The defending Super Bowl champions have added a few key pieces in 2022. So are the Los Angeles Rams primed to repeat as NFL champions?
There was a time that this franchise couldn’t get back into the playoffs. The Rams suffered through a 12-year postseason drought (2005-16) in which the team combined for a miserable 60-131-1 win-loss record.
Then came the arrival of head coach Sean McVay in 2017. The team has posted five consecutive winning campaigns, reached the playoffs four times, and appeared in a pair of Super Bowls.
The second of those two appearances on Super Sunday came this past February as the club rallied past the upstart Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20, and claimed their first Lombardi Trophy since 1999.
Now the Rams look to be the first team to repeat as NFL champions since the New England Patriots turned the trick in 2003 and ’04. How will these three offseason pickups fit in?
Los Angeles Rams top offseason pickup no. 3: CB Troy Hill (Cleveland Browns via trade)
Welcome back to Los Angeles.
A year ago, ball-hawking cornerback Troy Hill signed with the Cleveland Browns to the tune of two years and $9 million (via Spotrac).
He enjoyed a somewhat-disappointing year with his new team, playing in only 12 games (4 starts) and finishing with only 49 tackles, two sacks, and one pass defensed.
That was quite a falloff from 2020 when he finished tied for second on the Rams with 77 stops, 10 passes defensed, and five takeaways. He returned two interceptions and one fumble for scores.
Now he’s back in Los Angeles and it cost general manager Les Snead a fifth-round pick in 2023.