Fighting for jobs in 23

[Allen2McVay]

Think many of us would agree with the above Wish List / Needs List. However, that's a tall order with capital that (at this point) seems limited to a pick in the late 30's, another around 70th overall; plus limited cap space and free agency that does not (again, at this point) seem to offer much at the positions of Need.

 

[Kupped]

Think many of us would agree with the above Wish List / Needs List. However, that's a tall order with capital that (at this point) seems limited to a pick in the late 30's, another around 70th overall; plus limited cap space and free agency that doesn't (again, at this point) seem to offer much at the positions of Need.

I think this is going to be a "break glass in case of emergency" offseason, when it comes to the salary cap and future draft picks.

But they're still going to have to deal with the marketplace.
I just don't know what's available when it comes to LT.. so it may be smart to keep Nsekhe, Jackson AND Noteboom.
I'm open to drafting a tackle high.. and they need another center on the roster.. I'm just not keeping Allen.
If the interior can be reliable in pass blocking.. they can live without an upper-tier LT, imo.

Edge & Corner are close to the same level for me, when it comes to concern.

Lots of other places to address as well... lots. Safety, of course.. TE, perhaps. Backup QB, as people say.

 

[Allen2McVay]

I think this is going to be a "break glass in case of emergency" offseason, when it comes to the salary cap and future draft picks.

But they're still going to have to deal with the marketplace.
I just don't know what's available when it comes to LT.. so it may be smart to keep Nsekhe, Jackson AND Noteboom.
I'm open to drafting a tackle high.. and they need another center on the roster.. I'm just not keeping Allen.
If the interior can be reliable in pass blocking.. they can live without an upper-tier LT, imo.

Edge & Corner are close to the same level for me, when it comes to concern.

Lots of other places to address as well... lots. Safety, of course.. TE, perhaps. Backup QB, as people say.

Agree but, again, that's quite a List you got there.

And, I'm not against the "Break-the-Glass" strategy. However, even that may not be sufficient.

I am one of the few here that still wished Carolina had taken the two #1s for Brian Burns. That's how much I think they need an Edge, how much I think of Burns and how difficult I think it is to find an talented, young Edge.

 

[oldnotdead]

Drafting is a crap shoot. If you want an impact player you have to pry one loose from a team.

I still think they can get Burns. Those 2 firsts look better as does their second round pick now than it did then. But I think they need to think out of the box. IMO DeForest Buckner can be had. He's a worthy successor to AD. That solves the DE problem by playing AD opposite Floyd.

JACK Floyd
3T Buckner
1T Gaines
5T Donald

That's about as good as any DL in the NFL Buckner IMO would be cheaper than Burns but he's got 9 sacks on a mediocre DL.

They can get a pretty good edge prospect early in the second round but they could do better with that pick in a trade for a proven player. Their starting OL IMO are already on the team. A TE , RB or CB looks likely in the third round. The Rams might get a couple of 5th round comp picks and if they do then I see OL with at least one of the picks.

I think Robinson gets one more year to "show me" that he can play opposite Kupp. With the emergence of Tutu, and Jefferson developing at X WR, Robinson could be trade bait. Robinson's dead cap it too large this year to simply release. But next year is a completely different matter. He needs to show he's the impact player they traded for.

Between edge and Mayfield this is shaping up to be a very interesting offseason. This off season could dictate the future of this franchise for a long time to come.

 

[So Ram]

If I'm considering keeping one of the street FAs, it's Ty Nsekhe as a swing OT. Looking at our roster next year, we have the following OLs returning:
LT Joe Noteboom (hopefully in time for the start of the year)
RT Rob Havenstein
OG/C Coleman Shelton
C Brian Allen (no real upside to cutting him)
OG/OT Alaric Jackson
OG Logan Bruss
OG/OT Tremayne Anchrum

That's 7 spots. Teams generally only carry 9 OLs. I'd draft at least one guy, so that's 8 spots (at a minimum). If we're trying to fill that last spot, I'd rather have Nsekhe in case Noteboom and Jackson have set backs than Skura or Brewer. However, if I were the Rams, I'd also consider 49ers utility OL Daniel Brunskill in FA. He has proven to be a serviceable LT when needed and can be a solid starter on the interior.

