Will the Rams Super Bowl win encourage teams to go all-in?

The Los Angeles Rams won the Super Bowl thanks to aggressive moves. Could that be the formula for teams like the Indianapolis Colts?

Following the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl 56 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, outside linebacker, Von Miller, joined NFL Network’s post-game show for an interview.

Soon as Miller set at the desk with the host, he asked former player, and current analyst, Maurice Jones-Drew, what the inside of his hat says. Miller then grabbed Jones-Drew’s hate and acted as if he was reading the words, “Forget them picks!”

This is a reference to the NSFW phrase that many have used to characterize the mindset of the Rams as they’ve traded away draft picks for elite talent.

Miller was acquired from the Denver Broncos for second- and third-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. Los Angeles traded for quarterback Matthew Stafford, sending two first-round picks and a third-round pick to the Detroit Lions.

In 2019, the Rams sent two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for All-Pro cornerback, Jalen Ramsey.

The last time Los Angeles made a first-round selection was in 2016 when the franchise selected Jared Goff No. 1 overall. The Super Bowl champions will enter this offseason not having a first-round pick until 2024.

That’ll be seven straight years without a first-round pick, but they now get to be Super Bowl Champions forever. Is this a formula other teams should start following?

Should teams follow Rams method for a Super Bowl?

In addition to the trade, Los Angeles also made a big signing by landing Odell Beckham Jr. midseason. The approach was really to do everything possible to win a Super Bowl this year and it paid off.

Whether or not every team should take this approach is relative to each franchise’s situation. The team that the Rams bested in the Super Bowl was the Bengals. The only reason Cincinnati was there and had a chance is because of successful first-round drafting.

The selection of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase energized the franchise and sparked the impressive run. The Bengals did have several key defensive acquisitions, but the engine of the team was Burrow and Chase.

Cincinnati’s presence should be enough for some teams to pump the brakes on trading away all of their picks. For a team to go all-in as the Rams did, they have to already be at a certain level.

They have to be a team that is realistically a couple of moves away from a Super Bowl and can afford to skip first-round picks. They have to be a team like the Indianapolis Colts.

Colts may benefit from all-in approach

Indianapolis missed the postseason this year but a review of the season shows the Colts are closer than most teams that didn’t make the playoffs.

Indy has an elite running game, a talented defense, a loaded roster with a league-high seven Pro Bowlers, and recorded some impressive wins in the 2021 season.

The biggest question marks for Indianapolis are obvious. Left tackle, the receiver unit, pass rush, and the quarterback position. Similarly, those are the positions that the Rams took big swings at.

The Colts have already shown the potential to make risky moves, giving up a first-rounder for Carson Wentz. Now, as it appears that move isn’t going to pay off, Indy will have to ask itself if it will continue to be aggressive or take more of a conservative approach.

Following the Colts’ disappointing finish to the season, owner, Jim Irsay, posted a video to Twitter emphasizing an “All chips in” mentality.

If Indianapolis is truly adopting an “All chips in” approach, that means it has to be an eventful offseason. The Colts can’t just simply run it back and expect everyone’s levels to raise.

Indy is going to have to go out and be aggressive, doing whatever it can to land star free agents or pry away disgruntled players from opposing teams. If the Colts actually go all-in as the Rams did, they’ll have a good chance at the same fate.

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