Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead is the single-most active individual at his position when it comes to the NFL trade market. Trades for core players such as Matthew Stafford and Jalen Ramsey headline this activity.
With Los Angeles off to a ho-hum 1-1 start to the 2022 season and facing some serious depth issues, the expectation is that the Rams will be active ahead of the NFL trade deadline. Below, we look at three options to help jump start the team heading into Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals.
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Rams pick up Isaiah Wynn from the New England Patriots
The offensive line has been a major issue for Los Angeles following the retirement of long-time left tackle Andrew Whitworth. With center Brian Allen battling through a knee injury, that’s been magnified further. Through two games, Matthew Stafford has been sacked eight times. He went down just 30 times in 17 starts last season. It’s one of the reasons Stafford heads into Week 3 leading the NFL with five interceptions.
An impending free agent, Wynn has been the subject of trade rumors in New England. Trent Brown took over starting left tackle duties to open the 2022 season, moving Wynn to the right side. With an ability to play both guard and tackle spots, Wynn would be a great addition for Los Angeles. Back in 2020, Pro Football Focus graded the former first-round pick out as the 11th-best tackle in the NFL.
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Robert Quinn returns to the Los Angeles Rams
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated broached this topic recently, indicating that Quinn could be a option for Los Angeles as the team looks to replace Von Miller out on the edge. It’s something the Rams didn’t do once Miller left for the Buffalo Bills in free agency this past March.
There’s a darn good chance that Chicago will look to trade the high-priced Quinn ahead of the deadline. The team is in full-scale rebuild mode and needs to get younger. As for the 32-year-old Quinn, he’s at the point in his career that joining a contender makes a ton of sense after a career-best 2021 season.
- Robert Quinn stats (2021): 49 tackles, 22 QB hits, 17 tackles for loss, 18.5 sacks
Imagine the Rams being able to team Quinn up with Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd on the defensive line. It would be all sorts of awesome. It also doesn’t hurt that Quinn was an original first-round pick of the Rams back in 2011 and played his first seven NFL seasons with the organization.
Related: Los Angeles Rams standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL offensive rankings
Los Angeles Rams pick up Saquon Barkley in blockbuster trade
Given Barkley’s strong start to the season for the undefeated New York Giants (imagine that), it now seems less likely that the impending free agent will be dealt. What we do know is that the Giants new brass of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll attempted to trade Barkley during the offseason. It’s reasonable to ask if he has a long-term future in Jersey.
- Saquon Barkley stats (2018-19): 2,310 rushing yards, 143 receptions, 1,159 receiving yards, 3,469 total yards, 23 TD
Despite dealing with injury-plagued 2020 and 2021 campaigns, Barkley seems to be back at full health. He leads the NFL in rushing yards through two weeks.
For the Los Angeles Rams, running back is a major concern. Cam Akers has not rebounded after his Achilles’ tear. Darrell Henderson leaves a lot to be desired in the backfield. Rookie Kyren Williams is on injured reserve. Sure wide receiver help behind Cooper Kupp might be a priority. But Barkley’s ability to catch the ball out of the backfield would help out in that regard, too.