Eric Dickerson is always open to sharing his opinion any time the Los Angeles Rams make a big move. Being a former member of the team himself, he’s tuned in to everything Les Snead and the front office do.
So when the Rams acquired Matthew Stafford from the Lions for Jared Goff, two first-round picks and a third-rounder, Dickerson weighed in on what this means for Los Angeles and its chances of winning it all next season.
The Hall of Fame running back joined “Undisputed” on Tuesday and said he believes Stafford was the missing piece for the Rams.
“I really believe that Matt Stafford is the missing piece,” he said. “And sometimes you look at a football team and you think, ‘What are they missing? Are they missing two pieces, three pieces, four pieces? I think for us, when I look at the Rams, I think we’re missing two pieces. I think we need a speed receiver and a real top-notch quarterback. I like the trade. I think when you look at giving up draft picks and all of that, I’ll use myself. The Rams traded me and they got eight players for me. They got three No. 1s, three No. 2s and two players. The players didn’t really pan out. … Draft picks don’t mean nothing. Sometimes the people picking, you’re like, ‘What are you looking at?’ So for me, I think he’s the missing piece.”
Goff wasn’t cutting it in Los Angeles, committing 17 turnovers in 15 games this season alone. He and the Rams were still winning games, making the playoffs three times in the last four seasons, but the production wasn’t there the last two years.
Stafford is a polar opposite. He only made the playoffs three times in 12 seasons with the Lions, but he threw for 4,000 yards eight times, including seven straight seasons.
The Rams have two years to make it work with Stafford as his contract runs through 2022. If they don’t at least reach a Super Bowl, this will be viewed as a loss for them. But the offense is set to improve in a big way next season.
