During his time with the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick was often of the mind that it’s better to move on from a player a year too early than a year too late. The Los Angeles Rams have employed a similar strategy, opting not to hold on to a player for longer than they should.
They cut ties with Todd Gurley before he played a down on his new contract. They traded away Jalen Ramsey while he was still a premier cornerback. They moved on from Jared Goff a year and a half after signing him to an extension. Even with Allen Robinson and Jonah Jackson, they admitted their mistake and severed ties with both players after just one year.
FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd appreciates the fearless nature in which the Rams operate, while simultaneously calling out the San Francisco 49ers for holding onto Brandon Aiyuk. He blasted the 49ers for taking so long to move on, saying the Rams do a “much better job” of cutting ties before it’s too late.
“I’ve been saying this on the Niners for years: cut bait, move on,” Cowherd said. “The Rams move on from great players. Jalen Ramsey, Todd Gurley, Cooper Kupp. The Rams do a much better job moving on from injured players or players with drama. The Niners either coddle or keep them in-house. That’s why the Niners’ roster has become old and dramatic and brittle and expensive. Brandon Aiyuk goes on Instagram and basically blows up any opportunity to play for a tremendous young quarterback in Jayden Daniels. The Commanders dodged a bullet here. That stuff was just bad, and I wish the Niners would have moved on years ago.”
The fanbase may not always be happy when the Rams move on from stars such as Gurley, Kupp and Ramsey, but the front office knows it’s better to be late than early, similar to Belichick.
The Rams tore their roster down in 2023 after their disastrous 2022 season, which was the best thing they could’ve done – even as hard as it was. They’re now in position to contend for a Super Bowl with a young, impressive roster, while the 49ers are stuck in purgatory with the loose cannon that is Brandon Aiyuk.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Colin Cowherd: Rams are ‘much better’ than 49ers in one roster-building area
