The Los Angeles Rams enter the 2022 NFL season with one goal in mind: run it back. The Super Bowl 56 champions are looking to become the first team since the 2003-04 Patriots to win back-to-back titles.
Los Angeles faced a series of challenges this offseason. Stars such as Robert Woods, Andrew Whitworth and Von Miller departing will be felt in the upcoming season. However, the Rams reloaded their roster over the offseason to make another run at the Lombardi Trophy.
Let's look at the highlights of the Rams' 2022 offseason and how these moves will help them in their question to repeat.
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Rams Best Offseason Moves
3. Re-signing Joseph Noteboom
Whitworth, a longtime star on the Rams' offensive line, decided to hang his cleats up after finally winning his first Super Bowl at 40. Replacing an offensive tackle of Whitworth's caliber is a big challenge, but Los Angeles believes that the answer was already on their roster.
The Rams locked up Joseph Noteboom, who is entering his fifth season, to a three-year, $40 million contract in March. Noteboom has started 17 games over his career for Los Angeles, filling in for Whitworth while he was injured. Noteboom knows the challenge of replacing Whitworth's production, but the years of learning under him will help Noteboom fill those shoes:
“The best part is knowing the coaches have the confidence in you to sign you back to a contract here and put you in that spot,” Noteboom told ESPN. “But it’s also a challenge. Being the guy now comes with a little more responsibility. It’s motivating more than ever.”
With Whitworth retiring, it was crucial to bring Noteboom back in the fold.
2. Signing Allen Robinson
Los Angeles' passing attack will look very different in 2022. The Rams shipped off Woods, a key piece of the offense for years, to the Tennessee Titans for a late pick. Odell Beckham Jr., who joined the team in the middle of the season and revitalized his career, also remains a free agent after tearing his ACL in the Super Bowl.
The Rams needed another wide out to complement Cooper Kupp, and they accomplished that goal with the addition of Allen Robinson. Los Angeles signed the former Bears receiver to a three-year, $46.5 million contract in March.
Robinson had a season to forget in 2021, posting just 410 yards and one touchdown for Chicago. However, the Rams know what he's capable of when the pieces lineup. Robinson has three 1,000-yard seasons in his career, including a 1,400-yard, 14-touchdown campaign with Jacksonville in 2015:
“I've been very, very impressed with his ability to grasp our offense, his role in our offense,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said in June. “His understanding, even when he might miss something or mess something up, the reason is so sound on why he did something – he heard this and thought that, and I'm like, ‘That's a great thought.' It's really productive growth for him in our offense.”
Stafford is easily the best quarterback Robinson has ever played with. If Robinson can rebound from a down year, the Rams' passing attack will be one of the league's best once again.
1. Signing Bobby Wagner
Arguably the Rams' biggest signing of the offseason came at the expense of a division rival. The Seahawks' confusing decision to cut the star linebacker in March allowed Los Angeles to sign him to a five-year, $50 million contract.
Wagner, who received eight Pro Bowl and six All-Pro selections with Seattle, is still playing at an elite level. The 32-year-old recorded a career-high 170 total tackles in 2021. He recorded over 100 tackles in each of his 10 seasons with the Seahawks.
The Rams' defense has been strong for nearly half a decade, but Wagner provides a new dimension to their game-plan. He also gets the chance to play for his hometown team:
“He was a really good player, a lot of experience, that was available, that wanted to try to continue his journey in football with a hometown team, a team that he felt like had a chance to continue winning like he's been a part of in Seattle,” general manager Les Snead said in a press conference. “All things considered, an opportunity that we definitely analyzed, and jacked that Bobby chose the Rams.”
If Wagner is even close to the player he was in Seattle, Los Angeles' defense will be scarier than ever in 2022.
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