On the DL, I like Hoecht a lot and think he could be a starter at 5-Tech for us next year.

All good,but your trusting Anchrum a 7th rd pick.He has done less than Bobby Evans ever did for The Rams.
Brewer has even played more than him.
In FACT Matt Skura has NFL experience & can play center as well.
If your keeping Ty N. then you don’t reach for a OLineman in the draft.Drafting a player is always a choice if the value & scouting is there at any position.
Signing a player like that Miners C/G or a veteran to upgrade is something I’ve always wanted. Going into 2023 like 2022 with Shelton as a starting Guard would be unacceptable.

All in all though IMO The Rams are in better shape going into this off-season than last season.

Then again what is the health of Noteboom & A”Jackson

 

[Kupped]

All good,but your trusting Anchrum a 7th rd pick.He has done less than Bobby Evans ever did for The Rams.
Brewer has even played more than him.
In FACT Matt Skura has NFL experience & can play center as well.
If your keeping Ty N. then you don’t reach for a OLineman in the draft.Drafting a player is always a choice if the value & scouting is there at any position.
Signing a player like that Miners C/G or a veteran to upgrade is something I’ve always wanted. Going into 2023 like 2022 with Shelton as a starting Guard would be unacceptable.

All in all though IMO The Rams are in better shape going into this off-season than last season.

Then again what is the health of Noteboom & A”Jackson

Fair point on Anchrum.. but, boy, he looked pretty good in preseason.. significantly better than Brewer, which is why he made the initial roster and Brewer didn't.

 

[oldnotdead]

We have yet to see Thomas and Toner on the OL. The Rams seem to be very interested in these guys as Toner is a "protected veteran" on the PS. He had one good year and a so so start on another year. Toner definitely could be in the mix at OG. Thomas might be groomed as a swing OG/ROT.

It's not like they have ignored the OL. They continue to mine the FA and PS lists. If their projected starters all return to 100% health in the off season the OL will be as good or better than 2021 just with the guys they have and they could potentially have better depth with Nsekhe and Toner. IMO Toner played better in his one year as a starter than Edwards, Skura or Aboushi. I think they keep Allen one more year as a backup to Shelton. So their 3 man game day depth looks good with swings OT Nsekhe, C/G Allen, G Toner or Bruss.

LT Noteboom
LG Jackson
C Shelton
RG TBD Toner/Bruss
RT Havenstein

Gameday reserves: OT Nsekhe, OG/C Allen, TBD Toner/Bruss

If Mayfield stays the QB position looks outstanding with Stafford and Mayfield with a vet FA TBD.

RB Akers, Williams, TBD Michel or draftee

WRs Kupp, Jefferson, Robinson, Tutu, Powell, Skowronek, PS Harris & McCutcheon

I like the potential of the talent they have on defense, but I have no faith in Morris to use them properly. The reason I like Brian Flores is because of how he used his undermanned roster to elevate his defense from a 30th overall in 2019 to 15th overall in 2021. He plays a 3-4 hybrid or what is sometimes called a 4i technique, very aggressively. On third and longs he attacks playing man with a cover 1. His defense is often in a "mug" where he walks his LBs into the gaps so that it causes confusion on the OL as to who is coming and who the block. The shade alignment of the DL when the 3-4 hybrid is used properly is very good against the run as the A gaps are covered. Morris likes to play a 0T with his NT but then he doesn't cover the A gaps with his ILBs which is why the inside tends to be soft against early down runs, i.e. Morris doesn't play to get the offense behind the sticks.

McVay should fire Morris and hire Brian Flores who would use the full potential of this defense. Whereas Brian elevated the play of his defenses each year, Morris has done the exact opposite dropping it from #1 to 18th overall this week. Two weeks ago it was 14th ranked. If McVay demands production from his players why does he keep a mediocre DC?

Upgrade the DC position and this team will be primed for a SB run.

 

[So Ram]

Fair point on Anchrum.. but, boy, he looked pretty good in preseason.. significantly better than Brewer, which is why he made the initial roster and Brewer didn't.

He has another year on his contract. I don’t know how it is going to go down.

