Rams will see new NFC West threat with Dee Ford joining 49ers

With the San Francisco agreeing to a trade for Dee Ford, the Los Angeles Rams will see a new defensive threat in the NFC West.

As the Los Angeles Rams continue to prepare for the new league year officially beginning on Wednesday, it looks like a familiar face in the San Francisco 49ers just pulled off an epic trade to bring on one of the league’s top defensive players in Dee Ford.

Despite what took place in the AFC Championship against the New England Patriots, Ford has been a key member on defense for the Kansas City Chiefs over the last five years, and it was great to see him finally earn his first trip to the Pro Bowl during the 2018 season.

Whether it was setting a career high with 13 sacks or simply helping the Chiefs finish with the best record in the AFC during the regular season, Ford has made quite the name for himself on the defensive side of the football.

Unfortunately, one of the tough things about a player in Ford’s position is how he’s deserving of a hefty payday, which seemed like may come down the road after Kansas City decided to use the franchise tag on the defender for now.

Instead, it looks like the Chiefs kept their word in regards to being open to a potential trade involving Ford, which appears to be the case for the 49ers.

Going from playing under the franchise tag to a whopping five-year extension is amazing for a player like Ford, and as difficult as it’s going to be leaving a playoff-caliber team in Kansas City, at least a fresh start in San Francisco will be a great opportunity for the defensive end.

Then again, a fresh start being a great opportunity for Ford also means the Rams now have one more key player to worry about during the 2019 season and beyond since the NFC champions are fortunate enough to play the 49ers twice each season.

Around this time last year, San Francisco was considered one of the sleeper teams expected to make a serious leap in the NFC to become a serious playoff contender. And while things failed to work out for the best after Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a torn ACL, the 49ers have been making all sorts of key moves to put them in better position to bounce back stronger.

Landing a star player like Ford is going to make a huge difference for a team like San Francisco on the defensive side of the football, and while Los Angeles will continue to be the early favorites in the division, it’s trades like this that show they need to be extra cautious.