LA Rams Rumors: S Taylor Rapp linked to OT Andre Dillard

The LA Rams may not have chosen an offensive lineman in the 2021 NFL Draft, but as is often the case, that may not stop the Rams from making moves to improve their situation. Sometimes it’s just a matter of being in the right place at the right time with the right trade currency. For argument’s sake, the Rams have only added one offensive lineman via the NFL Draft in the past two seasons.

He is Tremayne Anchrum, a Clemson offensive tackle who was selected by the LA Rams with the 250th pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.

To say that the Rams’ front office would be interested in a former first-round offensive lineman from the West Coast is a pretty safe assumption. For OT Andre Dillard, the 22nd player chosen in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, it’s fair to say that the Rams would be very interested. Why?

To be honest, he is a first-round talent who has fallen a bit out of favor with the Eagles organization. How out of favor? Some articles have him on the trading block for a late-day-three draft pick. So why would the Rams be intrigued? Well, it just so happens that the Eagles are blessed with the riches at the offensive line. The Rams, unfortunately, are not. However, the Rams are thick in some positions that the Eagles have needs.  Right now, there are plenty of stories that have NFL teams expressing interest in Dillard.

So why would the Rams show interest? For starters, the LA Rams need players beyond 2022, and the roster has half a dozen or so players at the offensive line who do not extend beyond next year. So how can the LA Rams resolve all this? Well, the current publicized trade is for the exchange of safety Taylor Rapp for offensive tackle Andre Dillard. While that may seem fair to some, Rapp is in line to be a starter, and for many websites, Dillard has lost so much favor in Philadelphia that some believe a fourth to a sixth-round draft pick could free him up.

That is the current proposal from Brad Gagnon from The Bleacher Report. But there is the ‘who is the backup left tackle” for the Eagles question. And his narrative assumes that Taylor Rapp is sitting on the bench for the Rams. On the contrary, he is slated to start for the Rams alongside Jordan Fuller.  So, at its face value, the Rams would be giving up a starter for a player who some believe the Eagles may cut this year.

So I see a more equitable trade in this fashion.

While there could be an additional pick or conditions included in this exchange, here is why this swap is more equitable.

For the Philadelphia Eagles, they get a starting safety, plus an offensive lineman who can not only backup at left tackle but at left guard as well.  They also deal away a disappointing offensive lineman.

For the LA Rams, they get an offensive tackle with multiple years on his contract, an immediate backup for Andrew Whitworth for 2021, and a valuable pick in the 2022 NFL Draft that will allow the team to draft an offensive lineman or defensive back. The Rams have a solid depth of safeties who have shown solid production so far, so this truly plays out, on paper, as a win-win.

It’s the kind of deal Rams GM Les Snead is more than happy to do. Now, the question is, will Eagles GM Howie Roseman pull the trigger?