Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports


NFC West: Why the Los Angeles Rams’ window of winning may be larger than you think

Sequoia Sims
Apr 4, 2018 at 9:29 PM


Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.

There's a narrative that's been floating around that the Los Angeles Rams are in win-now mode and have only a one-to-two-year window of winning or being highly competitive. That narrative might not be completely true, and I'll attempt to explain why.


Recently, I wrote an article on the 49ers Webzone titled: Are the Los Angeles Rams sending a competitive message to the 49ers? Recently, the Los Angeles Rams traded for former New England Patriots' wide receiver Brandin Cooks. The Rams expect Cooks to be their deep threat in 2018, replacing former Rams' deep threat wide receiver Sammy Watkins.

The Rams are expected to try and work out a contract extension with Cooks, who's under a fifth-year option worth roughly $8.5 million. The Rams still have to find ways to fit Cooks' salary under the 2018 cap, but you have to figure they wouldn't have made the trade if they couldn't get creative with dollars and cents.

The narratives that have been surfacing


How are the Rams trading for all these big name players? Do the Rams have the cap space to make all these trades work or to be sustainable long-term? The Rams don't have any draft capital left to replenish what they have lost already, do they?

The Rams only have a one- or two-year window to be competitive right? Hold those thoughts and allow me to paint a better picture of the Rams' short-term to long-term plan.

Building through the draft at a glance


The Rams have their franchise quarterback already in place in Jared Goff (heading into his third year), a franchise running back in Todd Gurley (heading into his fourth year), and a starting slot receiver Cooper Kupp (heading into his second year), tight end Gerald Everett (taken in the second round in 2017 and heading into his second season).

They have starting strong safety John Johnson (third round pick, heading into his second year), wide receiver Josh Reynolds (6-foot-3 and 198 pounds, a fourth-round pick, red zone threat who started one game and is heading into his second season), and 3-4 edge rusher Samson Ebukam (a 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, fourth-round pick, expected starter in 2018, who started two games and posted two sacks in 2017).

As well as wide receiver Pharoh Cooper (heading into his third season, made the Pro Bowl and All-Pro team as a return-specialist), and starting tight end Tyler Higbee (taken in the fourth round in 2016, and heading into his third season).

Did I mention all the players named above are under 25 years old?

As for All-Pro defensive tackle and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald, he's up for a big payday, and won't turn 27 years young until May. Donald is regarded and well recognized as the best at his position and most disruptive defensive player in the NFL. The Rams and Donald are expected to come to an agreement on a contract extension in the near future.

Hitting in free agency


Rams wide receiver Robert Woods' contract of five years and $34 million looks like one of the better bargains of 2017 for a number two wideout (56 catches for 781 yards at 13.9 per catch and seven total touchdowns, two from rushing, in 11 starts).

Woods caught 66 percent of his passes and is only 25 years old.

Left tackle Andrew Whitworth signed a free agent deal worth $33.75 million over three years and at 36 years young, helps provide the kind of protection that made Goff one of the least sacked (just 25 times) quarterbacks in the NFL last season.

Look for the Rams to address tackle at some point in the draft; center John Sullivan, who recently re-signed with the team for two years, worth $15 million. Sullivan, at 32 years of age, started 15 games in 2017 and provided security protection for Goff, as well as opening up holes for MVP candidate Gurley.

Looking at the Rams' draft capital over the next two years


In the 2018 NFL Draft, the Rams have eight picks between rounds three and six (three fourth-round picks). In 2019, the Rams have six of their own draft picks after trading a future second-round pick in 2019, in the Marcus Peters trade.

However, as it stands now, they are on course to pick up two third-round compensatory picks in 2019, which can now be traded.

The Rams have the draft capital over the next couple years and beyond to replace or add to their depth, or restock potential lost starters down the line.

The Rams cap situation


The Rams have a projected $90 million in cap space in 2019 and $159 million in 2020 (according to OverTheCap.com). The Rams have the necessary cap space to lock down their core players for the next few years, as they see fit.

Why the Los Angeles Rams' window of winning may be larger than you think


The Rams don't need to extend Gurley this year as the team can pick up his fifth-year option in 2019; this will buy them time on an extension. The Rams have plenty of time to extend Goff to a long term-deal based on him just heading into his third year. The Rams could wait two more years if they so choose to, and have the franchise tag at their disposal.

Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is really a one-year rental, and he's expected to take a fair-market deal in 2019, if his production and personality warrant a return. If he doesn't and elects to leave for a larger payday in free agency come 2019, the Rams could get a compensatory pick for losing him.

Cornerback Aqib Talib comes off the books in two years and in 2019, his salary dips from $11 million to $8 million.

As previously mentioned, the Rams have quality depth that they're grooming behind Talib and Peters. They can rent Peters' services over the next two years with a fifth-year option before considering an extension for him (quality depth like cornerback Kevin Peterson who intercepted Jimmy Garoppolo twice and is an exclusive restricted free agent in 2019).

In closing, the Rams have the ammunition needed to sustain a winning/highly competitive culture (assuming they stay relatively healthy in their core players), longer than the two-year window "narrative" would suggest.

Recent Niners Live article alerts: How Adrian Colbert will Punish WR Brandin Cooks with Extreme Violence.

What should the 49ers do to counter (2018 NFL Draft: No Pass-Rusher, "No Rings") the Rams? Stay the course and continue to build through the draft, extend their young, talented players sooner than later, and continue to make player development a priority.

Sequoia Sims: Founder of Niners Live, Content Creator, player breakdown specialist, and Senior Author. The home of the faithful fan and analyst from an objective/analytical lens, and different perspective, of course.
The opinions within this article are those of the writer and, while just as important, are not necessarily those of the site as a whole.


0 Comments

  • No Comments

Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News



Leonard Floyd reveals why he signed with the 49ers

By David Bonilla
Mar 18

Former Buffalo Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd has become the San Francisco 49ers' most significant free-agent acquisition thus far this offseason. While the 31-year-old pass rusher had multiple suitors, the Bay Area team emerged as the most aggressive in its pursuit. On Monday, Floyd spoke to reporters for the first time since the agreement with the 49ers was revealed. During the conversation, he elaborated on why the decision to head to Santa Clara was easy. "Yeah, I got a call from my agent—I had quite a few offers," Floyd said. "But what it was, the 49ers didn't bullsh--t around. They was out the gate, came in with a great deal. It was a solid, solid deal for me. And there really wasn't no second-guessing it. They showed that they wanted me from the



Jimmy Garoppolo explains why he signed with 49ers' division rival

By David Bonilla
Mar 20

Jimmy Garoppolo is back in the NFC West after signing a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback recently explained his decision to join the division rival after a one-season stint with the Las Vegas Raiders. "Obviously good players all around," Garoppolo said, per ESPN. "That's a big part of it. Talking to [head coach] Sean [McVay] on the phone, him just running me through offense and things that he had in mind, it really became appetizing. And I know a lot of the coaches here, so a lot of familiarity in that aspect. And then having played against the Rams a lot in my career, I've seen a lot of good things



Daniel Jeremiah explains why 49ers could still address pass rush in NFL Draft

By David Bonilla
Mar 21

Mock drafts will never please everyone, especially when they solely focus on the first 32 selections without offering perspective on what might come beyond the first round. Regarding the San Francisco 49ers, analyst Daniel Jeremiah's latest mock draft was no different. He projected former Penn State pass rusher Chop Robinson to join the Bay Area team. Why the skepticism from fans? The 49ers' free agency focus has been on revamping their defensive front. After allowing Arik Armstead, Chase Young, and others to depart for other organizations, the team addressed last season's inconsistent play by adding defensive ends Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos, trading for defensive tackle Maliek



Why extending 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk needs to be a priority

By Bob Heyrman
Mar 23

Amid all the trade rumors, the San Francisco 49ers must prioritize extending star pass-catcher Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk, 26, is an ascending star who has yet to plateau heading into his fifth NFL season. The former Arizona St. product is coming off a stellar 2023 campaign, which saw Aiyuk haul in 75 receptions on 105 targets for a career-high 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. Aiyuk also averaged a career-high 17.9 yards per reception and maintained a catch rate of 71.4%, both career-bests. The 49ers offense has a ton of mouths to feed, but each of their offensive weapons complement each other quite nicely. Much of the attention from opposing defenses is focused on running back Christian McCaffrey. When he's bottled up (which doesn't occur often), the 49ers have the


Latest

More by Sequoia Sims

More Articles

Share 49ersWebzone