It goes without saying that the Los Angeles Rams took a huge step back last season after winning the franchise’s second Super Bowl.
The 5-12 season was marked by injuries, especially on the offensive side of the ball, as key contributors like quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Cooper Kupp missed time.
Yet, despite the Rams‘ offense looking like a shell of their former self in 2022, Mike Martz doesn’t think that will be the case this coming fall. Martz, the former head coach and offensive coordinator for the then-St. Louis Rams is now an analyst for The 33rd Team.
In the wake of OTAs starting for most teams around the league this week, Martz put on his analysis hat and listed five teams he believes will feature the “most improved offenses” this coming season, with the Rams being included.
“If they stay healthy, repair that offensive line a bit, continue to run the ball effectively and keep the pressure off that passing game, they’ll make a move offensively,” writes Martz.
“I think they’ll be in the upper half of the teams in the league. And that’s a big jump from where they were this past season.” As Martz writes, staying healthy will be key to the Rams getting back on track offensively because they didn’t make any big additions via a trade or free agency as they have in the past.
Instead, Rams general manager Les Snead went into the offseason with a focus on “remodeling” the roster by shedding star players and their big contracts and replacing them through the NFL Draft.
Sounds like a rebuild, right? But in the mind of Snead, it isn’t a rebuild. Rather, it seems Snead believes that the Rams can still compete without the likes of Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner, and Leonard Floyd.
But maybe Snead will be right, and he sees it as Martz does. With improved offensive line play paired with a full season of Cam Akers in the backfield to ease the pressure off of Stafford and the passing game, the Rams’ offense can get back to performing offensively as they have in the past under McVay.
