Did Rams blunder by not doing Josh Downs or Keenan Allen deal with Colts?

The NFL trade deadline came and went without the Los Angeles Rams making a move at receiver. 

Well, they did put Jordan Whittington on injured reserve and re-sign Xavier Smith. So, there's that. 

Actually, not many receiver trades went down before the buzzer. Brian Thomas Jr. stayed in Jacksonville. Dontayvion Wicks, a potential Rams trade target, remained with the Eagles. 

The two deals that did get done both involved the capsizing Colts: Josh Downs to the Chiefs and Keenan Allen to the 49ers. With Davante Adams out and Puka Nacua out multiple weeks if not joining Adams on IR, should the Rams have been the ones to make a move?

Should Rams have done the Josh Downs deal?

The real-life details: 

Colts get: 2027 fourth-rounder, 2027 fifth-rounder 
Chiefs get: Josh Downs, 2027 seventh-rounder

Realistic for the Rams: No

Should have done it: No

Downs was probably the best receiver available due to his combined high floor and solid ceiling, a reliable producer who had 33 catches for 354 yards this season in that miserable Colts offense.

Let's assume the Rams would have done the same deal. Burning two mid-round picks in '27 would leave them threadbare in next year's draft. Factoring in the seventh-rounder would leave them with a second, a sixth, and the Colts' seventh.

2028 draft capital, if the Rams were interested in Downs' price tag to begin with, wouldn't help Indy in either a quick turnaround to field a competitive roster next season, or to kickstart a multi-year rebuild. It would also be more expensive for LA. The Colts would likely require more value to offset the extra year's wait.

The Rams were simply priced out of the market.

Should Rams have done the Keenan Allen deal?

The real-life details:

Colts get: 2027th sixth-rounder
49ers get: Keenan Allen

Realistic for the Rams: Yes

Should have done it: TBD

TBD is admittedly a cop-out answer, but there are several factors muddying the waters. Allen is 34 years old. At this point in his career he's the receiver equivalent of a checkdown merchant, averaging 8.8 yards per catch despite solid volume: 40 receptions for 351 yards and a touchdown.

A sixth-round pick is a feasible cost, but would Allen give the Rams that much more than their tight ends? He has two catches all year of at least 20 yards. Tyler Higbee is averaging 10.3 yards per grab and has three catches of 20-plus. That's on 19 fewer targets. 

Still, Allen is a more reliable option than any of LA's healthy wideouts. The question is whether it makes sense to spend a pick on an aging, low-ceiling player on an expiring contract when the Rams have so few bullets to work with.

The 7-1 Niners sit atop the NFC. They have a reason to go for it. The Rams don't even know whether they'll hold up long enough to make the playoffs. 

They might be better off signing a free agent like DeAndre Hopkins than sacrificing a pick for half a season of Allen. Think of it this way: a sixth-round pick gives them four cost-controlled seasons of a young player who could become a core piece of the roster. That's probably more valuable than any dent Allen would make for the 2026 Rams.

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