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.
Los Angeles Rams top offseason pickup no. 2: WR Allen Robinson (Chicago Bears)
It’s hard to imagine the defending Super Bowl champions need any more help at wide receiver. Cooper Kupp comes off an amazing 2021, leading the NFL with 145 catches, 1,947 receiving yards, and 16 touchdown grabs.
And unsung Van Jefferson finished third on the team with 50 receptions and second in both receiving yards (802) and TD catches (6).
But the Rams have not re-signed Odell Beckham Jr., who is still on the mend after tearing his ACL in Super Bowl LVI. And the club dealt Robert Woods to the Tennessee Titans. Beckham could still be in the team’s future plans.
But the addition of Allen Robinson gives Sean McVay’s club a very proven commodity. A second-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014, he earned Pro Bowl honors in his second season thanks to 80 receptions, 1,400 yards, and 14 scores.
Injuries limited him to one game in 2017 and a year later, he was a member of the Chicago Bears and part of two playoff teams with the franchise.
But in four seasons in the Windy City, Robinson didn’t put up the numbers in fewer games with the Jaguars. But with a more reliable quarterback in Los Angeles, look for that to change in a big way.
Los Angeles Rams top offseason pickup: MLB Bobby Wagner (Released by Seattle Seahawks)
It’s still hard to fathom that a team would part ways with a productive defender who has earned Pro Bowl honors eight times, been named All-Pro six times, and has totaled at least 100 tackles in each of his 10 NFL campaign.
Once he steps away from the game, middle linebacker Bobby Wagner will earn serious consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And that makes it even more difficult to believe that the Seattle Seahawks would simply let him go.
And fortunately for the division rival and defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, they would wind up claiming the prize.
A year ago, Sean McVay’s squad finished 17th in the NFL in fewest total yards allowed and 22nd in the league vs. the pass. But only five teams gave up fewer rushing yards per contest.
Led by Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd, the Rams finished with 50 sacks and 25 takeaways during the regular season.
A season ago, the team swung a deal during the season to acquire Broncos’ linebacker and Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller. He responded with a strong stretch run and came up big in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Wagner also brings Super Bowl experience to Los Angeles.