3 former players who LA Rams should trade for before trade deadline

The LA Rams are at 6-1, a place that few expected them to be before the 2021 NFL season began.  In fact, in a 17 game season, the LA Rams were projected to win between just 9-11 games this year. I suspect, even at this early juncture, that the Rams will overshoot that mark. We have held the magic number for the Rams to 12 to earn a playoff berth, and we are sticking with it. So far, the LA Rams are in very good shape to win that many games this year.

But just as the Rams have exceeded expectations, expectations are rising rapidly.  While the offense is meeting the ever-rising expectations, the Rams defense and special teams are not. That creates unrest and disappointment among the fans, even as the team is enjoying the success that has only been superseded by the 8-0 start to the 2018 season that eventually got the LA Rams to Super Bowl LIII.

But the Rams, just like 31 other NFL teams, have the opportunity to undo trades and free-agent signings, much like the New York Jets traded for former quarterback Joe Flacco.

So that opens the door for consideration, doesn’t it? I mean, if the New York Jets, and their 1-5 record after Week 7 can trade for a former player, shouldn’t the LA Rams offer some consideration to that course of action? At 6-1, this could be the year for something very special to happen, so why not at least ponder trade scenarios that could bring back former veterans who could actually help the Rams in the second half of the 2021 NFL season? Here we go:

Trade scenario I: Michael Brockers

The LA Rams defense is not exactly running at the same level as last year.  One of the areas in decline is the Rams run defense, an area that former defensive lineman Michael Brockers excelled at. In fact, the entire trade that sent Brockers to the Lions is the mere fact that the Rams and Brockers could not reach an agreement over compensation as the deadline to get under the 2021 salary cap loomed. So the Rams traded Brockers to the Lions for next to nothing.

Well, the Lions and Brockers successfully restructured his deal, making it far more team-friendly.  The Lions are tanking, and have no reason to have a veteran defensive lineman on the payroll. The Rams would benefit from Brockers’ run-stuffing defense. And, of course, there is that little thing called friendship. You see, Brockers and Aaron Donald are great friends and teammates.

It would be the right gesture to bring Brockers back, particularly considering he is a veteran of nine seasons with the Rams, both at Saint Louis and now at Los Angeles.  Send that 2023 seventh-round pick back to the Lions and restore Brockers to his former team. Why would the Lions trade Brockers back?

His current Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade of 48.0 suggests that he is not exactly leading their defense. The Lions can use his roster spot to give younger players a chance to earn a spot in the rotation going forward.