Ultimate Up to date on 18 Feb 2022 6:25 pm (UK Time)
The LA Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals placed on a nail-biting display right through the extremely expected Tremendous Bowl LVI, with the win-now Rams seeing off the younger weapons of the Bengals in a 23-20 win.
However what does the long run appear to be for those two groups going into subsequent season?
Sean McVay’s Rams sacrificed their long term with trades and big-money unfastened agent signings to win their first ring in 22 years, giving them an enormous downside taking a look to the way forward for the organisation. They traded away their 2022 and 2023 first-round selections plus more than one later around selections for knowledgeable leaders like Jalen Ramsey, 34-year-old quarterback Matthew Stafford, and Von Miller.
This leaves them in a precarious place as a rebuild is inevitable whilst on the similar time nearly unimaginable with the loss of draft belongings and cap house. McVay has one fifth-round pick out to paintings with forward of the 2022 draft in an underwhelming elegance the place the elite skill shall be taken within the first few rounds and won’t have a complete vary of 7 selections till the 2024 season.
Common supervisor Les Snead should make strikes within the business marketplace to obtain extra belongings for the impending drafts however once more will turn out to be tricky. In addition to restricted selections additionally they have numerous getting old avid gamers at the final years in their contracts.
Stafford, Tremendous Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp, Tyler Higbee, Cam Akers, Van Jefferson, Darrell Henderson, A’Shawn Robinson, Miller, and Odell Beckham Jr, who tore his ACL right through the sport, are all key individuals and are out of contract both this offseason or in 2024.
A training downside has additionally risen for the Rams as offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell has been named Minnesota Vikings head trainer and may take assistant head trainer/operating backs trainer Thomas Brown with him. The Denver Broncos have dipped their feet into the Rams training pool with defensive backs trainer Ejiro Evero organized to take the defensive coordinator task.
We have now noticed this earlier than with the 2018 Tremendous Bowl LII winners, Philadelphia Eagles. Since their odd comeback win over the New England Patriots, they’ve fallen into mediocrity with simplest 9 of the 53 avid gamers left from their championship roster.
Their quarterback tandem of Carson Wentz and Tremendous Bowl MVP Nick Foles have since each moved on with Wentz rumoured to be reduce by way of the Indianapolis Colts and Foles is at the Chicago Bears. Head trainer Doug Pederson, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and offensive coordinator Frank Reich have since moved directly to new franchises as smartly.
McVay will wish to steer clear of the Eagles long term up to imaginable and would possibly attempt to put it off some other yr by way of resigning as a lot of the roster as imaginable, however this will likely simply extend their issues. They’re already $14 million over the cap for subsequent season earlier than providing new contracts to unfastened brokers. Mix this with the loss of draft capital, it’s laborious to peer how the Rams don’t fall into obscurity because the Eagles have.
While the Rams went all-in on a ‘win now’ window with their getting old key avid gamers, the Bengals are forward of time table with their predominantly younger and green group, similar to the 2013, Russell Wilson led Seattle Seahawks.
The Bengals have a obvious downside to unravel within the low season’s to return, they want to in finding coverage for his or her franchise participant, quarterback Joe Burrow. Cincinnati’s offensive line let up the third-most sacks within the common season with 55, emerging to 70 together with the offseason, third-most in NFL historical past.
Whilst Burrow operated at an elite stage beneath drive, main the league in yards according to try on harassed dropbacks with 8.3, it isn’t sustainable shifting ahead. Simply take a look at former Colt, Andrew Good fortune. The top-rated prospect since Peyton Manning used to be compelled to retire early because of harm issues sustained from deficient coverage.
For the second one season in a row Burrow has entered the offseason with a knee harm brought about by way of the heavy hits to his frame. To make sure Cincinnati’s probability at some other Tremendous Bowl look, President Mike Brown must take a look at how the Kansas Town Chiefs rebuilt their offensive line after their cave in in Tremendous Bowl LV.
After their horrendous efficiency towards the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which noticed Patrick Mahomes sacked thrice whilst continuously operating for his existence for 4 quarters. Common supervisor Brett Veach utterly dismantled the roster, the usage of unfastened company to select up enjoy and the draft for elite, younger possibilities.
Heading into the offseason the Bengals have a projected $55m in cap house, giving them so much to paintings inside of an offseason this is steaming with O-line skill. A couple of names to seem out for come with centre Ryan Jensen prior to now of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who completed the season in the second one ranked O-line consistent with Professional Soccer Focal point.
Guard Brandon Scherff is because of go away Washington with the quantity 5 total pick out within the 2015 draft searching for a brand new house after enjoying beneath his 2d consecutive franchise tag. Scherff would in an instant turn into Cincinnati’s very best guard along with his 73.6 PFF grade as present proper guard Hakeem Adeniji completed with a 48.4 grade.
Finally, San Francisco 49ers guard Laken Tomlinson completed his profession very best 75.2 pass-blocking grade which might make him an overly intriguing prospect for the Ohio group simplest controlled a 14 according to cent pass-blocking good fortune charge in Tremendous Bowl LVI. Tomlinson ranked thirteenth within the league at amongst guards consistent with PFF.com whilst the Bengals highest-ranked is Quinton Spain in 44th.
Whilst those two groups may no longer be on extra other paths, they each have franchise-altering selections to stand this offseason which might affect their futures for years yet to come. They each proved to be the corps d’elite of the league in 2022 however making it to some other Tremendous Bowl is rarely assured.
However for now, on the other hand, the Rams are Tremendous Bowl champions, and the Bengals have their franchise in sturdy fingers with Burrow for a minimum of the following decade.
