5 LA Rams players who could be traded for needed draft picks

Player I: Quarterback

The key to any market exchange is to buy low and sell high. Right now, the LA Rams need to acquire additional draft picks, and the value of backup quarterback John Wolford has never been higher.  Let’s face the recent history.  Wolford was realistically the only backup quarterback on the LA Rams roster in 2020. He started and won the last game of the season. That victory propelled the team into the NFL Playoffs.

From there, Wolford started the Wildcard Round of the NFL Playoffs. He actually looked pretty comfortable running the LA Rams offense until an injury forced him out of the game and forced an injured Jared Goff to take over.  Yes, it was the briefest of flashes, and he did everything that the LA Rams asked of him.  Now, why trade him?

Well, the LA Rams sent an incredibly valuable treasure trove to the Detroit Lions for their veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. If the LA Rams truly thought that Wolford might be their long-term answer, that trade never happens. But the Rams did create the expectation that the quarterback position would be up-for-grabs before the trade announcement. Now? While the competition is clearly off, the Rams need to clean up the quarterback room.

Wolford’s value to other NFL teams will never be better. He is an ideal mentor to a young dual-threat quarterback. In fact, he would be an ideal quarterback to fit a team’s need to start until their rookie quarterback was ready to start. Something like the Tyrod Taylor role for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020. While he flashed enough brilliance in his brief stint to attract suitors, he was not tasked with the daily grind of starting weekly to the point where defenses could figure him out.

Like it or not, this is Stafford’s team now. The Rams could squeeze an NFL team for a third or fourth-round pick for Wolford. After all, he’s young, he’s cheap, and his contract expires in 2022.