Agree about Brewer. O’Day has played better than him & when he gets benched it shows. When O’Day has been in it seems better ? Right now it is all a guess.
I just see The rams highlighting players.There will be some hard calls The Rams will have to make.

 

[BonifayRam]

Fair point on Anchrum.. but, boy, he looked pretty good in preseason.. significantly better than Brewer, which is why he made the initial roster and Brewer didn't.

Tremayne Anchrum would appear at this point in time to be a better talent @ OG than Aboushi, Skura & Brewer.
Carberry sure likes Skura at LG. Carberry like Brewer @ RG over veteran Aboushi.

The big negative here is TA has been unable to remain healthy for almost all of the last 2 seasons. TA has only one yr left on his 4 yr contract with nothing to show in 3 seasons........not a good resume in my book.

No idea about Zac Thomas or Cole Toner abilities. CT has been signed about a dozen times to the PS of 6 or 7 teams. CT is far more OC than OG. CT is from Harvard and will be 29 yrs old in 2023.

 

[badnews]

We need to bite whatever bullet and bring in a legit G or C this offseason, and maybe draft a C with our first pick.

Good post and agreed.

I think it's safe to look at the entire O-line and admit there is literally nothing there preventing the team from adding the ol "BPA" regardless of position. If the Rams can draft a legit tackle prospect because one falls into our lucky hands, they have to do it. If they spent their entire FA budget and first 3 draft picks just on the OL, I would probably stand up and applaud. They simply can't afford to hope they can find cast-offs and hidden gems, they need to be aggressively proactive in making their own luck.

It's all-you-can-eat bullet night at the buffet and it's time for the braintrust to sit down and clean some plates.

 

[BonifayRam]

Good post and agreed.

I think it's safe to look at the entire O-line and admit there is literally nothing there preventing the team from adding the ol "BPA" regardless of position. If the Rams can draft a legit tackle prospect because one falls into our lucky hands, they have to do it. If they spent their entire FA budget and first 3 draft picks just on the OL, I would probably stand up and applaud. They simply can't afford to hope they can find cast-offs and hidden gems, they need to be aggressively proactive in making their own luck.

It's all-you-can-eat bullet night at the buffet and it's time for the braintrust to sit down and clean some plates.

As you said depends on what there is in the early rounds of 2 & 3 of the 2nd day. OL'ers are in HOT demand & growing hotter each draft. Rams must increase the talent & skills of their OL if they desire to have a winning season anytime soon. Salary Cap Funds are in very short supply in Ramville.

In a little over 2 months from now, health information on those 2 starting LT's will be far less muddy. Thus helping with the decision @ LT in the draft. Snead has not done his job too well on his selections of OL'ers on day 2 of the draft. The last hit was back in 2015 with starting RT Havenstein soon to be 9 yrs ago.

I don't understand the idea of Boom being a Guard, when he seemed to suck at it every time I saw the attempt to make him one...

Has to be a big mistake on her part or she might be confused between Jackson & Noteboom.

Alaric Jackson has already proven he is a solid good starting OG, whereas Noteboom has never come close to performing well @ LG. If Noteboom gets healthy enough to play it will be @ LT and nowhere else. Rams Org will not pay Noteboom $15.5 million to start & play like at LG.

If Alaric Jackson is cleared medically to play in 2023 he would be a good starting LG & would be a big upgrade from David Edwards. This in turn might help LT Noteboom turn away from his poor play.

 

[jrry32]

All good,but your trusting Anchrum a 7th rd pick.He has done less than Bobby Evans ever did for The Rams.
Brewer has even played more than him.

Anchrum got injured basically immediately after stepping in this year. But the Rams had him as their top reserve on the interior after Bruss went down in the preseason. That tells me what the Rams thought of him.

 

[So Ram]

Anchrum got injured basically immediately after stepping in this year. But the Rams had him as their top reserve on the interior after Bruss went down in the preseason. That tells me what the Rams thought of him.

Jrry , seems like you’re always right.I always like to listen to The Rams interviews & Mic’d up.
You get a feel for the player & interaction between teamates & coaches.
Mcvay of course always says the same as you,so wonder how much you view those as well?
Anchrum really got mad respect for being Man of The Year(award giving back) for The Rams(NFL?).
(Finalist)to be determined.

