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https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2018/08/27/nfl-rams-trade-quarterback-pass-rusher-targets-block/
5 trades the Rams should consider making before Week 1
By: Cameron DaSilva
In less than a week, every NFL team has to trim its roster down from 90 to 53 players. The deadline is on Saturday, Sept. 1 at 4 p.m. ET, meaning this Thursday’s preseason games will carry a lot of weight.
Before final cuts come, however, trades are sure to be made. General managers and coaches will be calling teams to get an idea of which guys are available, including Les Snead and the Rams.
Quarterback and edge rusher are the top concerns, which is why we’ve focused on those positions here. We’ve also mixed in a safety for depth in the event of a possible injury.
These are five trade targets the Rams should consider pursuing.
QB Robert Griffin III
Price: 6th/7th-round pick
Through three preseason games, neither of the Rams’ backup quarterbacks – Sean Mannion and Brandon Allen – has done anything to earn the trust of the coaching staff. The hope was that one of the two would emerge as the clear choice to be Jared Goff’s backup, but that simply hasn’t been the case.
As it stands right now, the Rams would be in deep trouble if Goff were to go down with an injury. The Ravens have Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson, who are locks to make the 53-man roster, which means Griffin is likely to be the odd-man out in Baltimore.
In four preseason games, Griffin is 27-for-41 with 243 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He’s looked good enough to keep on the roster, but the Ravens would probably be open to dealing him for a late-round pick.
His familiarity with Sean McVay from his days in Washington adds another layer to this possibility, as does the week of work the Rams got with Baltimore before their first preseason game.
QB Teddy Bridgewater
Price: 2nd/3rd-round pick
For the same reasons Griffin makes sense, Bridgewater does, too. The Rams currently don’t have a quarterback who could lead them to any string of victories, but with Bridgewater back to looking like his old self, there’s no doubt Teddy B could do for the Rams what Nick Foles did in Philly last year.
He’s completed 28 of 38 passes for 316 yards with two touchdowns and a pick in three preseason games thus far, playing well each time out. He doesn’t bring the same mobility that Griffin does and both quarterbacks have essentially been out of the league since 2016, but Bridgewater has looked very good thus far.
With Sam Darnold looking like the Week 1 starter in New York and Josh McCown providing the Jets very little trade value, Bridgewater could be moved. Unfortunately, the return might be out of the Rams’ price range.
It’d likely take a third-rounder to acquire him, which would leave the Rams without their original picks in the second or third round – pending compensatory selections from Trumaine Johnson and Sammy Watkins.
EDGE Shaq Barrett
Price: 3rd-round pick
On the defensive side of the ball, the Rams don’t need a ton of help. They’re set on the defensive line, at cornerback and with their two starting safeties, but the pass rush could use an infusion of talent.
Enter Barrett, whom Wade Phillips coached in Denver for two seasons. From 2015-16, Barrett had seven sacks, 86 tackles and five forced fumbles, despite being blocked by Von Miller, Shane Ray and DeMarcus Ware. He signed a $2.914 million tender as a restricted free agent this year, keeping him in Denver for one more season.
However, with Ray – another potential trade candidate – still in the mix and Jeff Holland playing well so far, Barrett could be made expendable. He’d fit perfectly in Los Angeles and could be a Day 1 starter opposite Samson Ebukam, lessening the concern surrounding Matt Longacre and the rest of the reeling outside linebackers.
EDGE Dante Fowler Jr.
Price: 5th-round pick
Fowler has had a rocky tenure in Jacksonville, to say the least. This offseason alone, he was suspended for the season opener stemming from a 2017 incident, has struggled to do much on the field and was handed a one-week ban by the Jaguars for violating team rules.
Furthermore, the Jaguars opted not to pick up his fifth-year option for 2019, meaning he’s in the final year of his contract. Jacksonville has a wealth of talent on the defensive line with the likes of Yannick Ngakoue, Calais Campbell, Malik Jackson, Marcell Dareus and first-round pick Taven Bryan, so they’re not short on talent. That makes Fowler a trade chip, one the Rams should explore.
The Jets have reportedly begun to do so, which shows there is a market for the defensive end. While not the most reliable player, Fowler could step in and provide a spark for the Rams’ pass rush, adding yet another piece to a position group with major questions.
S Darian Thompson
Price: 5th-round pick
Let’s preface this by saying in no way are the Rams looking for a starter at safety. Lamarcus Joyner and John Johnson have the starting gigs locked down as one of the best tandems in the NFL. However, after losing Cody Davis, they’re a bit thin on talent behind those two players.
Thompson has fallen out of favor a bit in New York as a former third-round pick, battling injuries and now competition at safety. Michael Thomas is there putting heat on Thompson, as are Andrew Adams and Curtis Riley next to Landon Collins.
Thompson is a rangy free safety with good potential, which makes him an intriguing trade target. If the Rams were to acquire him, he could possibly take over for Joyner in 2019 in the event that he’s not signed long-term.
