06 March 2023 , 18:55
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After another disappointing end to a promising season in 2020, the Los Angeles Rams decided to go all-in to win a Super Bowl, trading two more first-round picks for quarterback Matt Stafford.
It's a tactic that the Rams have used throughout the last few years, also trading away two first-rounders for Jalen Ramsey in 2019, while also giving up a first-rounder for Brandin Cooks. The team has often opted to move high draft picks to acquire veteran talent - a method seen as unconventional to building a roster in the NFL.
With a league that has a hard salary cap, it's tough to be able to bring in too many players on high wages and be able to keep them on the team, giving them a small window of opportunity to win, rather than continued success.
The Rams did just that in 2021, winning a Super Bowl with their loaded roster as they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in the championship game. And in their parade of the trophy, the team's general manager, Les Snead, got on stage and said: "F them picks," in a now infamous quote.
The team followed that up this past season, by offering the Carolina Panthers two first-round picks for Brian Burns - an offer that the Panthers refused. And while the Rams may argue that it was a tactic that paid off, bringing them a Super Bowl, it now looks to be hurting them in the long-run.
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The team suffered a dismal season in 2022, with a 5-12 record, and giving their number 6 overall pick to the Detroit Lions in the Matt Stafford trade.
LA Rams General manager Les SneadAfter signing elite linebacker Bobby Wagner to a five-year deal last off-season, Wagner put together an incredible season, but the team has now been forced to release him - having too many players on high salaries.
And in the past few days, it has emerged that the team are now looking to trade Ramsey, the man they have up two first-rounders for, as well as their big-money acquisition this past summer, Allen Robinson.
Both men are being reported as available on the trade market, with Ramsey expected to be moved for much less than what he was acquired for.
Moving forward to the Rams, it could be some time until they compete once again with their roster issues, and without a high pick in this year's class, may rethink their strategy moving forward.