It’s time for the LA Rams 2021 risky moves to pay off

What did LA Rams give up?

Before we answer that, let’s tally what the LA Rams actually traded over the series of three transactions. The first and perhaps most famous trade by the Rams was the trade that exchanged QB Jared Goff to the Detroit Lions in exchange for QB Matthew Stafford. Of course, there was more to it than just a player-for-player swap.

The Rams surrendered their 2021 third-round pick, their 2022 first-round pick, and their 2023 first-round pick for QB Matthew Stafford:

The Rams traded their 2022 sixth-round pick and 2023 fourth-round pick for running back Sony Michel:

And finally, the Rams traded their 2022 second round and 2022 third-round picks for outside linebacker Von Miller.

Of course, trading away four of seven picks is not something every NFL should try. To be honest, I’m not even certain that it’s something that the LA Rams should ever try again.  The move to trade for Matthew Stafford certainly came with risks. Stafford is an NFL gunslinger.

And yet, folks were surprised. Should they have been? Not really. the LA Rams knew fully what they were adding to the offense when they traded for Matthew Stafford, and Stafford has delivered everything in the brochure. The Rams got the bad, the ugly, and the very good.

As good as the brochure

What about RB Sony Michel? Well, he carried the football 208 times for 845 yards and four touchdowns. That’s about what the Rams could have expected. As a receiver, he caught 21 of 33 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. That’s about par for the course as well. The Rams did not use Michel very much until Week 13, which coincides with their five-game winning streak. Had he been featured sooner? He would have shattered the 1,000-yard rushing barrier.

Finally, what about Von Miller? Well, we just featured his late-season surge with the LA Rams in a recent article. Suffice it to say that Von Miller is red-hot for the Rams right now.

Now that we know that the Rams got what they paid for, what can we expect out of these three veterans in the post-season?