7 times the LA Rams may have been shortchanged in 2021 roster moves

Trade scenario II

The LA Rams knew that they had a fairly stable group at outside linebacker and that Justin Hollins would be returning to the roster soon. In fact, after weathering the storm at the position through the early part of the new season, the position seemed to be one of the more stable spots on the team’s roster.

The team got Ogbonnia Okoronkwo back healthy after Hollins was injured. The team got significantly more defensive snaps from Terrell Lews than expected. The team signed Jamir Jones to the roster and got both defensive snaps and the added bonus of special teams’ play from him. And the team even had the added bonus of working with rookie Chris Garrett.

But at the trade deadline, the team pulled the trigger on adding the face of the Denver Broncos franchise and traded a 2022 second-round and 2022 third-round pick for outside linebacker Von Miller. Now, the second-round pick can be considered compensation for the player, and the third-round pick should be considered to be compensation for buying down Miller’s salary cap impact.

Too much too little too late?

But let’s step away for the moment. The LA Rams spent a second-round and third-round pick on a player in the last year of his contract. After 2021, the Rams will be forced to extend him at his market value or watch as he walks away in free agency.  I love the guy and believe that he truly is a huge plus to the LA Rams roster. But fairness and objectivity mean allowing consideration of an overspend. And to be fair, that may be the case here.

We know that a healthy veteran Von Miller is worth far more than two Day 2 draft picks. But he arrived with a banged-up ankle, and at the mid-season mark. Can the LA Rams get that much value from the guy in eight regular-season games with this team? Well, it’s pretty clear that the Rams pay much more for players than they expect in return when trading away their own players.