Beckham Jr. trade firmly on Rams’ radar
ORLANDO – Early this offseason, the Los Angeles Rams vowed to take an aggressive approach to building on their surprising success from 2017.
General manager Les Snead and coach Sean McVay saw no room for complacency despite winning the NFC West last year. Both insisted they had to upgrade the roster.
The last month has indicated the sincerity of their words.
The Rams have made a series of bold moves, trading for all-pro corners Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters. On Monday, they agreed to terms with five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. And they’re not done. The draft still awaits. Plus, according to league insiders, L.A. is poised to make a strong push for wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. should the Giants make him available via trade.
Snead, McVay & Co. are trying to establish a winning brand while also aiming to win over a city that traditionally leans toward the college game. Last season’s dramatic rise to 11-5, a seven-game improvement in the win column, represented progress. But loading up on some of the game’s greatest impact players brings a unique set of challenges. In Talib, Peters and Suh, the Rams have added three larger-than-life – and, at times, strong-willed – personalities.
Talib strong-armed his way out of Denver because he badly wanted a change, feeling a reunion with former Denver defensive coordinator Wade Phillips as the ideal situation for him. Peters clashed with coaches in Kansas City, and things were starting to wear thin there, especially given his desire for a lucrative contract extension that management was hesitant to offer. Suh has had his share of disciplinary problems both in Detroit and Miami. Despite his production, the Dolphins preferred to release him to save $17 million in cap space this season while eating a total of $22 million in dead cap money over the next two years.
The Rams now have one of the league’s most star-studded rosters. But it’s rare that the all-star approach works in professional sports. It’s often challenging to get that many great individuals and their personalities to jell adequately to form a successful and singularly focused unit. But the Rams would rather swing big than settle for taking baby steps while banking primarily on continuity. And the moves were calculated. “When you do your vetting process, and you look into just adding people like that,” McVay explained Tuesday at the league meeting, “is you want to find people that love football. When you look at these guys – especially Marcus and Aqib and Ndamukong – these guys love football, and they’re passionate about it, and if we feel like that exists, then everything else will fit.
“I think they understand the way we want to operate organizationally, and this is a place that they wanted to be, and we’re excited about adding players of that caliber. And it’s going to be fun to play, and I’m sure the defensive coordinator has more swag than any of them, so I think we’ll be OK.”
McVay was referring to Phillips, 70, who has always demonstrated an ability to unite, inspire and lead men during his decades of coaching experience. Players and coaches alike praise him for his creativity but also for his receptive nature.
“Any time you’ve got a great leader like Wade Phillips,” McVay explained, “he’s coached these types of guys as far as the great players, and he has been able to figure out how we can mesh and mold and make us feel confident to make these moves. And to Les and Tony (Pastoors)’s credit, they’ve been able to get these deals done.”
Meanwhile, Snead said McVay’s leadership and ability to get players to buy in – as he did last season while repeatedly preaching “We, not I” – fueled his confidence, as did the strength of the Rams’ core players.
Suh took a one-year deal. League defensive player of the year Aaron Donald also will be a free agent in 2019 and last season held out while trying in vain to secure an extension. The dynamics that come with so many players eyeing lucrative deals could prove divisive, but Snead believes the Rams can avoid that kind of splintering even if on-field success doesn’t instantly come.