There is no doubt that if any general manager and head coach duo deserves as much grace as possible, it’s Les Snead and Sean McVay. They’re Super Bowl winners and the engineers of football’s most successful developmental program, the Los Angeles Rams, dominating for the last 10 seasons.
A big reason for it is their usage of draft picks. The Rams have typically flipped their first-round selections for ready-now playmakers, using remaining picks on developmental pieces that have hit time and time again. However, the Rams flipped the script in 2026. While they did use one of their two first-round picks to acquire Trent McDuffie, they then selected Ty Simpson with the other.
Picking Simpson makes a lot of sense, and when you look at his makeup, he’s custom-built for the Rams. That’s not the issue. The issue is that with the NFL schedule release looming, there’s a massive issue the Rams have ignored and it is a time-bomb waiting to go off as it did in 2024 and 2025.
The Rams versus the run
Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula has had one massive Achilles’ heel in his approach, and that is with defending against the run when the opposition has a speedster at running back. In 2024, Shula’s young squad fell to the footwork of Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley. In 2025, the Rams believed they fixed that problem with players like Poona Ford and Nate Landman.
They did – for the first half of the season. However, in Week 11, Quentin Lake suffered an injury that would keep him out until the playoffs.
Then, in Week 12, the Rams stomped out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football. In that game, Roger McCreary suffered an injury that would take him out of action for most of the remaining regular season. The following week, the Rams gave up 164 rushing yards to the Carolina Panthers in an awful loss and never recovered for the remainder of the season.
The Rams’ depth in the secondary was non-existent, and Shula’s situation forced him to play Josh Wallace and Tank McCollough in scenarios that were not advantageous to their skillset, as he had to cover the deficiencies on the roster. Shula at one point had Cobie Durant playing slot corner, and Durant is a player who stated he’s not one to do the hitting. He’s a player who loves the game, but doesn’t get paid to hit. He’s a coverage defender who has no business playing in the slot as much as he did.
The Rams, already dealing with depth issues due to Ahkello Witherspoon’s injuries and Darious Williams’ wear and tear, had a cupboard that was bare. To the Rams’ credit, the players held on as long as they could with a dominant performance against Arizona and a shutdown effort against Detroit’s duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. The problem is that the Lions’ passing attack started poking holes, due to Shula committing more players at the line of scrimmage. Jared Goff had 338 passing yards and three touchdowns on the day.
It wasn’t until the Rams’ meltdown in Seattle, where Kenneth Walker put them on the back foot, that the wall completely fell. Their run defense was broken, and they didn’t have the bodies to fix it. That game changed Sam Darnold’s career. That game made him remember he was a champion.
The following week, Bijan Robinson burned the Rams for 195 yards and one touchdown. In the wild-card round, the Panthers scored three rushing touchdowns while lighting up the secondary. The Rams only escaped because they had Matthew Stafford, and Carolina didn’t.
The Chicago Bears had their success in the NFC Divisional Round, and if Caleb Williams had been accurate on two more throws, the Rams would have lost. The Bears put 160 rushing yards on them, but that was enough for the Rams to dedicate their entire approach in the NFC Championship Game to stopping Kenneth Walker, leading to Sam Darnold having the greatest game of his life.
Battles are won with spirit, but wars are won with logistics. Entering 2025, the Rams had four starting-caliber corners. Entering 2026, they have three. Those three are Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, and Emmanuel Forbes Jr. Those players are going to be asked to stop the run and wrap up. Forbes, to his credit, is pretty fearless and will throw his body around. He’s made a tremendous effort to be more physical. He’s also 173 pounds.
McDuffie is 5-11, 193 pounds. Yes, these guys are tough and physical. There’s also a toll that comes after 17 regular-season games. The Rams would then have to play at least three more to win the Super Bowl. In 2026, the Rams are set to play Walker, the 2025 NFL rushing yards leader, James Cook III, and top talents, including Christian McCaffrey, Josh Jacobs, Javonte Williams, Saquon Barkley, and others.
They will also face young speedsters in Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton, Jeremiyah Love, and R.J. Harvey. The Rams find themselves at an interesting intersection. Last offseason, fans clamoured for an addition in the secondary. The Rams held firm, and it cost them. The Rams had the cap space, but they spent it on Tutu Atwell. Atwell was in street clothes during the NFC Championship Game.
The Rams did address the situation this offseason with a secondary overhaul, but is there another issue lingering? Secondary depth is one problem, but it’s indicative of a larger issue. Perhaps it’s pessimism, but I do not have this overt belief that the Rams are a shoo-in for the Super Bowl. The Seahawks are excellent. The 49ers have a roster with depth and pop. The Eagles are still a problem, and a healthy Micah Parsons will make Green Bay a contender. Kevin O’Connell has the big arm and speed threat in Kyler Murray that the McVay offense has been begging for in Minnesota.
The Rams also have playoff history with McVay that doesn’t get discussed. They drop the ball in some big moments. The championship difference between McVay having a ring and Kyle Shanahan still fighting for one likely resides in Jaquiski Tartt’s hands and Todd Bowles’ love of the blitz.
To McVay’s credit, his evolution after 2022 has refined his skills in a way that isn’t praised enough. He was a hotshot early because his offense took advantage of the trends of the time. The league caught up. They redesigned their rosters. McVay’s timelessness comes from his evolution, as we’re seeing again with 13 personnel. The guy is a genius. However, his teams have always incurred a major roster loss that the team couldn’t get over.
There’s always a weak point. Even when the Rams won the Super Bowl, the loss should have been Robert Woods, but they were bailed out by Odell Beckham Jr.’s departure from Cleveland. It might be too doom-and-gloom, but I’ve seen too many top Rams squads fall an inch short, often to the eventual champion, because of a hole in their roster. It’s a bold move to add Simpson now, knowing the history.
McVay is a future Hall of Famer for a reason, but this window is short. I often talk about McVay emulating Matt LaFleur’s move to add Jordan Love after losing in the NFC Championship Game with Aaron Rodgers, but McVay is at a different crossroads.
Win now with Stafford and win later with Simpson. McVay would be an unquestioned legend. He wouldn’t even need a title with Simpson. A second title with Stafford and some winning seasons with Simpson would be enough. However, if he fails to win a second with Stafford, we will likely look at the 2026 offseason as to why.
Maybe McVay does have his roster. He evolves, he’s timeless. It’s logical to think that so, too, should the results. All I’ll say is this. McVay and Snead have earned their roles. They’re not stupid. They see the challenges that lie ahead. I don’t think they’re done. They might have a swing or two left in them.
Regardless, McVay is going up against two Super Bowl-champion coaches and a bunch of contenders. That’s just for the NFC title. Let’s see if the Rams indeed do have the numbers to win this season.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams’ gauntlet of a schedule could expose the biggest issue with their roster
Reporting by Brock Vierra, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
