Les Snead – Syndication Server

Rams GM Les Snead says there were ‘many variables’ in Ernest Jones trade but won’t reveal them

Les Snead discussed the Rams’ shocking Ernest Jones trade and while there were “many variables” involved, he won’t say what they were

The Rams shockingly traded Ernest Jones to the Titans at the end of August, shipping one of their best defensive players out of town just before the start of the season. Immediately after the trade, Sean McVay commented on the decision and he got a bit defensive in saying the Rams felt it was “best for the football team.”

It wasn’t until Tuesday that general manager Les Snead weighed in on the move, sharing his view of it after the trade deadline had passed.

He told reporters that there were “many variables” at play in the trade, but he wouldn’t reveal what those were – for obvious reasons, being a current GM and with Jones now being in Seattle. He did acknowledge that he believes Jones will play well for a long time, potentially even against the Rams twice a year as a member of the Seahawks.

“Being [an] active [GM] right now and Ernest being in the league, there were many variables that went into that. I don’t think it’s good for anyone to sit here and really make that public. It’s always, in our case, what we do – we try to think it’s definitely going to help the Rams in some form or fashion. Again, there are many variables in that but it’s obvious – and we saw him last week – Ernest can play football. He’s going to continue playing football and at this point, we’re going to play him again this year. Depending on what happens with him in the future, we might play him twice a year for a lot of years and expect that with him. That’s just the kind of person he is and obviously the talents that he has.”

In his most recent comments, McVay expressed at least a little bit of seller’s remorse over the trade. The Rams have struggled to replace Jones in the middle of their defense, and even though Chris Shula’s unit is playing well, there was a clear drop-off from Jones to Troy Reeder and Christian Rozeboom.

“I think all the decisions that we make in the moment we feel like are in the best interest. I’m not going to pretend and act like every decision is accurate,” McVay said last week.

Since being traded by the Rams, Jones was traded by the Titans to the Seahawks. Tennessee actually got more in return for Jones than the Rams did, which is an indication of how poorly managed the deal was by Los Angeles.

It’s almost salt in the wound, especially now that Jones is back in the division and playing against the Rams twice a year.

We’ll probably never learn what exactly led to the decision – whether it was Jones’ knee injury, his contract or an expected drop in production – so that mystery will likely go unsolved for the public.

Would the Rams consider trading Matthew Stafford at the deadline if they keep losing?

One NFL insider says Matthew Stafford’s future with the Rams is “a situation to watch closely” as the trade deadline approaches

The Los Angeles Rams could find themselves at a crossroads in a few weeks. They have three games left before the NFL trade deadline, which is 4 p.m. ET on Nov. 5.

At best, the Rams will be 4-4 at the deadline if they can beat the Raiders, Vikings and Seahawks. There’s also a chance they’re 1-7 or 2-6. The Rams made the playoffs last season after starting 3-6, so losing two of their next three won’t mean they’re eliminated from playoff contention.

However, they also shouldn’t be big buyers at the deadline if they’re sitting at 2-6. Might they be big sellers instead? Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano of ESPN mentioned a hypothetical scenario where the Rams don’t turn things around and consider trading Matthew Stafford.

It seems outrageous on the surface for Los Angeles to move on from Stafford now with no succession plan in place, but it’s not the craziest idea if they find themselves with very little chance of making the playoffs. Stafford reworked his contract this year to give him more guaranteed money up front, while simultaneously making it easier for the Rams to move on financially if they want to in 2025.

Here’s what Fowler wrote when asked about the possibility of Los Angeles trading Stafford at the deadline next month.

Definitely. The Rams have looked at Stafford’s future as a year-to-year proposition. His reworked contract last offseason reflects that, pushing his 2024 pay into the $40 million range but lessening his guarantees in 2025, essentially allowing both sides to decide whether they want to remain married at that point. This is a situation to watch closely, because neither player nor team seems to know how or when it will end. Stafford is 36 and has dealt with injuries recently. Does he want to play after this season?

The Rams and their quarterback have several questions to answer, which are easier to put off if the team is winning. And maybe L.A. can regain its winning ways once Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and others return. It’s also worth noting the Jimmy Garoppolo signing got the attention of some around the league, because Garoppolo could be an insurance option down the road. While interested teams are unclear, the Raiders have a glaring need at the position.

Fowler isn’t saying the Rams will trade Stafford if they keep losing or that they have any plans to move on from him now. He’s not even reporting any inside information about Los Angeles’ plans at quarterback this season.

But Les Snead is always more willing to cut or trade someone a year early rather than a year late (see: Gurley, Todd and Goff, Jared). It still won’t be easy for the Rams to trade Stafford before the deadline or in the offseason because of his $49.67 million cap hit in 2025, but they took on $22.1 million in dead money when they traded Goff so it’s not impossible.

