LA Rams send starting ILB Kenny Young to Broncos

When we talked recently about the LA Rams clearing salary cap space, we were not exactly thinking that the front office would be dealing players away. But that’s what Adam Schefter had reported on Monday, October 25, 2021.  Expected? No. Intriguing? Absolutely.

The move is rather curious, as the team had been starting Kenny Young in the inside linebacker role so far in 2021. Okay, that had been the case, but a quick look-see at Lineups.com reveals that Troy Reeder, another inside linebacker in the rotation, had played more defensive snaps in the past three weeks. It appears as though the LA Rams felt that the increased role for Reeder was permanent, and have willingly traded away Young.

The return for their starting inside linebacker? A paltry upgrade in 2024 from a seventh-round pick to a sixth-round pick.  In NFL terms, the equivalent of a bag of chips and a soda.

The NFL Trade Deadline is November 2nd, and this move does nothing (and I mean NOTHING) to improve the LA Rams’ chances of success this year. The team had cleared salary cap space earlier, and now combined with this move provides evidence that the team wants to make some changes.

So what does this trade look like?

So that is what the NFL equivalent to a back of chips and a soda looks like? Funny, that. Not enough return to be worth the bother. The Rams must have ulterior motives.

Since the return of this exchange in no way provides the Rams with a more competitive team for the 2021 NFL season, this is a strategic move that does one of two things: Frees up a spot for a talented younger player on deck to find more playing time or is a chess-move towards making a trade by the NFL Trade Deadline. Let’s use Occam’s razor, and go with the simplest explanation first.