LA Rams’ signing of P Bojorquez: Are Cowboys targetting Hekker?

Wait… what?

A year ago, the LA Rams made a trade just before the 2020 NFL Draft, sending wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the Houston Texans for a desperately needed second-round pick in the draft. That trade was rather unexpected, but it moved a player with a downturn in production to another team in exchange for a draft pick. In fact, the Rams are not that patient when highly compensated players find themselves in the bottom half at their position. in 2020, Johnny Hekker fell to the 17th-ranked punter. So who would trade for Hekker, and what could the Rams expect?

More specifically, the Cowboys have the 179th pick. Would the Rams take a fifth-round pick for a very expensive punter whose production was decidedly down last year? In a heartbeat. And as they should, particularly for the team that enters the 2021 NFL Draft with more roster needs than draft picks. At last count, the LA Rams have met with three players who project as fifth-round prospects. Currently, the Rams do not have a fifth-round pick in the draft. A trade could change that.

Also, it clears some salary cap space for the team, just in time to possibly entertain a veteran free agent or two to address the team’s other needs such as center or linebacker. How much? Well, over $2.6 million, per Over The Cap. Yes, the Rams could most certainly use that space as well.

I don’t believe that the Rams will allow sentimentality or nostalgia for Hekker’s years of service as a Ram to cloud their judgment. The Rams make all their decisions with analytics, and Hekker’s analytics say otherwise. He’ll forever be in the hearts of Rams fans, but the team’s gotta move on. This could be a signal that the LA Rams believe that it’s time to move on. This team wants to win a Super Bowl, and the team will need to improve wherever it can.

After all, NFL also stands for Not For Long.