6
Roseman – 8
Lynch – 7
Snead – 10

First-Team All-Pros drafted:
Holmes – 2
Lynch – 2
Roseman – 3
Snead – 3

Hit rate of drafted players becoming starters:
Holmes – 49%
Roseman – 39%
Lynch – 39%
Snead – 38%

Average starters produced per draft class:
Eagles – 3.2 (elite)
49ers – 3.2 (elite)
Lions – 2.8 (borderline elite with far fewer picks)
Rams – 2.4 (good)

Typical NFL benchmarks:
• 2–3 starters per draft class = very good GM
• 3+ starters per draft class = elite drafting

Now let’s talk trades.

Average player trades per year during their tenure:
Roseman – 1.7
Lynch – 1.6
Snead – 1.4
Holmes – 1.2

Point Three:
Yes, trades matter. But drafting is the backbone of every successful franchise.

The truth is, trades account for a tiny percentage of roster building. What matters most is drafting well — and every GM listed here does that.

Brad Holmes does too.

So when people panic after one season or demand massive roster overhauls, remember this:

Even the best GMs in football miss the playoffs.
Even the best GMs in football take years to build a contender.
And the best teams in football are built through the draft.

Holmes isn’t behind the curve.

If anything, he’s right in it.

Coach Yac 🗣@Coach_Yac
Greg Cosell on Kyle Shanahan:

“I know coaches and I have great conversations with them. When I talk to a defensive coordinator I always ask who are the offensive coordinators that give them the most trouble and Kyle Shanahan’s name is always number 1, believe it or not. Defensive coordinators always say that he does the best job of any offensive coordinator in the league at understanding what defenses are doing and then how to attack those defenses. I’m not making this up.”

Adam Archuleta@AdamArchuleta
I would agree with this. I would put McVay up there as well.

The reason is that they understand defensive rules and keys so well, they know how each player is taught to react and what their keys are. They don’t just arbitrarily run plays, it’s with purpose and design.

They are also the best at truly knowing their OWN players strengths and putting them in positions that give them a winning advantage.

To do this requires a thorough understanding of both sides of the ball. More importantly, they understand how to teach and install concepts in a way that their players can process information quickly.

Greg Cosell on Kyle Shanahan:

“I know coaches and I have great conversations with them. When I talk to a defensive coordinator I always ask who are the offensive coordinators that give them the most trouble and Kyle Shanahan’s name is always number 1, believe it or not.… pic.twitter.com/jSy7VZKm35

— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) March 7, 2026

In the 1985 Divisional Round, @EricDickerson ran for 248 yards against the Cowboys, a single-game playoff record that still stands today. (Jan. 4, 1986)
pic.twitter.com/Gx51LMxdj2

— Vintage NFL (@VintageFB) March 7, 2026

zn wrote:

Here’s what I hope they don’t do. Trade for Max Crosby.

And they didn’t. Or, can’t even if they wanted to. Crosby to Ravens. So, we are saved.

InvaderRam wrote:

yeah. they could go almost any direction except qb. or trade down.

i still want sadiq though. he could fill in as a big wr or tight end.

Here’s what I hope they don’t do. Trade for Max Crosby. It would cost too much considering it would mean bringing a 4/3 end to a 3/4 team, which would require all sorts of changes to work out. Not denying Crosby is a great player, but, his greatness does not outweight having to re-wire an entire defensive system just to fit him in.

from Nate Atkins, https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7093327/2026/03/06/rams-kam-curl-nfl-free-agency-2026/?source=emp_shared_article&unlocked_article_code=1.RFA.gSHT.QI7F4RwjV6kW&smid=ta-ios-share

Curl played 93 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in 2024 and 99 percent of them last season. He stepped into a leadership role during the seven games that star safety Quentin Lake had to miss due to a dislocated elbow.

Curl’s impact was never lost on teammates or coaches, as he often dictated stops and helped a much-improved run defense. He will help complete a Rams secondary that has already seen a major boost this offseason, as Los Angeles acquired two-time All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie from the Kansas City Chiefs ….

Zooey wrote:

Since they got McDuffie, it seems like the Rams have already addressed their single biggest need. They need more CBs, but it’s a deep draft there, and the Rams don’t have to aim for a blue chip now.

Or they could trade down. The draft is deep, deep, deep at both WR and CB.

I don’t know which I prefer. Rock star at 13? Another top CB at 13? Trade down and get good players at both CB and WR and/or TE?

I told the Rams, it’s all good–they can’t go wrong, so they should do what they want. No directives from me this year.

I uncreated a thread so had to move this here.

Cowherd’s mock draft:

Mansoor Delane, CB, to Washington at 7
Love, RB, to Saints at 8
Fano, OT, to Chiefs at 9
STyles, LB to Bengals at 10
Bain, DE, to Dolphins at 11
Faulk, DE to Cowboys at 12
Macai Lemon, WR to Rams at 13
Kenyon Sadik, TE, to Ravens at 14

w
v

from PFF, Jan 21, 2026: Every NFL team’s highest-graded pending free agent from 2025 — https://www.pff.com/news/every-nfl-teams-highest-graded-pending-free-agent-from-2025#LAR

Los Angeles Rams: S Kamren Curl

Curl will be inextricably tied to franchise postseason history following his overtime interception of Caleb Williams in the divisional round, and that one play nicely encapsulates his entire campaign. The safety has played to a 79.9 overall PFF grade this year, his highest since 2022 with the Commanders. His 89.4 PFF coverage grade at free safety is in the 93rd percentile, and he’s added a 4.0% run stop rate.