In a scenario where the Rams lose their next three games and fall to 1-7, they could see it as an opportunity to organically tank for a higher draft pick by starting either Jimmy Garoppolo or Stetson Bennett for the rest of the year. Plus, they’d recoup assets by trading Stafford for draft picks.

Obviously, they won’t even consider it if they get back to .500 before the deadline and are sitting at 4-4 through eight games. But if they keep losing, it’s something to watch, as Fowler said.

Les Snead needs to make massive decisions this week

The Rams have some decisions to make as they reach a potential crossroads in their season at 1-3.

The Rams roster has been battered and as a result, they’ve been performing poorly. If Los Angeles has any ambitions about playing this postseason, they need to start asking themselves some tough questions and then answering them with no qualms about it.

Christian Rozeboom, Troy Reeder and Kam Kinchens highlights a list of players who have been performing below expectations and while Kinchens is young and there’s mobility in terms of snaps he sees, Rozeboom and Reeder are vets and there’s no reason vets like them should be playing at the level they are.

The Rams’ offensive line is more paper towel than brick wall and while it’s understandable for such a unit to have setbacks due to the series of injuries they’ve suffered, their play is leaving Matthew Stafford prone to getting hit repeatedly.

A midseason roster overhaul is impossible but midseason trades are not. In the next few weeks, a plethora of players will become available via the trade market for cheap.

The veteran free agency market is also an option as well but doing nothing would be malpractice and for the Rams, they have a GM that is not afraid to pull the trigger.

The status quo is not working and if not for a wild comeback against the Niners, the Rams would be battling for the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Les Snead, it’s time for action,

Rams lead NFL with 15 rookies on 53-man roster

The Rams have an NFL-high 17 total rookies on the team, 15 of which are on the 53-man roster

If you watched the Los Angeles Rams last season, you would know the team was very young with a bevy of unproven talent scattered all over the field. Last season, the Rams had rookie starters on both sides of the football and, to the surprise of many, those rookies blossomed. Fast-forward to this season and it appears the Rams are looking to replicate the success they’ve had via the draft and undrafted free agency.

This season, the Rams will feature a whopping 15 rookies on the active roster, with two additional rookies on IR (KT Leveston and Anthony Goodlow). For reference, the team with the second-most rookies on the roster is the Las Vegas Raiders, as they’ll have 10 rookies on the active roster and five on IR.

The Commanders are third with 14 total rookies on the roster.

The Rams lead the NFL with 17 rookies on the roster for 2024. Raiders are 2nd with 15 followed by the Commanders at 14. The Bears have the fewest with 6.

— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) August 29, 2024

Sean McVay and Les Snead have proven time and time again that they’re among the best in the NFL when it comes to identifying talent. Rookies from last year such as Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner, Steve Avila, and Byron Young proved experience may not be as important as some may have initially believed.

This season will feature much of the same, as rookies Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, Blake Corum, and Omar Speights will be expected to have an impact immediately. Even Jordan Whittington, a sixth-round pick, could see action in what’s become one of the deepest receiving rooms in the NFL. Kicker Joshua Karty was also a sixth-round pick.

The Rams have become trendsetters in the league, from never playing key players in the preseason to completely disregarding the importance of a first-round pick. It seems as though the Rams have found a new formula they’re going to roll out for a second trial when it comes to utilizing rookie talent, and it may not be long before the rest of the NFL tries to replicate this formula.

Rams will be taking a huge risk at ILB if they trade Ernest Jones

The Rams have never valued LBs much, but they’re really gambling this year by granting Ernest Jones his trade request

Ernest Jones emerged as one of the better inside linebackers in the league last season when he racked up 145 tackles and 4.5 sacks in just 15 games played. He seemed destined for a long career with the Los Angeles Rams but it’s now looking like 2023 was his last season with the team that drafted him in the third round three years ago.

On Sunday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that the Rams have granted Jones permission to seek a trade after there was no progress made on a potential contract extension. Jones is set to become a free agent in 2025 but the Rams opted not to extend him, forcing him to play out the final year of his deal.

Suffice to say, this is a huge risk by Los Angeles. Les Snead and Sean McVay have never put much value in the inside linebacker position. Yes, they used a third-round pick on Jones in 2021 and signed Bobby Wagner in 2022, but this is also the team that had Troy Reeder as its starting linebacker during its Super Bowl run.

Jones just shouldn’t be a player the Rams trade away. He was a team captain in 2023, as well as the defensive signal caller. He was arguably the best blitzing linebacker in football last season and finished the year with the seventh-best overall grade among all inside linebackers, according to PFF.

He does so many things for the Rams defense that it’s shocking they’re willing to trade him away. Even worse, they have absolutely no proven talent behind him on the depth chart.