He said when asked about players & The O’Line that he was really disappointed that Anchrum got hurt after only 1 play when finally given the chance. He was basically like you said ,too reserve upfront.I actually think for all 4 spots besides center..I believe at one point they almost wanted him to play center.
When Anrum came out of Clemson the thing that impressed me the most was his maturity for his age. You can see those things right away with players.
Brockers coming out of LSU the same type of thing.Both players IMO were Twinners though. Brockers was to slow,to big in height for a DT. Anchrum height & weight..Was a Tackle (RT) at Clemson.

Anyways you could also see in the preseason how much better than Bobby Evans he was this season.

 

[So Ram]

We have yet to see Thomas and Toner on the OL. The Rams seem to be very interested in these guys as Toner is a "protected veteran" on the PS. He had one good year and a so so start on another year. Toner definitely could be in the mix at OG. Thomas might be groomed as a swing OG/ROT.

It's not like they have ignored the OL. They continue to mine the FA and PS lists. If their projected starters all return to 100% health in the off season the OL will be as good or better than 2021 just with the guys they have and they could potentially have better depth with Nsekhe and Toner. IMO Toner played better in his one year as a starter than Edwards, Skura or Aboushi. I think they keep Allen one more year as a backup to Shelton. So their 3 man game day depth looks good with swings OT Nsekhe, C/G Allen, G Toner or Bruss.

LT Noteboom
LG Jackson
C Shelton
RG TBD Toner/Bruss
RT Havenstein

Gameday reserves: OT Nsekhe, OG/C Allen, TBD Toner/Bruss

If Mayfield stays the QB position looks outstanding with Stafford and Mayfield with a vet FA TBD.

RB Akers, Williams, TBD Michel or draftee

WRs Kupp, Jefferson, Robinson, Tutu, Powell, Skowronek, PS Harris & McCutcheon

I like the potential of the talent they have on defense, but I have no faith in Morris to use them properly. The reason I like Brian Flores is because of how he used his undermanned roster to elevate his defense from a 30th overall in 2019 to 15th overall in 2021. He plays a 3-4 hybrid or what is sometimes called a 4i technique, very aggressively. On third and longs he attacks playing man with a cover 1. His defense is often in a "mug" where he walks his LBs into the gaps so that it causes confusion on the OL as to who is coming and who the block. The shade alignment of the DL when the 3-4 hybrid is used properly is very good against the run as the A gaps are covered. Morris likes to play a 0T with his NT but then he doesn't cover the A gaps with his ILBs which is why the inside tends to be soft against early down runs, i.e. Morris doesn't play to get the offense behind the sticks.

McVay should fire Morris and hire Brian Flores who would use the full potential of this defense. Whereas Brian elevated the play of his defenses each year, Morris has done the exact opposite dropping it from #1 to 18th overall this week. Two weeks ago it was 14th ranked. If McVay demands production from his players why does he keep a mediocre DC?

Upgrade the DC position and this team will be primed for a SB run.

Cutch IMO has showed how RAW he is when given the opportunity.

The pass from Baker Mayfield showed it. He put a perfect ball on him Down the sidelines.Instead of running through the ball he turned & tried to catch it by jumping in the air & turning. Went through his hands.Saw that a couple of times,but with Baker Mayfield you really see it because he is so good.(sad he is gone).
With Tutu it is different,but the thing with Tutu Atwell is he is afraid of contact.He is playing with real caution.He has a lot of upside though & is really country & not all that smart. His talent is there.
—Cam Akers is a different Cat as well.He will be alright & said wants to be a Rams forever. Jalen Ramsey has him though(minds right) with mentoring him to know what he has & what it is to be a complete player.
FUNNY I said what would be posted & The Rams announcer played & showed Mcvay(Fans) him & Hopkins on those 2 plays blocking for each other for big plays & Bakerreading it right.
Good stuff. Cam said it was more than just running the ball as well. I think that was why he wasn’t playing & The Press is to DUMB to figure it out. I like RODRIQuez from the athletic.Jordan.
—

 

[So Ram]

Anchrum got injured basically immediately after stepping in this year. But the Rams had him as their top reserve on the interior after Bruss went down in the preseason. That tells me what the Rams thought of him.

It will be interesting what The Rams do in the offseason ?