5 trades the Rams should consider making before Week 1
By: Cameron DaSilva
In less than a week, every NFL team has to trim its roster down from 90 to 53 players. The deadline is on Saturday, Sept. 1 at 4 p.m. ET, meaning this Thursday’s preseason games will carry a lot of weight.
Before final cuts come, however, trades are sure to be made. General managers and coaches will be calling teams to get an idea of which guys are available, including Les Snead and the Rams.
Quarterback and edge rusher are the top concerns, which is why we’ve focused on those positions here. We’ve also mixed in a safety for depth in the event of a possible injury.
These are five trade targets the Rams should consider pursuing.
QB Robert Griffin III
Price: 6th/7th-round pick
Through three preseason games, neither of the Rams’ backup quarterbacks – Sean Mannion and Brandon Allen – has done anything to earn the trust of the coaching staff. The hope was that one of the two would emerge as the clear choice to be Jared Goff’s backup, but that simply hasn’t been the case.
As it stands right now, the Rams would be in deep trouble if Goff were to go down with an injury. The Ravens have Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson, who are locks to make the 53-man roster, which means Griffin is likely to be the odd-man out in Baltimore.
In four preseason games, Griffin is 27-for-41 with 243 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He’s looked good enough to keep on the roster, but the Ravens would probably be open to dealing him for a late-round pick.
His familiarity with Sean McVay from his days in Washington adds another layer to this possibility, as does the week of work the Rams got with Baltimore before their first preseason game.
QB Teddy Bridgewater
Price: 2nd/3rd-round pick
For the same reasons Griffin makes sense, Bridgewater does, too. The Rams currently don’t have a quarterback who could lead them to any string of victories, but with Bridgewater back to looking like his old self, there’s no doubt Teddy B could do for the Rams what Nick Foles did in Philly last year.
He’s completed 28 of 38 passes for 316 yards with two touchdowns and a pick in three preseason games thus far, playing well each time out. He doesn’t bring the same mobility that Griffin does and both quarterbacks have essentially been out of the league since 2016, but Bridgewater has looked very good thus far.
With Sam Darnold looking like the Week 1 starter in New York and Josh McCown providing the Jets very little trade value, Bridgewater could be moved. Unfortunately, the return might be out of the Rams’ price range.
It’d likely take a third-rounder to acquire him, which would leave the Rams without their original picks in the second or third round – pending compensatory selections from Trumaine Johnson and Sammy Watkins.
EDGE Shaq Barrett
Price: 3rd-round pick
On the defensive side of the ball, the Rams don’t need a ton of help. They’re set on the defensive line, at cornerback and with their two starting safeties, but the pass rush could use an infusion of talent.
Enter Barrett, whom Wade Phillips coached in Denver for two seasons. From 2015-16, Barrett had seven sacks, 86 tackles and five forced fumbles, despite being blocked by Von Miller, Shane Ray and DeMarcus Ware. He signed a $2.914 million tender as a restricted free agent this year, keeping him in Denver for one more season.
However, with Ray – another potential trade candidate – still in the mix and Jeff Holland playing well so far, Barrett could be made expendable. He’d fit perfectly in Los Angeles and could be a Day 1 starter opposite Samson Ebukam, lessening the concern surrounding Matt Longacre and the rest of the reeling outside linebackers.
EDGE Dante Fowler Jr.
Price: 5th-round pick
Fowler has had a rocky tenure in Jacksonville, to say the least. This offseason alone, he was suspended for the season opener stemming from a 2017 incident, has struggled to do much on the field and was handed a one-week ban by the Jaguars for violating team rules.
Furthermore, the Jaguars opted not to pick up his fifth-year option for 2019, meaning he’s in the final year of his contract. Jacksonville has a wealth of talent on the defensive line with the likes of Yannick Ngakoue, Calais Campbell, Malik Jackson, Marcell Dareus and first-round pick Taven Bryan, so they’re not short on talent. That makes Fowler a trade chip, one the Rams should explore.
The Jets have reportedly begun to do so, which shows there is a market for the defensive end. While not the most reliable player, Fowler could step in and provide a spark for the Rams’ pass rush, adding yet another piece to a position group with major questions.
S Darian Thompson
Price: 5th-round pick
Let’s preface this by saying in no way are the Rams looking for a starter at safety. Lamarcus Joyner and John Johnson have the starting gigs locked down as one of the best tandems in the NFL. However, after losing Cody Davis, they’re a bit thin on talent behind those two players.
Thompson has fallen out of favor a bit in New York as a former third-round pick, battling injuries and now competition at safety. Michael Thomas is there putting heat on Thompson, as are Andrew Adams and Curtis Riley next to Landon Collins.
Thompson is a rangy free safety with good potential, which makes him an intriguing trade target. If the Rams were to acquire him, he could possibly take over for Joyner in 2019 in the event that he’s not signed long-term.
