LA Rams rumors: Would trading WR Robert Woods help or hurt team?

Out of balance

While the strategy makes incredible sense for the quarterback and the wide receivers, and as a result even for the team’s coaching staff, the Rams front office is forced to bite the bullet. In a recent feature, we examined how the team is spending its money so far in terms of positional groups. In the past, we were able to guess where the team would and would not be investing in the upcoming year.

We were able to anticipate that the Rams would invest money into their offensive line for 2022, which they have done so far. But another trend stood out. Or as cited in that article:

"“…the team is spending well above the norm for wide receivers, as well as tight ends. Of course, the Rams certainly got their money’s worth out of Cooper Kupp in 2021, and are happy to meet his 2022 salary obligations. But was the team as thrilled with the play of second-year WR Tutu Atwell? If the Rams were to drop spending at the WR position by some $10 million (restructuring and cuts), that would drop the Rams spending at wide receiver to Tenth place in the NFL.” – per Bret Stuter in Where are LA Rams paying the most money on positional groups?"

Since that analysis, the LA Rams have actually cut their WR spending by $400,000, but are now the team investing the most in the wide receiver position in the NFL by both Over the Cap.com and Spotrac.com (as of March 18, 2022). So even as the Rams have shifted some of their dollars out of the position, they are now at the top spot in the NFL at spending for their wide receivers.

And if their plan holds, they will be investing in another NFL star at the position, Odell Beckham Jr. OBJ is a solid competitor, and he had created rapid chemistry with Stafford in 2021. But his ACL injury occurred during the Super Bowl, which means even the most optimistic projections for his healthy return to the team are no earlier than November 2022, a point in time that would mean over half of the 2022 NFL season’s game would already be played.

That is a lot of uncertainty, unknowns, and could-be’s to throw onto the LA Rams for the upcoming season.