Rams' Sean McVay talks return of 'big three' for 2023 NFL season

It sounds like Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay isn't embracing any rebuild despite the fact his club parted ways with multiple big names this offseason. 

As shared by Grant Gordon of the league's website, McVay explained during an appearance on NFL Network that having quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receiver Cooper Kupp and defensive superstar Aaron Donald healthy and back in the lineup should help the Rams rebound after their disastrous 2022 season. 

"We lost a lot of great players, but we were missing a lot of great players last year," McVay said. "And those three guys are phenomenal players, they're phenomenal people and I think there's just a little bit of a good edge to them in terms of missing the game a little bit." 

The Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals to win Super Bowl LVI in February 2022, held onto McVay amid rumors he could retire to begin a broadcasting career with a major outlet and then convinced Donald to run it back via a reworked contract that included a nice pay raise. However, Los Angeles' three most important players all dealt with injury setbacks this past season, and the team ultimately finished the campaign with a 5-12 record. 

A lingering elbow issue hovered over Stafford throughout 2022, and he was evaluated for concussions multiple times in November before a spinal cord contusion prematurely ended his season. Ankle injuries impacted both Kupp and Donald during a year everyone associated with the Rams would probably prefer to forget. 

"We sure as heck missed them and it'll be great, because those kinda guys, they elevate people around them," McVay added about the trio. "There's gonna be a lot of young guys that we have."

Stafford and Donald could both retire as soon as next winter, and the Rams may ask the three-time Defensive Player of the Year to accept a trade to a contender this fall to help them better plan for the second half of the 2020s. Those realities coupled with the fact that McVay has suggested he could flirt with jumping into a broadcast booth at any point make the Rams a win-now team even if their talent doesn't match such expectations ahead of Memorial Day.