7 players that make complete sense for LA Rams to extend quickly

Defending the realm

Some may view an extension for nose tackle Sebastian Joseph Day as an unnecessary luxury that the team cannot afford, and that may indeed prove to be the case in the long run. But the fact is that SJD was on track to finish the 2021 NFL season with career-high production before his season ended after just seven games.

SJD is a known run-stopper. But he really upped his pass-rushing game for the 2021 season, tying his previous two-season total of three quarterback sacks in just seven games. And he is young enough to be considered a blue-chip addition to any defense.

Still, he is coming off a rather significant injury, and that coupled with the fact that so many Rams defensive players seem to play better when they line up next to Aaron Donald may deflate his market price. If that is the case, the LA Rams would be wise to extend a one-year prove-it deal to the young most tackle. Not only would that likely result in upping his marketability the following year, but could improve and subsequent related compensatory picks awarded as a result of him signing on with a new team.

The ole sign and trade

One of the strategies that seem to be rather commonplace among NBA teams that has not gotten much traction in the NFL is the strategy to sign and trade a player.  While there are not many players who fit the bill, I believe that inside linebacker Troy Reeder could be an ideal candidate for a sign-and-trade scenario.  While I’m not particularly high on Reeder’s fit for the LA Rams’ need for physicality at the inside linebacker position, some teams are good with that.

Through the course of the 2021 NFL season, the Denver Broncos had gone to the LA Rams twice to fill their roster need at the inside linebacker position. They signed ILB Micah Kiser off the Rams practice squad. Later that year, they traded for ILB Kenny Young.  And now, at least one person, Travis Wakeman of Predominantly Orange, believes that the Broncos should trade a fifth-round pick for the LA Rams inside linebacker.

That would be a pretty good haul for the Rams, particularly considering the fact that they may not even have Reeder on the list of players worth an extension to begin with. A sign and trade would not only remove Reeder’s salary from the books but give the Rams an additional fifth-round pick in either the 2022 or 2023 NFL Drafts.

That’s not bad for a player who was an undrafted signing by the Rams after the 2019 NFL Draft.