Rams get lackluster offseason grade despite Myles Garrett trade for one reason

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Rams get lackluster offseason grade despite Myles Garrett trade for one reason originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Los Angeles Rams look to be the top Super Bowl contender this season, as they've made huge moves to add Trent McDuffie and Myles Garrett to an already talented roster.

A Super Bowl contender a year ago, the Rams have now added McDuffie, Garrett, and Jaylen Watson. It's a great roster, and there should be plenty of optimism about this team making a deep playoff run.

However, ESPN's Seth Walder gave the Rams offseason a measly "C+" grade, despite the Garrett and McDuffie moves. There is one reason why the Rams' grade is so low: the very questionable Ty Simpson draft pick.

Rams receive a C+ offseason grade thanks to Ty Simpson​

"Los Angeles Rams: C+," Walder writes. "... It was a big missed opportunity to add a non-quarterback (like a third wide receiver) who could have helped in 2026."

At the moment, the Rams received some significant questions about their decision to draft Simpson, the Alabama quarterback, in the first round with the No. 13 draft choice.

Matthew Stafford is the QB of this team, and if he's ever to miss time, the raw prospect that is Simpson cannot be relied upon to save the Rams this season.

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But after the Garrett trade, there was some talk about how it made the Simpson pick make more sense. Drafting Simpson could be seen as a way for the Rams to land their QB of the future, just earlier than normal, to use those future picks to trade for Garrett.

However, as Walder pointed out, "And it looks even stranger after the Garrett trade." The Rams went all-in for the 2026 season with the Garrett trade on top of the Watson and McDuffie deals.

But, they used their most valuable 2026 draft pick on a move that does nothing for them in the short-term. Simpson is purely a developmental QB option, and it would mean something went terribly wrong if he's seeing playing time during the 2026 season.

If the Rams instead drafted a wide receiver like Makai Lemon, KC Concepcion, Omar Cooper Jr., or even Denzel Boston, it would've made more sense than Simpson.

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Puka Nacua and Davante Adams are both hitting free agency after the 2026 season, and they're going to need to address the WR room urgently if they don't commit significant money to either impending free agent WR next offseason.

That's not all the Rams could've done with the 13th pick. They could've traded it, moving back for more draft capital, or used it to acquire a veteran player to help now. An offensive lineman, or even another DB or DL, would've made sense with that pick.

Simpson's draft pick was one of the more questionable moves of the entire offseason, and it's the main reason why the Rams received a C+ grade from Walder despite their other offseason moves making them the top Super Bowl contender.

It's a bit harsh, but considering the missed opportunity for the Rams with the Simpson pick, Walder's opinion is understandable.

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