Are the Los Angeles Rams better off blowing things up?

The Los Angeles Rams have pushed their chips towards the middle of the table in recent years. It’s largely paid off, as the franchise won the Super Bowl during the 2021 NFL season. However, only a few pieces remain from that championship team, and the front office might have to take a long look in starting a rebuild as soon as possible. All statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

According to a breakdown on the Philly Voice’s website, the Los Angeles Rams’ roster has the second-youngest average age in the NFL. That may be surprising to a lot of people, considering that a lot of the headline players that come to mind are up there in age.

For example, quarterback Matthew Stafford is 36, wide receiver Cooper Kupp is 31, tight end Tyler Higbee is 31, and offensive tackle Rob Havenstein is 32. Reserve quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is going to be 33 in November 2024.

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By all accounts, the Rams are in win-now mode, given the age of their quarterback and some key skill position players. Considering that they’ve already won, though, it might be time to pivot to put them in a better spot to sustainably contend moving forward.

The Rams won a Super Bowl after acquiring Stafford from the Detroit Lions, so the steep price they paid to get him is worth it. It left the cupboard a little bit bare though, as they sent Detroit a 2022 first round pick, a 2023 first round pick and a 2021 third round pick.

According to Pro Sports Transactions, the Rams are finally out of the draft capital hole they dug themselves in years ago. Although the Carolina Panthers have their second round pick in 2025, Los Angeles owns their first rounder, third rounder and fourth rounder this year.

Stafford has been everything the Rams could have hoped for and more, but how much more can they expect from him as he enters his late thirties? According to Spotrac, he’s signed through 2026, although there’s a potential out for the deal before the 2026 campaign.

ESPN once wrote a story about Stafford’s willingness and ability to play through pain. He once said he was always “trying to show up every single week to be there for the guys, no matter what the record was, what the score was, how you were feeling.” However, that gets a little more difficult in the later stages of a player’s career.

It also becomes even more critical for teams like Los Angeles to have a sturdy offensive line to protect aging quarterbacks who aren’t going to evade pass rushers with their legs. However, that’s been tough sledding, as Joe Noteboom, guard Steve Avila and guard Jonah Jackson have all landed on injured reserve with various ailments.

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Additionally, Stafford’s main weapons in the passing game, Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, have also been knocked out of the lineup for several games with knee and ankle injuries, respectively.

That doesn’t even include starting tight end Tyler Higbee, who hasn’t yet played in the 2024 season as he recovers from an ACL injury suffered towards the end of the 2023 season.

The Rams have invested a lot of capital trying to replace defensive tackle Aaron Donald on the interior of the line, but it’s an impossible task. Donald was an eight-time All-Pro, who will go down as one of the best defensive players of all-time. Los Angeles’ line will need to time develop to become the strength they once were, with Donald at the peak of his powers.

All of these factors point in the direction of a tear-down, nuts and bolts rebuild. However, Rams general manager Les Snead has not wanted to go in that direction.

Snead told Sports Illustrated, “Maybe we need to bring in a polling service to somewhat label what we’re trying to do. It’s tough to rebuild when you have some of the better players at their positions still on the team.” Snead said this before the 2023 campaign, before Donald retired, but the sentiment may still hold true.

If things go right in the weeks to come, it’s not impossible for the Rams to re-emerge as a playoff contender, but it would seem like an awful lot of things would have to break in their favor. With that said, Sean McVay is viewed as one of the best coaches in the NFL by Sports Illustrated and many others, so his ability to adjust can keep the team relevant as they battle through injuries.

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How should the Los Angeles Rams approach the rest of the 2024 NFL season? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment!