The Los Angeles Rams’ pass defense wasn’t the worst in the NFL. In all honesty, the group was a little overachieving, as the secondary was made up of inexperienced players and anonymous veterans, and even the guys with recognizable names were deemed to be too injury-prone to be relied on. It was the Island of Misfit Toys training camp in many ways and the Ram’s secondary became a focal point of opposition offenses later in the season.
In terms of yards allowed, the Rams secondary was ranked 20th out of 32 teams. In terms of passing TDs allowed, the Rams ranked 23rd out of 32 teams. In terms of interceptions, the Rams were once again ranked 23rd out of 32 teams. But, in terms of money invested in the secondary, the LA Rams’ spending on defensive backs was ranked 30th out of 32 teams. For 2024, the LA Rams’ salary commitments rank dead last on secondary spending.
If the phrase ‘You get what you pay for,’ comes to mind, you are on the right track. If you think back, the LA Rams were so penny-pinching one year ago that the team shed veterans via trades and cuts, and showed almost no interest in re-signing any players, even to Reserve/Future contracts.
It was not some experiment in the lab by mad scientist Les Snead, in some attempt to see how little the Rams could spend and remain a playoff team. Rather, it was a necessity of survival. The Rams spending spree had run its course, and the Rams simply had to tighten down their spending in 2023 to ensure that the team had sufficient finances to survive the season.
So how do the LA Rams solidify their secondary? While this could be an epically long slide show, I will try to limit words to basic fundamental strategy, just 3 slides, and let you, the reader, translate what that means in terms of who to retain, add, or draft to the Rams roster. It’s as easy as 1-2-3. So let’s get right to it.
Leave a Reply