Recapping the best and worst LA Rams roster moves made in 2023

The Meh

We had already touched base on the Jalen Ramsey trade, but now we come to the point where we actually consider the ins and outs of that trade in terms of how the transaction impacted the Rams overall. After all, when you revisit the trade of Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins, two things jump off the page now. The Rams agreed to trade Ramsey to the Dolphins because that is where he wanted to play next. And the motivation for the team to make that trade was more about salary dumping than any type of dissatisfaction with Ramsey's performance.

So what did the Rams receive in return for an All-Pro defensive back? As it turns out, a veteran tight end who could not stay healthy enough to play, and a Round 3 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the 77th overall pick.

As it happens, that 77th overall pick was used to add rookie outside linebacker Byron Young, a young edge rusher whose season was every bit as impressive as that of Carolina Panthers veteran edge rusher Brian Burns. Burns recorded 8.0 quarterback sacks, 50 tackles, and 18 QB hits in 2023. Young recorded 8.0 quarterback sacks, 61 tackles, and 19 QB hits in 2023.

Young truly was the equivalent of Brian Burns. The only problem is that the Rams had to trade Ramsey to get him. Ramsey played and started 10 games for the Dolphins in 2023, recording 22 tackles, five pass deflections, and picking off three passes. In terms of pass defense, Ramsey only allowed 53.8 percent of the passes thrown his way to find their target.

While it's difficult to compare an edge rusher to a defensive back, I'd say the Rams pulled close to even in this trade. But that is a far cry better than the trade appeared just moments after the team pulled the trigger.