The NFL trade deadline is just a week away with teams having until Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. PT to make a deal. The Los Angeles Rams have already been active this season, of course, acquiring Austin Corbett and Jalen Ramsey, as well as trading away Marcus Peters for Kenny Young and a draft pick.
Les Snead is one of the most aggressive general managers in the NFL, and while he said “there’s not a lot more we could probably do,” he did acknowledge that teams make calls about players all the time and there are “some interesting ideas being floated.”
So what other deals might the Rams make – specifically when it comes to trading players away? Here are four guys they might consider moving, though it’s unlikely Los Angeles will make any other moves.
LB Bryce Hager
Hager’s decline in 2019 has been sudden. He began the season as a starter in place of Micah Kiser, who suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason. Hager was playing well before injuring his shoulder in Week 4, which gave way to Troy Reeder as the starting inside linebacker.
Hager played zero defensive snaps in Week 6 and was a healthy scratch on Sunday against the Falcons, while Travin Howard was given the green light in his place.
The Rams clearly prefer Reeder over Hager and even like Howard as a backup linebacker, so Hager isn’t doing much on the 53-man roster. Moving him may not be worth it for a late-round pick, but a team looking for linebacker depth might bite for the right price.
RB Malcolm Brown
Lions running back Kerryon Johnson will miss some time with a knee injury, which presents the Rams with an interesting proposition. Might the Lions be interested in adding Brown, who they signed to an offer sheet this offseason? They’d be getting him at the exact price they offered him in March, this time giving up a draft pick to make it happen. For a team with playoff hopes and a need at running back, it’s not out of the question.
There could be other teams interested in Brown, too. He’s a quality backup with starting potential in the event of an injury, which makes the Panthers an intriguing spot. Brown would allow Carolina to manage Christian McCaffrey’s workload the rest of the way.
The Rams love Brown and probably won’t trade him, but with Darrell Henderson getting more snaps and looking comfortable on offense, the offense would be fine if a trade were made. Of course, it’s all contingent on Brown’s health, as he is currently dealing with an ankle injury.
CB Darious Williams
Les Snead said teams were calling the Rams about their cornerbacks before final cuts in September, expressing interest in their fringe players. The Rams know they have talent at corner and while they’re not exactly deep right now, Aqib Talib is eligible to return from injured reserve later this season.
Williams is the No. 4 cornerback right now and might be able to fetch the Rams a Day 3 pick. It would require the team to be comfortable with Donte Deayon being elevated from the practice squad, which isn’t farfetched; he has NFL experience.
The Rams would be better off keeping Williams as an insurance policy in case Troy Hill, Jalen Ramsey or Nickell Robey-Coleman get hurt, but David Long Jr. is also waiting in the wings as a third-round rookie.
TE Tyler Higbee
Gerald Everett has clearly taken control of the No. 1 tight end role for the Rams. He’s out-snapped Higbee in each game except for Week 1 and Week 6, proving to be the much better option at tight end – especially in the red zone. Everett has caught all seven of his red zone targets for 42 yards and two touchdowns, compared to three catches for 14 yards and a touchdown for Higbee, all of which came in Weeks 1 and 2.
The opportunities simply aren’t there for Higbee anymore, either. He’s only been targeted seven times in the last three games, while Everett has seen 26 passes come his way.
Johnny Mundt, the No. 3 tight end is a quality blocker and played 16 snaps on Sunday, so he could take Higbee’s role as an extra blocker and No. 2 tight end.
The Rams did just give Higbee a contract extension, so they’re not likely to move him, but that was before Everett separated himself as the clear-cut No. 1 TE. Trading Higbee would save $1 million in 2019 and incur a dead cap charge of $2.4 million in 2020, but also save $6.2 million next season.
