NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

2020 NFL Power Rankings: Patriots moving up as training camp nears

By Randy Gurzi

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 08: Cam Newton #1 of the Carolina Panthers before their game against the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium on September 08, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 08: Cam Newton #1 of the Carolina Panthers before their game against the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium on September 08, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
11 of 33
Next
2020 NFL Power Rankings
Los Angeles Rams, Sean McVay, Jared Goff (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

. Previous: 23rd. Los Angeles Rams. 23. team. 51.

Rams stay at No. 23

It wasn’t long ago that the Los Angeles Rams were the team everyone in the NFL was trying to copy. Sean McVay came in as the youngest head coach in the NFL and his offensive play-calling was all the rage. His usage of Todd Gurley, Brandin Cooks, and Cooper Kupp had them in the Super Bowl following the 2018 season, but they were shut down by the New England Patriots.

Then they headed into the 2019 season and weren’t the same club. They were 9-7 but it felt much worse than that as they struggled with consistency and missed the playoffs. Now, they enter 2020 with more questions as they released Gurley and traded away Cooks.

Of course, with the way they have built this team, that’s not surprising. L.A. has been adding premium veteran talent at an alarming rate, trading away their first-round picks in every draft in order to land players such as Jalen Ramey — who then needs to be compensated with huge contracts as well.

This season, they’re leaning heavily on those veterans once again but the fact that they can’t replace the outgoing talent with premium draft picks is concerning. Maybe I’m wrong, but it feels as though the Rams are about to take a step backward this season.

Home/NFL