Shocked? LA Rams make a surprising trade for this Steelers player. But why?

If you had been following the LA Rams throughout training camp and preseason, you would likely have expected the team to be making some last-minute deals. The Rams clearly need more on the roster to compete effectively this season. Had you surveyed the Rams fans perspective, though, you would have concluded that the needs for this team included as many as six positions.

And of the growing list of team needs, the offensive line was not one of them.

But in this Bizzaro World that the LA Rams 2023 NFL season is shaping up to become, that is exactly what the Rams did. And after pondering a moment or two, it actually makes some sense. But we'll get to that in the next slides. So what did the Rams actually do?

Rams pricey cost for a starting RG

We have been down this road before. In the middle of the 2019 NFL season, the LA Rams traded with the Cleveland Browns for interior offensive lineman Austin Corbett. The cost of doing business on that occasion was a Round 5 draft pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. At the time, Corbett was an offensive lineman who was sitting on their bench.

And the LA Rams were desperate to plug some roster holes due to an outbreak of injuries to offensive linemen. But that price seemed over-inflated due to the Rams urgency to get the offensive line right.

Fast forward to 2023, and the LA Rams are trading for another interior offensive lineman who some proclaim might not make the Steelers 53-man roster, let alone a starting role this year. So what did his trade cost the Rams?

We'll talk about the trade package of what it cost the Rams, what it will get the Steelers, and finally, why did both teams agree to this trade at this time.

Okay, let's break this shocking trade down for you.