The NFL trade deadline came and went on Tuesday afternoon and a ton of moves were made. However, there was not a Los Angeles Rams, trade to speak of.
The Rams currently sit at 3-4 after a rough loss to the San Francisco 49ers coming out of their bye. Through the first half of the season, they have been decimated by injuries while also playing very uninspiring football.
Many thought the trade deadline would be used as an opportunity for Les Snead and Sean McVay to address some of the team’s needs, which include offensive line, running back, wide receiver and pass rush.
As you can see though, I just listed four needs the Rams have. There was no trade out there that was going to address all four of them, so with that being said, was it the right call for the Rams to not make a move and give up future assets?
I lean towards yes.
As things currently stand, the Rams have the worst offense in the league and a middle-of-the-pack defense. That doesn’t exactly scream Super Bowl contender to me, even in a weak NFC.
Deals that were made
So let’s look at some of the deals that were made and see if they would have made sense for the Rams.
The biggest trade ahead of the deadline actually came almost two weeks before it as Christian McCaffrey was traded to the division-rival 49ers.
This is the deal that would have made the most sense for the Rams, and it seems that they agree as they were reported to be one of the finalists. The difference ended up being that San Francisco had a fourth-round pick to offer in addition to a second, third and fifth while L.A. didn’t.
Even though McCaffrey is the top-end talent that the Rams usually look to add, he is also a running back and that would have been a boatload of resources to commit to that position. McCaffrey is great, but on the Rams he still wouldn’t have had an offensive line to open up holes for him.
So while McCaffrey would have made the most sense for the Rams, I still think it was a good call not giving up four picks for him.
Some other deals included Bradley Chubb to the Miami Dolphins for a first-round pick, a fourth-round pick and Chase Edmonds with a fifth-round pick going back to the Denver Broncos; Jeff Wilson Jr. going from the 49ers to the Dolphins for a fifth-rounder; Chase Claypool going to the Chicago Bears for a second-rounder.
All of these deals included players at the positions I listed that were of need for the Rams.
Chubb is actually the only deal of this bunch that I would have done. He has been linked to the Rams for a while and would help their need at pass rush. The only problem is that the Rams do not have a first-round pick in 2023 so were likely outbid by the Dolphins.
So if there was no Chubb deal or another trade of that nature for high-end talent to be had for the Rams, then the best move was to stand pat and hold onto your draft picks to add young talent in the future.
Where do we go from here?
This season isn’t over for the Rams, they can maybe still turn it around and get into the playoff mix. But for that to happen the improvements were always going to have to come from within. Adding a couple of players at the trade deadline can help get you over the top (as it did for the Rams last year with Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr.), but it’s not going to take you from middle-of-the-pack to Super Bowl contender.
So while the Rams are typically very aggressive, I actually applaud them this time for showing some restraint this time. And who knows, maybe some reinforcements are still on the way in the form of a Beckham free agent signing.
