The Los Angeles Rams came four points away from representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. For a second consecutive season, the Rams were close enough to the Super Bowl that they could taste it. Heading into a season that could be Matthew Stafford’s last and arguably the best chance of the Rams’ current window, general manager Les Snead and the front office have been active.
Prior to the beginning of free agency, the Rams have already made a blockbuster trade for a top cornerback and then re-signed important players in Tyler Higbee and Kam Curl. One of the best qualities of the Rams front office is that they always seem to have a high level of understanding of where they are in a team-build.
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The Rams clearly know where they came up short last season and understand that they are in an important ‘win now’ window. Defensively, the pieces were there, but it was the shortcomings in the secondary that were the eventual downfall. Higbee may be a shell of his former self, but he’s a key leader on the offense. Curl was one of the best run-defending and tackling safeties in the NFL and made the play of the season in the NFC Divisional Round. Snead is keeping the band together, but also upgrading some of the instruments.
It would have been very easy for the Rams to move on from Higbee and not many would have been surprised had they made that decision. This is a team that typically hasn’t paid safeties in the Sean McVay era. Jordan Fuller, Taylor Rapp, John Johnson III, and Nick Scott were all given the green light to find other opportunities in free agency. This is a team that has historically drafted and developed well at the safety position. Within the last two months, the Rams have extended not one, but two safeties.
Following the Super Bowl win in 2021, head coach Sean McVay famously got on the stage and drunkenly started chanting ‘Run it back! Run it back!” The Rams went on to win five games the next season. However, this time feels different. This is a team that feels motivated after the heartbreak over the last three seasons. Specifically, this core group of players has experienced the same heartbreak the last two years.
Again, this is a team that typically hasn’t invested in certain positions. They brought back Lake and Curl while also seriously extending a linebacker for the first time since Alec Ogletree with Nate Landman. They also paid a running back, which is something they hadn’t done. While Curl’s contract details aren’t known, Lake and Landman both have most of their money tied into 2026. It’s a fair assumption that Curl is structured the same way.
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The Rams wanted this core group of players back for this specific season. This is a front office that understands what’s on the line in 2026. They don’t want to waste another potential MVP season from Matthew Stafford. This may not be a true ‘run it back’ in the sense that everyone from last season returns. However, the core and key players are set to return which is critical. That leaves the Rams able to be flexible in free agency and the draft. Everything is on the table. It also allows them to focus on simply upgrading the situation around the players that got them to the NFC Championship game last season.
This is the NFL and no two seasons are the same. As I’ve written over the past month, nothing in the NFL is a guarantee. It’s very possible that last season was the Rams’ last best shot with Matthew Stafford. The stars may not align that way again. However, by bringing back many of the same pieces, the Rams will at least give themselves a chance.
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