On Tuesday, the NFL trade market skyrocketed. The New York Jets traded a conditional third-round pick for wide receiver Davante Adams. A few hours later, the Buffalo Bills responded by sending a third-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for Amari Cooper. It was two splash-type moves from teams that see themselves in a spot of competing and trying to win now.
A few years ago, it would have been Les Snead and the Rams making that type of move. At the very least, the Rams would have been one of the teams in the discussion as they have been over the past two years. While they never landed Brian Burns or Christian McCaffrey, they were a team that was actively trying to make that caliber of move.
This is not to say that the Rams don’t have needs. They could use a receiving tight end or wide receiver that can win on the outside. Defensively, they have needs at cornerback and linebacker. It may be a tough reality to swallow, but the fact of the matter is, the Rams aren’t in a position to make that type of move. The team-build strategy has changed from what it was even two years ago.
This isn’t to say that the Rams are re-building or that they aren’t trying to win. With Cooper Kupp and Matthew Stafford still on the roster, this is a team that would love to be able to make a push for another Super Bowl. With that said, this team isn’t in a position to sacrifice the future for the now. Unlike the 2021 season or even 2022 when the front office and staff didn’t have a correct viewpoint on where the roster was, they aren’t a piece or two away.
Not only that, the Rams don’t even really have the draft capital to play with at the trade deadline. This is a roster that lacks cheap top-end talent. They simply aren’t in a position to trade their first-round pick. In fact, they really aren’t in a position to trade away picks at all.
Due to the trade-up for Braden Fiske during the draft, the Rams are without their second-round pick. If the Rams were to trade their first-round pick, they wouldn’t pick until round three. When that was the case in 2018 and 2022, the Rams ended up With Joe Noteboom and Logan Bruss as their first selections.
The Rams will have an extra third-round pick due to Raheem Morris being a minority hire. While they do have a fourth-round pick, their fifth-round selection was sent to Pittsburgh in the Kevin Dotson trade. Lastly, as usual, Les Snead has been collecting sixth-round selects as the Rams have three. Their 2025 picks are below:
- 1st Round
- 3rd Round
- 3rd Round (via Morris compensatory pick)
- 4th Round
- 6th Round
- 6th Round (via Steelers in Kevin Dotson trade)
- 6th Round (via Falcons in Van Jefferson trade)
The Rams have seven selections, but they wouldn’t necessarily want to get below that number and they certainly aren’t in a position to trade a first-round pick. It’s hard to say that there’s even a player available that would command that price tag.
If Snead does end up making a move, it would likely be something similar to what the Vikings did later on Tuesday. The Vikings traded for Cam Akers while swapping 2026 sixth and seventh round picks. Minnesota added depth while not losing significant draft profile.
It’s possible that Snead could look to do something similar as what he pulled off in 2019 when he sent only a fifth-round pick for Austin Corbett. Corbett was an early draft pick the year before that simply wasn’t working out. The same could be said about the Dotson trade last year. A player that fits that mold and at a position of need is cornerback Emmanuel Forbes. Forbes was a healthy scratch for the Washington Commanders last week, but was a first-round pick a year ago. The regime that drafted Forbes is no longer with the team.
The point here isn’t to make a case for the Rams to trade for Forbes. However, if the Rams make a move, that’s the type of trade they’d be looking at. This simply is not a team in position to dish out high draft picks for 1-2 year rentals. They also only have around $2.9M in available cap space which also severely limits their options.
At 1-4, the Rams aren’t ‘one piece away’ from the top seed in the NFC. Right now, they will be lucky to scrap into a playoff appearance. The Rams need to keep their assets so that they can make one final push with Stafford and Kupp in 2025.
A trade would be exciting to see. However, the fact of the matter is, the Rams simply are not in position to make one. The Rams need to live in the here and now, but also keep an eye on the future. It’s time to start investing once again in young pieces that can be the cornerstones moving forward.
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