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

Benefit III: It cleans up salary cap woes

How long has it been since the LA Rams have had ample salary cap space available before the start of a new NFL season? Quite a while, to be honest, as even as far back as 2019, the team had to salary dump an injured DB Aqib Talib by shipping him, his salary, and a fifth-round pick to the Miami Dolphins to clear cap space to trade for DB Jalen Ramsey.

If the LA Rams do execute a trade of Robert Woods, it would be wise for the team to structure it in a post-June 1 type of deal. By doing so, the Rams could shave a cool $13.5 million off their 2022 salary cap books, and limit their 2022 dead cap hit to just $2.2 million (figures courtesy of OverTheCap.com).

Salary cap: Find it? Spend it.

Of course, this is the LA Rams, and if they have available cap funds to spend, they will spend it. For this team, creating cap space simply creates new opportunities. So far, there are plenty of opportunities that are simply above or outside of the Rams current budget. But give the team another $13.5 million to play with? Suddenly the front office can shop for two or three more veterans who could make an immediate impact for the team.

And there it is. With one football, how many wide receivers are enough for a pass-centric offense? We know from experience that, due to in-season injuries, the wide receiver position can be decimated rather quickly. But is it wise to roster four headliner receivers, with the concern that one or two may be limited in the upcoming season due to injuries?

The Rams will never be sitting on surplus salary for very long. But the truth of the matter is that team could use some bucks to bolster the secondary, the pass rush, the offensive line, and perhaps the backup quarterback position. The team needs to spread the wealth around, and freeing up receiver salary expenses could do the trick for 2022.