This offseason for the Los Angeles Rams has been all about give and take. They’ve acquired a number of star players, from Ndamukong Suh to Marcus Peters, but they’ve also lost a handful of starters from 2017.
Robert Quinn, Alec Ogletree, Sammy Watkins and Trumaine Johnson were the biggest names to depart Los Angeles, and while the Rams have already replaced the latter two, they have yet to fill holes at inside and outside linebacker.
Looking beyond their additions in free agency (Suh, Sam Shields and Ramik Wilson), let’s analyze the five blockbuster trades Los Angeles has struck up to this point. All of them have huge implications for the upcoming season, considering all of them involved starters from last season.
We’ll hand out grades for each one, ranking them in order of best to worst.
This was the best trade of the offseason by any team, not just the Rams. Los Angeles somehow acquired a potential Hall of Famer who has the most interceptions since 2015 without giving up a first-round pick. That’s pretty remarkable, especially considering his very affordable contract.
Essentially, they moved down two rounds in 2018 and threw in a 2019 second-round pick, which is a minimal price to pay for one of the best cornerbacks in the game today. And if you factor in the third-round compensatory pick the Rams will receive next year for letting Trumaine Johnson leave, Los Angeles gave up very little to acquire Peters.
As long as he can stay focused, control his temper and not cause issues in the locker room, Peters will be an absolute steal for the Rams. They absolutely won this trade with flying colors.
GRADE: A+
Marcus Peters | Aqib Talib | Robert Quinn | Brandin Cooks | Alec Ogletree