Super Bowl 2022: Team-building lessons from Rams and Bengals

By Bucky Brooks
FOX Sports NFL Analyst

After the confetti falls on the Super Bowl champions at the end of each season, general managers, executives and scouts spend some time dissecting the participants in the championship game.

From studying each team, the brain trusts of the NFL's other 30 teams hope to learn a few valuable lessons that will help them build better squads.

As a former scout, I believe it is important to study the league’s trends to see how the best teams are built and the methods those team-builders utilized to put together a championship roster. 

Given some time to study how the Rams and Bengals reached Super Bowl LVI, here are some lessons evaluators can learn from their team-building processes.

It all starts with the quarterback

Finding a franchise quarterback is the No. 1 priority for every general manager in the league. The NFL is a QB-driven league, and it is imperative to have an elite player at the position to compete with the top teams. 

Just looking at the playoff field, it is apparent that aspiring teams need an A-level quarterback to win a shootout against the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen, Kyler Murray, Derek Carr and Dak Prescott. And that list doesn't even include the (for-now) retired Tom Brady or proven stars Russell Wilson, Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson. 

That’s why it made sense for the Bengals and Rams to do whatever it took to land franchise QBs Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford.

Although the Bengals should not receive applause for finishing with the league’s worst record in 2019, the team’s willingness to ignore a slate of enticing offers for the No. 1 overall pick and an opportunity to snag Burrow deserves recognition. The Bengals wisely kept the pick to select a quarterback with the game and swagger to reverse the fortunes of the franchise.

And remember, it is not only about the chance to select a franchise quarterback. It is also about picking the right guy to turn the franchise around.

The Rams traveled that road with Jared Goff leading them to a Super Bowl after making him the No. 1 overall pick, but Hollywood’s team needed more star power at the position to win the big game. Stafford not only upgraded the talent at QB but also gave Sean McVay a "closer" with a history of game-winning drives and fourth-quarter comebacks.

While it cost a pretty penny to acquire a five-star talent via trade (two first-round picks and an additional third-round selection), the deal was well worth it after watching No. 9 make a number of "hero" throws in the clutch to win games throughout the playoffs. The Rams wanted a quarterback with the capacity to put the team on his back in critical moments, and they were willing to mortgage their future to get the right one.

With the Bengals and Rams finding their way to the championship round behind the stellar play of their quarterbacks, the rest of the league received a strong reminder that acquiring an elite quarterback is an essential part of building a championship squad.

A team can never have enough stars

Perhaps it was fitting that Rams GM Les Snead showed up at the team’s Super Bowl parade wearing a shirt with "F*** the picks" emblazoned on the front. The mild-mannered team-builder has routinely swapped draft picks for blue-chip players throughout his tenure, but his aggressive approach in recent years has drawn the ire of the "draft and develop" crowd that prefers to horde draft capital.

While there is certainly value in a traditional team-building approach, the Rams have shown that building a "super" team can work in the NFL. L.A.'s top playmakers throughout its playoff run featured an assortment of stars — Stafford, Jalen Ramsey, Odell Beckham Jr., Von Miller, Sony Michel and Leonard Floyd — acquired via trade or free agency after they entered the league as first-round picks.

Sure, Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp were homegrown products developed through the Rams’ system, but surrounding those elite players with proven stars has elevated the individual and collective performance of the team. Based on the key moments of the Rams’ championship run, it is not a coincidence that one of the aforementioned stars was involved in each of the team’s most critical plays.

To win in the playoffs, it takes outstanding performances from the team’s best players. With more star power on the field than their opponents, the Rams increased their chances by giving Sean McVay more options on his call sheet. 

Considering how it worked out for the Rams this season, more GMs and coaches will throw caution to the wind to chase a few stars who could help them make a championship run next season.

Trust the process

Credit Mike Brown and the rest of Cincinnati's management for exhibiting a little patience with Zac Taylor as he matured as a head coach. The 38-year-old posted a 6-25 mark in his first two seasons while learning the nuances of a position that requires plenty of on-the-job training. 

While many owners would pull the plug on the experiment after a dismal start, the Bengals stuck with Taylor and added a handful of players who helped bring his vision to life. Given enough time to fully implement the culture and grow into the job, Taylor guided the Bengals to the AFC North title and a Super Bowl appearance in his third year. 

The dramatic jump from cellar-dweller to conference champ illustrates how quickly things can turn around if the right person is in charge and the team buys in to his plan. Credit Joe Burrow for issuing a ringing endorsement of Taylor when the team was in the gutter in 2020. That helped convince team management to give the young coach more time and help (personnel) to put his plan into action.

Although every owner and fan base would love to see their team vault immediately to the top of the charts with a new leader at the helm, the Bengals have shown the football world that trusting the process can result in a championship-caliber team under the right guidance.

Tap into free agency to fix weaknesses

The Bengals transformed their defense into a championship-caliber unit by plucking a handful of veteran free agents to add experience and expertise. The team’s playoff lineup featured seven unrestricted free agents signed over the past two years. In 2021, Trey Hendrickson, D.J. Reader, Larry Ogunjobi, Chidobe Awuzie and Eli Apple joined a lineup that featured 2020 signees Vonn Bell and Trae Waynes. 

The collective experience of the group enabled defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo to implement a scheme in which the players took ownership of the calls on the field based on their instincts, awareness and diagnostic skills. Moreover, the influx of established players increased the overall football IQ of the group and decreased the number of blown assignments and critical errors that plagued the unit in previous seasons.

Although building through the draft is a more economical approach, there is something to be said for paying for experience and expertise to bolster weak spots in the lineup. Sure, teams cannot spend money recklessly on free agents, but paying a premium to acquire proven talent is exactly how Warren Buffet built an empire that is built to last.

With the Bengals making a Super Bowl appearance after a lengthy absence, the utilization of the free-agent market could pop with team-builders who see free agency as a quick fix that can ignite a turnaround.

Invest in the kicking game

To the chagrin of draft analysts around the Twitterverse, the Bengals spent a fifth-round pick last year on a placekicker to upgrade their scoring potential at the position. The team was blasted for wasting a valuable pick, but the emergence of Evan McPherson as a scoring machine has silenced that crowd.

"Money Mac" was a clutch performer in every sense of the word as a long-distance kicker with a knack for nailing game-winners from any distance. He made the most field goals in the postseason without a miss (14) in NFL history while becoming the first kicker with four field goals made in multiple games.

McPherson’s spectacular performance in the playoffs followed an impressive regular season in which he nailed nine of his 11 50-plus-yard field-goal attempts. With a long-distance specialist in the fold, the Bengals were virtually guaranteed points whenever they reached the opponent's 35-yard line, which made a huge difference in how Taylor called plays in key moments.

Most importantly, McPherson’s clutch performance boosted the team's confidence and gave the Bengals a better chance to win close games. In a league in which most contests are decided by eight points or fewer, the presence of a consistent kicker is a game-changer.

Bucky Brooks is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports and regularly appears on "Speak For Yourself." He also breaks down the game for NFL Network and is a cohost of the "Moving the Sticks" podcast.