Mcvay also like Bruss still & doesn’t count his season. AJ Arcuri he also brought up about his game against KC.I could see The Rams finding practice squad players to add for depth though. Hiding them for a season to develop. The way he keeps his starters out of preseason games really helps to develop players.
—The difference from now vs preseason is huge.How players develop a work is going to be key. The big question is do The Rams have the right people (players) on the roster? Meaning,willing to put in the effort.
AD99 didn’t just become great overnight & improve each season because of not working hard. Mcvay always knew AD99 even when holdout was putting in the work.
A player like Todd Gurley got a contract early because he was a Diva & needed to be at the facility.I give him credit at how smart of a player he was at times.He put in the work as well.
—Goff imo was trusted & didn’t put in the work during Covid.That was why Mcvay was so upset & lost trust. IMO as well is Mcvay dips & Jared dips big time as well.The difference is a QB that dips the way Jared Goff was is not good.Don’t know about him know?When you can see it,it’s not good.
Those contracts from veterans have to be right.I don’t know what it will all look like.

A Rams player who will be a lot better in 2023 IMO is Ernest Jones,because he wants to be great & has the tools & desire to do so.This last game of the season should be fun,because The Rams players want to win & this is there PLAYOFF GAME!!
THE RAMS WANT to ELIMINATE the HAGS!! It’s personal

 

[So Ram]

Skura is another Blythe, i.e. JAG. Hoecht is being played out of position. Up until just the last few games he was played where he belongs at 3T. He's a good rotational interior DLineman. This is why I think Snead needs to grab Deforest Buckner to play 3T and move AD to DE for his last year. Buckner is one of the best interior Dlinemen in the NFL. He would bring speed and power.

It was clear to me Bobby Brown isn't ready and may never be ready. Ernest Brown is like Bobby and it's time to move on from both. With Murchison they don't need Bobby. Murchison, clearly can't beat a double team which is why he isn't the answer as a starter at 3T either. Hill showed why they released him the first time.

On the OL, Brewer looks promising, and Bruss could play LG, replacing the JAG Skura. But if they are going to keep Havenstein one more year (IMO a mistake) then I would rather see Jackson at LG and Noteboom at his LT position assuming he can return to form (which is TBD since not everyone can). Havenstein has shown he's consistently overmatched by speed and power. In today's NFL, you need two good OTs as it's not like it used to be in the old days. Today teams have 2 good edges that they will flip sides for matchup reasons. The Rams have two good OTs in Noteboom and Jackson. People are down on Noteboom because they watched him play while hurt. When he's healthy he's a very good LT (according to both Whitworth and Havenstein). Since they are locked into Havenstein until 2024 because of dead cap, they should play Jackson at LG and Noteboom at LT. With Shelton at C and Allen at RG the OL could be better than the one they won the Super Bowl with.

This will give them depth with Swings of OT Nsekhe, OG Bruss, OG Brewer, OG/OT Thomas.

What the Charger game showed was the good and the bad of Mayfield. It brought him down to earth and hopefully showed him how much he would benefit by being Stafford's backup for at least a year. As I said in another post. Baker is good and has made huge progress in his development. But he's a system QB (progression) and his decision making and mechanics breakdown under pressure. Both of these issues can be rectified by good coaching focused on these areas. Case in point the pass he missed to a wide open Akers along the sideline. Just a slightly better throw probably would have been a TD. I still think if he stays even one year as a backup he could take that next step up and be a very good QB. His ceiling could be as an elite QB but right now he's a tier two QB. Good enough to be competitive but not a consistent championship level QB.

All I'm pointing out is that there aren't as many holes in this roster as people think. This roster is a Super Bowl roster if used correctly. Such as playing Ramsey, Rochell and Durant as their starting 3 CBs. Enough of this shit with JAG players like Hill, and Kendrick, and marginal players like David Long. I'd rather have Grant Haley as a depth CB than David Long.

Cole Toner is a protected veteran OG originally a 5th round pick in 2016. But he didn't see the field until 2020 with the Chargers where he logged 295 game snaps and starting 3 games. In 2021 he was with Houston playing 68 snaps in one start. The Charger OL in 2020 wasn't good and Toner graded out poorly. His one game in Houston wasn't bad but wasn't good enough for them to keep him. The Rams must see something in him to keep him as a protected player on their PS. As of now he projects as a depth player next year.

