{"id":151909,"date":"2022-12-08T15:52:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-08T15:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/what-does-the-future-look-like-for-suddenly-depleted-rams\/"},"modified":"2022-12-08T15:52:00","modified_gmt":"2022-12-08T15:52:00","slug":"what-does-the-future-look-like-for-suddenly-depleted-rams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/what-does-the-future-look-like-for-suddenly-depleted-rams\/","title":{"rendered":"What does the future look like for suddenly depleted Rams?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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First off, whatever does happen with the Los Angeles Rams the next few years has all been worth it. Let’s never forget that.<\/p>\n

But there is a conversation to be had about where the Rams go from here. There are ways out of the mess, but it’s also possible the Rams could bottom out for a little while. Again though, worth it.<\/p>\n

What will be on display Thursday night is the current state of the Rams, which is depressing. They’re 3-9, on pace to have the worst season ever for a reigning Super Bowl champion. They claimed Baker Mayfield off waivers on Tuesday, and didn’t rule out starting him on Thursday. That’s how bad it has gotten. The Rams’ injury list is an all-star team. Amazon Prime Video hoped to feature a star-filled Rams team against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night. Instead we get John Wolford (or Mayfield) throwing to Ben Skowronek and Brandon Powell, with lengthy debates about the Rams’ all-in approach.<\/p>\n

[<\/strong>Watch Thursday Night Football on Prime Video: Sign up for a 30-day free trial<\/strong>]<\/strong><\/p>\n

The next question the Rams have to face will be, where do they go from here?<\/p>\n

Rams face a critical offseason<\/h2>\n

There’s a scenario in which the Rams have their run-it-back season next year. Matthew Stafford back throwing to Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey dominating on defense and coach Sean McVay overseeing it all. As long as the Rams’ core is healthy \u2014 and a lot of key pieces are under contract for 2023 \u2014 they can bounce right back. We all know the Rams will be aggressive in building around those core pieces as long as they’re around.<\/p>\n

Then again, maybe it’s not a one-year dip.<\/p>\n

McVay and Donald both had retirement rumors swirling around them this past offseason. Donald filed a retirement letter with the Rams before working out an extension. We’ll never know exactly how close those two were to walking away, but it seems safe to say they considered it. And that was before a rough 2022 season, one that includes a high ankle sprain for Donald. Donald is missing games due to injury for the first time in his career. Maybe one or both doesn’t just consider retirement next offseason.<\/p>\n