The Rams are in first place in the NFC West and readying for a playoff push.
Will coach Sean McVay seek reinforcements?
The window closed after Week 12 for future Hall of Fame defensive lineman Aaron Donald to come out of retirement this season for a shot at another Super Bowl.
But star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who also was a member of the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI championship team, is a free agent after clearing waivers Monday.
Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and Demarcus Robinson are the Rams starting receivers. Tutu Atwell and rookie Jordan Whittington also have contributed to a team that has won three games in a row to improve to 8-6.
Beckham was released by the Miami Dolphins on Friday. About an hour before he cleared waivers, McVay was asked if the Rams would pursue Beckham.
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“That’s not something we’ve talked about yet,” McVay said.
McVay apparently did not discuss a potential return with Donald. Under NFL rules, that decision would have had to have been made before the start of Week 13.
“I would almost feel disrespectful reaching out to him, just based on the principles and knowing him the way that I do,” McVay said of Donald. “If that was something that he got interested in, you know, then that would obviously be something that you’re always open to.”
Before their Super Bowl in 2021-2022, the Rams re-signed safety Eric Weddle but he was a free agent because he had not officially retired.
That was the last of the three times that Rams won the NFC West under McVay, who woke up on Monday with his team atop the division for the first time this season.
The Seattle Seahawks’ loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night put the Rams in first place with three games left.
The Rams (8-6) and the Seahawks (8-6) have the same record, but the Rams hold the tiebreaker because they defeated the Seahawks in overtime on Nov. 3.
The Arizona Cardinals (7-7), who routed the Rams in Week 2, are in third place. The San Francisco 49ers (6-8) are in last place.
“Unless the season ended today, it’s all just temporary,” McVay said of being in first place, adding, “It’s a testament to the group to be able to handle some of the things that they’ve handled over the last few weeks.
“But all of it is not relevant unless we continue to do something about it.”
The Rams, who started the season 1-4, last week defeated the San Francisco 49ers 12-6 for their third win a row. They play at the New York Jets on Sunday and finish the season against the Cardinals and Seahawks at home.
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The Seahawks have games remaining against the Minnesota Vikings, at the Chicago Bears and at the Rams. The Cardinals play at Carolina, at the Rams and at home against the 49ers.
The Rams advanced to the Super Bowl twice after winning the NFC West. In 2017, they lost to Atlanta in an NFC wild-card game but the next season they advanced to Super Bowl LIII, where they lost to the New England Patriots.
In 2021, they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals to win Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.
The Rams missed the playoffs in 2022 after finishing 5-12, the worst Super Bowl hangover in NFL history. Last season, they made a second-half turnaround to finish 10-7 and in second place behind the 49ers. The Rams lost to the Lions in the wild-card round at Detroit.
On Sunday, the Rams play a Jets team that improved to 4-10 on Sunday with a 32-25 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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Quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed 16 of 30 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 45 yards. Receiver Davante Adams caught nine passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns, one that covered 71 yards.
The Jets’ defense features end Will McDonald IV, lineman Quinnen Williams and cornerback Sauce Gardner.
McVay said last week that tight end Tyler Higbee is expected to be active for the game against the Jets. Higbee, a ninth-year pro, suffered knee and shoulder injuries in last season’s playoff loss at Detroit. He has been practicing for several weeks but has yet to be activated from injured reserve.
Cornerback Cobie Durant, who sat out against the 49ers because of a lung bruise, has had “positive checkups” and is “trending” in a positive direction to practice and possibly play on Sunday, McVay said.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
