7 trades to increase the LA Rams number of draft picks
By Bret Stuter
Quarterback
The LA Rams auditioned backup quarterback John Wolford in a pressure cooker for the 2020 season. Not only did Wolford win the must-win last game of the season, but he became the starting quarterback of choice for head coach Sean McVay. But let’s not read too much into that. By that time, we know that McVay already wanted a one-handed Goff off his team, and he would have given the starting nod to any alternative quarterback on the roster.
So now the Rams have some value for Wolford. But it’s temporal. This is purely a strike while the iron-is-hot scenario. And the fact is that there are many teams in need of a solid but young backup quarterback who can start in the NFL. So why not the Rams? Well, the Rams know who John Wolford is, and the fact is that his contract expires in 2022.
There is no chance that Wolford starts for the Rams in 2021, and he will be gone in 2022. So what other options do the Rams have? Well, they could keep Wolford on the roster to back up Stafford. But in a year’s time, that value will face, and even if the Rams chose to allow Wolford to test free agency, there will not be nearly the market that Wolford would enjoy in 2021. He would be an ideal backup for New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton.
In this trade scenario, the New England Patriots get a year to audition quarterback John Wolford before making any financial commitments. Meanwhile, although the Rams lose a year of Wolford’s time on the roster, the Rams continue to have two other mobile quarterbacks on the roster and can focus upon adding a pocket passer once more.
Now realistically, the Rams will only be able to execute one or two of these trades in a perfect world, and this is not a perfect world. The point is that the Rams need not wait passively for so many offensive linemen and linebackers to collectively empty out their equipment lockers at the end of next year. The team can, and should, act now to ensure that the roster is staffed consistently and competitively.
Yes, the Rams’ willingness to simply eats scores of millions each year has certainly handicapped them in terms of real options. 2022 NFL Free Agency is less than a year away. Time to get crack ‘alackin.