Yeah - ok another Austin Blythe a backup center who starts a RG & takes The Rams to the superbowl. Then is out in to start a RG the next season,because The Rams couldn’t find a Veteran Guard to replace him. He finally gets out in as the starting center,but is The Perfect swing backup C/G for a Top NFL team,who would have been the starter for The Chiefs if The Rams were smart enough to have drafted Creed Humpries?
Yeah that Creed Humpries who AUSTIN Blythe mentored like he did Coleman & Allen?
—The AUSTIN BLYTHE who is The Hags starting center???

Oh yeah - just a Jag. Here is hoping Matt Skura can be that player. I guess that player is already on the roster though in Shelton Coleman. The FREAKING RAMS did it again this season though,not having a Starting RG again forcing Coleman Shelton to be the starter.

Now in 2023 if he starts ahead of Brian Allen at least Shelton can swing to guard & Bruan Allen take over. Just frustrating when The RG spot was never addressed going into a season & it cost The Rams from going to the playoffs & this season having a real bad losing record.

—Leave the lesson of Austin Blythe. The Jag who is starting in Seattle to learn from.

 

[I like Rams]

Right!?!




View: https://media4.giphy.com/media/CKrlUi30dn44w/giphy.gif?cid=6c09b952df5befc1f8afbd082359340a4d03b068aececf7d&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g

Thats how I feel when people talk about wanting to keep Brewer. Dude has never been good.

 

[fearsomefour]

What do you think about him as your backup Center/4th guard?

This would be, as Ive said over and over, a priority resigning to me. Not a big money signing by any means, but one I would get done.
The folks the Rams rotated in due to injuries before him did not play as well. Full stop.
He has been good in the run game....with a lot of Akers good runs coming to the left side the last couple of weeks.
Can Anchrum be better as interior depth? Maybe. We have no way of knowing as he was instantly injured. Same can be said for Jackson.
Brewer shows some potential and has been solid....but again, was injured and he can't back up C as far as we have seen.
Im casting a wide (and cheap) net to fill out the OL depth this offseason. Skura will never be confused with Larry Allen, but, that's fine. He is also much better than the Evans and Kolones' of the world. Add in years worth of starting experience (meaning he knows how to prepare) and its a no brainer to me.
I would keep Skura and Ty and let Aboushi walk.

 

[fearsomefour]

Tremayne Anchrum would appear at this point in time to be a better talent @ OG than Aboushi, Skura & Brewer.
Carberry sure likes Skura at LG. Carberry like Brewer @ RG over veteran Aboushi.

The big negative here is TA has been unable to remain healthy for almost all of the last 2 seasons. TA has only one yr left on his 4 yr contract with nothing to show in 3 seasons........not a good resume in my book.

No idea about Zac Thomas or Cole Toner abilities. CT has been signed about a dozen times to the PS of 6 or 7 teams. CT is far more OC than OG. CT is from Harvard and will be 29 yrs old in 2023.

Why do you say that about Anchrum? What has he shown? A few moments in preseason and what.....two plays in regular season?
That is a lot of projection going on there.
You may be right and I hope so, but, no way of knowing at this point.
None are expensive.....Im keeping them all and let them battle it out in preseason.
Guys with proven starting experience, for reasons we've seen this season, should get a little nod for that as it does have value.

 

[So Ram]

Why do you say that about Anchrum? What has he shown? A few moments in preseason and what.....two plays in regular season?
That is a lot of projection going on there.
You may be right and I hope so, but, no way of knowing at this point.
None are expensive.....Im keeping them all and let them battle it out in preseason.
Guys with proven starting experience, for reasons we've seen this season, should get a little nod for that as it does have value.

Agree, why cut yourself short on resources & let those players battle it out. Holding on to Bobby Evans for so long is on Sean Mcvay & the coaching staff.
-At what point do you move on from a player.Then again there is a lot of info The Rams gave on all these players.
Sorting through this is what helps build a better foundation.
IMO finding players to play will be key. Sean Mcvay is high on Anchrum & Bruss though. Don’t be surprised if he square in a round box.