5 NFL trades LA Rams make for 2021 1st round pick

DB Darious Williams to Cowboys

The LA Rams lost the services of a solid safety in Eric Weddle to retirement in 2020, traded away veteran cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, and did not renew the team option on slot cornerback Nickell Robey Coleman. Thankfully, the team had drafted rookie Taylor Rapp in 2019, found both cornerbacks Troy Hill and Darious Williams could effectively start as NFL cornerbacks, and traded for elite cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

Now Johnson is back and healthy and prepared to rejoin Rapp deep in the Rams defense. For all intents and purposes, he leads a deep group of safeties on the LA Rams roster all hoping for an opportunity this year. That lends itself to a robust crop of defensive backs overall, as the new regime led by defensive coordinator Brandon Staley likes versatility defending passes.

Dallas does Darious

The Dallas Cowboys are in a constant state of urgency because expectations for the team are set as a perennial Super Bowl contender. Even when the team falls to 8-8, fires their head coach, and reloads for a new season, they remain a Super Bowl favorite. So they need to bolster their defensive backfield, and a rookie cornerback won’t do the trick. So why not trade for an NFL veteran proven on the field to play well? That sends the Cowboys right to the Rams doorstep:

This trade puts the Dallas Cowboys defense in place for the entire season and the Cowboys are merely trading down from the first-round to the fourth-round to get an NFL starting-caliber cornerback.