These 4 NFC teams are better than the 49ers right now
By Peter Panacy
No. 2 team better than 49ers: Los Angeles Rams
Notable offseason additions: WR Allen Robinson, LB Bobby Wagner, CB Troy Hill, OG Logan Bruss*
Notable offseason losses: EDGE Von Miller, WR Odell Beckham Jr., WR Robert Woods, CB Darious Williams, OG Austin Corbett
“To hell with draft picks,” must be the mantra of Rams general manager Les Snead, who didn’t own a pick in the first two rounds of this year’s draft.
Last year proved it could work, as LA knocked off the Niners in the NFC title game, then went on to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. Sure, San Francisco has owned Los Angeles during the regular season in recent years.
But that didn’t equate to success in the playoffs, so here we are.
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Granted, the Rams saw some notable departures during the offseason, namely losing two midseason pickups in EDGE Von Miller and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., but the losses of Beckham and fellow wideout Robert Woods are mostly mitigated by acquiring former Chicago Bears standout Allen Robinson.
Robinson has to be thrilled about his change of scenery.
Meanwhile, the 49ers will still be tormented by one of their old NFC West rivals, former Seattle Seahawks perennial All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner. While Wagner might not be the same caliber of player he was during his heyday, his joining an elite defense led by defensive tackle Aaron Donald and cornerback Jalen Ramsey is nevertheless a problem.
While LA doesn’t have anything close to Aaron Rodgers at quarterback in Matthew Stafford, the supporting cast around the latter on both sides of the ball is notably better than Green Bay’s.
Probably better than the Niners’ cast, too.