Assuming Jones gets traded away, it would leave Christian Rozeboom as the primary linebacker on the starting defense. Rozeboom is a decent player, but he only played 49% of the defensive snaps last season and missed more tackles (18) than Jones did (11) in 380 fewer snaps.

Rozeboom was also in coverage on 134 fewer snaps than Jones, yet he allowed 43 receptions on 49 targets compared to 37 receptions on 50 targets for Jones. He was significantly worse than Jones in every department last season, but it’s looking like he’ll be the starting linebacker this year.

As promising as Omar Speights and Jacob Hummel looked in the preseason, it’s hard to imagine the Rams feeling confident enough in them as starters to open the year. So more than likely, it’ll be Rozeboom and Reeder manning the linebacker position initially.

We’re about to find out how big the drop-off is from Jones to Rozeboom and Reeder, which could be pretty steep. And the result is likely to be a run defense that suffers in a big way, as well as a pass rush that’s less dynamic without Jones’ blitzing ability.

This is Chris Shula’s defense now so that could be part of this unexpected shift at linebacker. The Rams might be keeping as many as six safeties, so we might see more three-safety sets in dime packages. But still, there’s really no replacing an inside linebacker like Jones, even in today’s pass-first NFL.

It’s obvious the Rams don’t put much value in linebackers but moving on from Jones, who’s just hitting his prime, is a huge risk and one that could make an already unproven defense significantly worse.

Blake Corum’s receiving skills at Michigan pro day caught Rams’ eye

During the draft, Les Snead and Sean McVay re-watched Blake Corum’s pro day and were impressed by his receiving ability

Blake Corum was known for being a workhorse running back at Michigan. He carried the ball 505 times for 2,708 yards and 45 touchdowns in the last two seasons alone, which is an average of 18.7 carries per game.

He did catch some passes for the Wolverines but his game was taking handoffs and scoring touchdowns. That could change with the Rams where he’s expected to be a more well-rounded back who gets opportunities to contribute as a receiver on third down. He said it himself in a recent interview and the Rams were very interested in his receiving skills pre-draft.

In a new draft documentary from Roku and NFL Films, Les Snead and Sean McVay talked about Corum’s receiving skills before selecting him with the 83rd pick.

“I can say this, at Corum’s pro day, he made some rare catches,” Snead said.

“Let’s watch it,” McVay said. “Actually, that’s all for nothing, right? I mean, he’s not going to be there at 83, is he?”

“You should watch it,” Snead insisted.

After flipping the tape from Corum’s pro day on, McVay liked what he saw.

“He’s definitely a right hand-over-left hand more comfortable. I want to see him catch that same pass to his left,” McVay said.

Snead: “Oh, the choice (route)!”

McVay: “That’s good. He looks way more functional than I thought.”

Might the Rams see Corum as a third-down back who will spell Kyren Williams in passing situations? That would allow him to get on the field early as a rookie, while also not necessarily taking carries away from the 2023 Pro Bowler.

It’ll be fun to see how McVay deploys these two backs this season.

Sean McVay doesn’t expect Rams to be as active in signing free agents this summer

The Rams added several free agents last summer but Sean McVay doesn’t see them taking a similar approach this year

Free agency opens in March but players remain available all year. For some teams, they find real value in signing free agents during the summer rather than during that first wave in the spring.

The Los Angeles Rams were certainly one of those teams last year, essentially sitting out the bulk of free agency until June, July and even August when they added several key players – players such as Ahkello Witherspoon, John Johnson and Demarcus Robinson.

Les Snead and Sean McVay took a different approach this spring, being aggressive by signing Jonah Jackson, Tre’Davious White, Darious Williams and Kamren Curl, among others. That will likely mean a more passive strategy this summer before training camp opens.

“Probably a little bit different than last year’s approach,” McVay said when asked if he and Snead will make more roster moves before camp. “What we will do is we’ll look at, all right, where are we at right now? Understanding that there’s still are some limitations in regard to the evaluation process, but what are the resources that we have to be able to have the most competitive team going into camp? And so, probably not to that extent, but to say that there wouldn’t be anything that could come up. I certainly would never say that because if we feel like within our disciplined approach that we want to be able to take. If we can improve the football team, then we will do that.”

The Rams did a great job addressing their biggest roster holes this offseason in free agency and the draft, leaving no glaring weaknesses on the team. Sure, they could use some depth at wide receiver and maybe cornerback or inside linebacker, but the Rams are in excellent shape with camp approaching.

Commanders GM Adam Peters reveals draft intentions in pre-draft phone call with Rams

Rams GM Les Snead joked: “No Jayden Daniels for us.”

It was no secret the Washington Commanders were taking a quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft. Holding the No. 2 overall selection in what was considered a deep quarterback draft, Washington had no choice but to select a potential franchise passer.

Much of the pre-draft talk centered on the Commanders and LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels. That would prove true after the Chicago Bears chose Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall, and the Commanders selected last season’s Heisman Trophy winner second.

