In 2023, the Los Angeles Rams were a young team in need of an identity.
Sure, some members of the team's illustrious Super Bowl roster were still in place, as Matthew Stafford was still under center, Cooper Kupp remained a prominent offensive weapon, and Aaron Donald was taking part in his semi-secret farewell tour but the rest of their Super Bowl stars? The Jalen Ramseys, Odel Beckham Jrs, and Todd Gurleys of the world? All went to the greener pastures of Miami, Miami, and retirement, respectively.
And yet, despite seemingly taking a conscious step back due to their incredible dead cap hit, the Rams actually took a step forward, with the team making it to the playoffs after missing the dance in 2022 and now look like a squad with a very interesting collection of performers on rookie contracts who could be with the team long-term.
With promising breakout players like Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, Kobie Turner, and Byron Young establishing a young core in 2023 and interesting rookies like Braden Fiske, Jared Verse, and Blake Corum added to the roster who could contribute as rookies right out of the gate, the Rams are a team who could do some damage this fall. However, just because they are looking to build a strong foundation around their young base doesn't mean the team can't sign a veteran or two who can move the needle into the future.
Enter Michael Thomas, the long-time New Orleans Saints pass-catcher who could fill a defined role on the Rams' offense in 2024 as he inches toward the end of his NFL season.
Michael Thomas is a veteran pass catcher who could help Matt Stafford.
Since entering the NFL as a second-round pick out of Ohio State, Thomas has been one of the most dominant offensive weapons around, amassing at least a thousand yards in each of his first four professional seasons while maintaining a double-digit yards-per-reception over his career, even if his overall production has dipped due to injury since his All-Pro season in 2019.
While Thomas hasn't been the same player over the past five years, missing all of 2021 and appearing in 10 or more games only once over that five-game period, he can still produce when his number is called and would be better off filling a role where he isn't expected to be a top-2 target.
Fortunately, with Nacua and Kupp locked in as the Rams' top-2 targets, adding a player like Thomas, who is more of a big-bodied possession specialist at this point in his career, could help Los Angeles get where they need to be, especially with the rest of their receiving corps made up of players like Tutu Atwell, Tyler Johnson, Demarcus Robinson, and rookie Jordan Whittington, who don't exactly strike fear in opposing defenses.
Play him as the team's third starter, rotate him in as WR4 with clear packages where his size and savvy make sense as a reliable target, but if the Rams really want to trade up to add Brock Bowers as a super-possession specialist capable of making plays and being a reliable option when it matters most, Thomas can fill a similar role, even if only for 2024. And if he can't stay healthy? Well, no harm, no foul, as on the Rams, Thomas would be the cherry on top of their offense, not a core part of the passing game.
2023 helped to rejuvenate Sean McVay's run with the Rams.
Speaking of the Rams' new look in 2023, Sean McVay discussed what it was like to coach a very different team than his Super Bowl winner by JB Long and D'Marco Farr and let it be known that 2023 was a very interesting year, as not only did he take major steps in his personal life but he felt revitalized by his young core too.
“You know what's cool? Being around this group, and especially even last year, it feels like it's Year 1 again. And I really mean that,” Sean McVay explained via NFL.com.
“I feel like these last couple of years, there's really just been a real renewed purpose and perspective that reminds you what a blessing this is. You kind of had lost that a little bit in the midst of the journey, especially things going well, and then obviously, the challenging year in 2022. There's a lot of cool things that have gone on with the people that I'm around, the coaches, but having that little guy too is a real easy reason to keep appropriate perspective and to make sure you're being the man and the model and what it looks like for him every day.”
After being pursued heavily by darn near every network in the business for his incredible football mind, fans in LA have long worried that McVay may leave the team for a more lucrative job that requires a whole lot less weekly stress. If 2023 made McVay enjoy his job more for the Rams, well, then that is very good news for the team indeed.
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