To say it’s been something of a brutal offseason for Los Angeles Rams fans might be an understatement. Under general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay, the Los Angeles Rams have been a model of aggressiveness. Snead himself even donned a t-shirt that said “F*** them picks” in reference to his team-building philosophy, which has essentially been to acquire the best players no matter the cost.
Unfortunately, the reality for every NFL team — not just the Rams — is that you eventually have to pay up if you are constantly kicking the can down the proverbial road. The Rams, who won the Super Bowl just two seasons ago, but struggled badly with injuries in 2022 which led to the team finishing with one of the worst records in the entire league.
To add insult on top of that injury, the Rams had to send their 2023 first-round pick to the Detroit Lions as part of the payment for the Matthew Stafford trade. The Rams didn’t have a first-round pick, and they didn’t have a budget in NFL free agency, either. In fact, they were making budget cuts.
The Rams traded away cornerback Jalen Ramsey and wide receiver Allen Robinson, two major acquisitions the team has made in recent years. Up to this point, the biggest veteran addition the team has made is bringing back tight end Hunter Long in the Jalen Ramsey trade with the Dolphins. There have been virtually no notable veteran additions to speak of, specifically when it comes to free agents.
Until June 29.
Los Angeles Rams finally add a prominent veteran free agent: Ahkello Witherspoon
Free agent CB Ahkello Witherspoon is signing with the #Rams, per source.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) June 29, 2023
At 6-2, 208 pounds, Witherspoon’s a big corner who’s been very productive. In 13 games with the #Steelers over the past two seasons, he’s amassed 11 PBUs and 4 INTs. pic.twitter.com/26OSi596fh
According to Jordan Schultz, the Los Angeles Rams have finally made a prominent veteran free agent addition, signing Pittsburgh Steelers cap casualty Ahkello Witherspoon. Although it really goes without saying now that we have crossed the post-June 1 threshold, and it applies to Witherspoon because he was cut by Pittsburgh, it’s worth noting for Rams fans that Witherspoon will not count against the team’s 2024 compensatory pick formula.
And it’s fitting that the team added a veteran player at a position where they lost Jalen Ramsey, the player most would consider this team’s biggest loss of all in 2023. A quick count of the Los Angeles Rams depth chart indicates a whopping 36 rookies on th 90-man roster. More than one-third of the roster right now is rookies, which means the team is going to look drastically different compared to the one that won the Super Bowl not even two calendar years ago.
Witherspoon comes to the Rams with plenty of familiarity in the division. He played his first four NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.
Although it’s extremely late in the offseason, better late than never for Les Snead and company, who get a decent veteran cornerback for a very young secondary and defense, in general.