St. Louis Rams trade target: Alshon Jeffery WR Chicago Bears

The NFL isn’t very conducive to midseason trades, but with the trade deadline fast approaching the St. Louis Rams should make a move to help one of the weakest areas of the team, wide receiver. The deadline will arrive Tuesday, November 3rd at 4 p.m. ET and is quickly approaching.

The Rams rank 31st in the league with 1,330 receiving yards as a team. Their 111 team receptions also falls right in line ranked 31st in the league. The seven team touchdowns ranks a bit higher at 28th, but all the stats point toward an abysmal receiving corps in St. Louis.

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Wide receiver Tavon Austin, a first-round draft pick in 2013, leads the team in receptions (24) and receiving yards with 285. He also leads the team with four receiving touchdowns. Austin has not lived up to his draft status, but has seen an increase in offensive opportunities and made the most of them. The next best receiver on the roster is tight end Jared Cook with 245 receiving yards on 19 catches.

One of the best trade targets on the market is Chicago Bear’s wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. A young, speedy deep-threat that the flat lined Bears may look to move for draft picks in what will certainly be a rebuilding period for them in 2016. Jeffery’s 341 receiving yards would immediately become the highest total on the Rams squad. His 23 receptions would rank second and he his two receiving touchdowns would also rank second. Jeffery would be a nice addition to a weak depth chart in St. Louis.

Nov 1, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles (5) looks to throw the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

If there’s one thing St. Louis doesn’t need to become it’s younger. As one of the youngest teams in the league once again in 2015, Jeffery would actually help to raise the average age on the roster and he’s only 25. With an emphasis on experience and not potential, draft picks would be enough to bring Jeffery to St. Louis, and the extra second round pick coming from the Sam Bradford trade should be enough to get it done.

Now in his fourth season, Jeffery has accumulated over 3,200 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns on 221 receptions. Jeffery would transition directly into the number one receiver role in all sets should he find his way to St. Louis. In 2013 Jeffery posted over 1,400 receiving yards. His encore in 2014 was a 1,133 yard performance. Now in 2015, limited to just three games due to injury, he leads the Bears in receiving yards.

If the Rams hope to contend late in the season and begin to put up points they will need to go out and get a play maker of Jeffery’s caliber. Currently, St. Louis is dead last in the league in passing yards per game with 179.6. Quarterback Nick Foles was brought in to reverse that trend and has only been part of it’s continued downslide. The offensive line hasn’t helped matters, but Foles needs to produce with what he’s got and he has failed to do that. A weapon like Jeffery may help him climb out of this hole though.

Jeffery would be a plug and play deep threat for a team that lacks a true number one receiving threat. Rookie running back Todd Gurley looks to be the workhorse back that dominated college football fields just a year ago. The Rams defense is as good, if not better, than advertised. Now the passing game needs to get things together. The Rams are on the brink. 2015 could hold a postseason run, and Jeffery could be the key.