Trading up for a quarterback is not a certainty for Rams in the 2026 NFL Draft

The Los Angeles Rams may need a reset at the quarterback position in the near future, but I don't think that anyone can stake their claim on the Rams' certainty of landing a top-tier quarterback in the draft next offseason. Despite holding two Round 1 picks, trading up for a quarterback is not a certainty for the Rams in the 2026 NFL Draft. Yes, the value and number of picks for the Rams in the next draft are very impressive. But, trading up (if necessary), requires the team to find another team equally interested in trading back.

Do you know for certain that any team that falls among the top five or even top ten picks in the 2026 NFL Draft will willingly trade back? Even as Rams fans contemplate the puzzle of the upcoming draft, other team in need of quarterback help have more picks and more valuable picks to throw at the problem.

Per Tankathon.com, the Rams will enjoy 10 projected draft picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. But even with two picks falling in Round 1, the team will only come in as the fifth-ranked team in terms of draft assets to use to trade up. And that presumes that the Atlanta Falcons, a team that has traded its Round 1 pick to the Rams, will have a sub-.500 record.

Other NFL teams will be looking for a quarterback in 2026 too

Which teams will be looking for a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft? By rough estimates, as many as six other teams besides the Rams will be actively shopping for a quarterback in the next draft, and they include:

• Pittsburgh Steelers - Aaron Rodgers is retiring after 2025
• Cleveland Browns - They tried quantity in 2025 with Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
• New York Jets - Justin Fields is not the franchise QB
• New Orleans Saints - Can they count on either Spencer Rattler or Tyler Shough?
• Indianapolis Colts - Anthony Richardson never met expectations
• New York Giants - They are still looking for a franchise quarterback

Unfortunately, if the 2025 season pans out like many suspect it will, every team (except the Pittsburgh Steelers) will land a Top 10 draft pick, and will be selecting before the Rams are on the board. That complicates matters for the Rams, who, unless the Atlanta Falcons have a wretched season, face a need to trade up in the draft to be in position for a quarterback of the fans' liking.

The Rams have tried to trade up in the 2023, 2024, and 2025 NFL Drafts without success. The chances of the Rams finding a willing trade partner in the 2026 NFL Draft are unlikely.

Even now, the depth of the projected quarterbacks in next year's draft is buoyed by the speculation that both Texas QB Arch Manning and South Carolina QB Lanoris Sellers will surrender another year of NCAA eligibility to carve out an early football career in the NFL. But with college football players able to cash in on NIL monies, the thought of huge NFL contract paydays has less appeal.

With two elite quarterbacks not entering the 2026 NFL Draft, will there be enough talent to satisfy all NFL teams' rosters? If not, will the Rams front office throw all caution to the wind and enter a bidding war for the right to select a suitable rookie successor to veteran QB Matthew Stafford?

Rams may attempt a different strategy

The Rams did not panic in the 2025 NFL Draft, even as rookie quarterbacks fell to them. After all, Rams GM Les Snead does not like painting the team into a corner, and managed to sign veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo to the team's roster as an insurance policy. Even now, extending Garoppolo for 2026 and beyond appears to be more and more of a certainty.

Do the Rams need to draft a rookie quarterback to win games in the future? No. They've proven that they can win Super Bowls with a seasoned veteran quarterback if the team is assembled the right way. And the cost of signing an elite quarterback can become so prohibitive that veteran quarterbacks who are accomplished with always be in supply.

Imagine just how powerful the rookie class of 2026 might be in terms of instant impact if the team truly does not need to trade a king's ransom for the right to draft one of the top rookie quarterbacks in next year's draft. The team could trade every pick in its possession and still not be in a position to select one of the top three quarterbacks in the class. Or, the team could use draft picks to assemble a roster that is so fundamentally sound that any quarterback could lead it to the NFL playoffs.

The Rams have stuck with backup quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Stetson Bennett for two NFL seasons. Is that solely based on familiarity, or does the team have bigger and bolder plans for the pair? The Rams were able to select the DROY in the 2024 NFL Draft by staying put and letting a top-tier edge rusher fall to them at the 19th overall pick. Could a similar strategy enable the team to land a top receiver or offensive tackle in 2026?

Grab you popcorn, because this is starting to get good. And as always, thanks for reading.

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