Now that we are six weeks removed from the draft, NFL teams are wrapping up their offseason in the next two weeks, which means mandatory minicamp.

It’s also time for teams to give us that behind-the-scenes pre-draft chatter we all covet.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Rams released one such video, called “Behind the Grind, Inside the Draft.” At one point, Rams general manager Les Snead was in the car with senior personnel executive Ray Farmer discussing draft strategy when Peters called. After exchanging pleasantries, Peters informs Snead the Commanders were sticking at No. 2 and taking a quarterback.

Here’s the specific part of the video:

Adam Peters on the phone with Rams GM Les Snead before the draft talking about what they might do. After the call Snead says “no Jayden Daniels for us” 😂 pic.twitter.com/sXFQ94TdAy

— obvlon (@obvlon) June 5, 2024

Snead wasn’t surprised Peters was sticking at No. 2 and wished him good luck in his draft as the top decisionmaker.

Once they got off the phone, Snead joked, “No Jayden Daniels for us.”

Was this Snead saying he wanted to move into the top five and take Daniels? Or simply making a joke knowing the Commanders were always taking Daniels.

Washington will release a similar video called “Commanders Log,” and it should drop sometime in the next couple of weeks.

You can watch the full episode here:

Les Snead sheds light on Stetson Bennett’s time away in 2023: ‘It was very beneficial for him’

Rams GM Les Snead said Stetson Bennett “took advantage of that year away from the game” because he was “an exhausted human being”

Stetson Bennett was the Los Angeles Rams’ fourth-round pick in 2023 but he didn’t suit up for a single regular-season game. Not because the Rams didn’t need him with Matthew Stafford at quarterback, but because he spent the year on the non-football illness list for an undisclosed reason.

It was an unusual way for a quarterback to spend his rookie season, but Bennett is back with the team now and working through OTAs. It’s encouraging, especially after Sean McVay couldn’t say at the end of last season whether Bennett would be with the Rams in 2024.

Rams GM Les Snead spoke about Bennett in a recent interview on News19 in Alabama and he shed some light on the quarterback’s absence in 2023. He didn’t say why he was away from the team all year, but he said it was good for Bennett to be able to take a step back and spend some time out of football.

Snead says Bennett was “an exhausted human being” because of everything he went through during his college career, so spending a season away from football was good for him, according to Snead.

“I know this: Last year was very beneficial for him. I think he took advantage of that year away from the game,” Snead said. “You know what, he’s an exhausted human being based on everything he had done to walk on, to go to JUCO, to come back, to turn down small schools, say ‘I’m going to try to do this Georgia thing.’ To win a job, then to win the thing, and then to determine, ‘I’m going to come back.’ And when you come back, it’s really win it again or you failed. And that does take a toll on a human being, so I was jacked for Stetson to be able to take that moment and breathe a little bit.”

Snead was asked whether he’s glad the Rams drafted Bennett, and he didn’t leave much doubt about that. He and the Rams are happy to have drafted the Georgia quarterback in 2023.

“Looking back, for sure. I think our ecosystem was going to be very good for him and we had a plan for him, whichever direction it went,” Snead said. “And so there was a luxury that we had. And we had gone through it the year before where we had won a Super Bowl and it really started when we lost our first one but we were an exhausted building so there was an element of understanding the toll it takes to put a team, to do your part. The responsibility of the QB, and in our sake, we saw what taking a break, giving some guys a break from the game to get refreshed – I call it, to get bored and fall back in love with the game you grew up playing in the backyard.”

Snead added that he’s excited to see Bennett play this summer because “preseason football – and I’ll probably get in trouble for this – is absolutely boring to watch,” but Bennett brings some fun to the position with his ability to make plays off-schedule.

“But when you get a player like Stetson, he’s fun,” Snead said. “He’s got a little backyard ball to him where he uses his mobility to make some off-schedule plays, that makes preseason football fun. So I look forward to seeing how he evolves.”

Bennett is getting reps behind Stafford and Jimmy Garoppolo this spring and will compete to be the Rams’ No. 3 quarterback this season, assuming they keep three passers on the 53-man roster come September.

Why Aaron Donald’s retirement might not be entirely set in stone

Aaron Donald might be living his best life but football is different.

If you can walk away from the NFL in good health while having accomplished everything of significance, you should take it and run. That’s what Los Angeles Rams legend Aaron Donald did when he retired earlier this offseason.

But according to Rams GM Les Snead, there might be an (extremely unlikely) possibility that Donald suits up in a helmet and shoulder pads once again soon.

In a recent interview with The Rich Eisen Show, Snead maintained that he would keep Donald’s phone number on speed dial in case the Rams make another playoff run. Why? Because he’s not entirely convinced Donald could stay away if he sees another potential Super Bowl championship in the front view mirror.