With their off week ahead, will Rams take a break at trade deadline Tuesday?
LONDON — The Rams got way ahead of the curve two weeks ago when they made a flurry of trades that netted lockdown cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
That could prevent them from making more headline-grabbing deals before the NFL trade deadline, Tuesday at 1 p.m. PDT.
“There’s not a lot more we could probably do,” Rams general manager Les Snead said the day after he traded for Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Austin Corbett, sent cornerback Marcus Peters to the Baltimore Ravens, and then packaged two first-round draft picks and a fourth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for Ramsey.
Then again …
“I would never say never,” coach Sean McVay said Sunday after the 24-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in London.
The Rams have been one of the NFL’s most aggressive teams in the trade market the last few years. Snead has acknowledged that “when you get a reputation that you’re willing to make moves” and there are “some interesting ideas being floated,” the Rams could be active.
Cooper Kupp had seven catches for 220 yards in the best performance by a wideout in the 28-game history of NFL’s London series to lead Rams over the Bengals.
“You always have to assess those,” he said.
McVay echoed the sentiment.
“Les and I, we’ll look at and we’ll figure out if there’s a situation to be had that maybe upgrades us, that fits the framework of not only just this year but the entirety of what we want to do in the next couple years,” he said.
The Rams have several players with huge contracts, including defensive tackle Aaron Donald, receiver Brandin Cooks, running back Todd Gurley and quarterback Jared Goff. The Rams are expected to eventually sign Ramsey to a big contract.
To save money, the Rams have shopped cornerback Aqib Talib, a person with knowledge of the situation said. The 12th-year pro is earning $8 million in the final year of his contract and struggled at times in the Rams’ first five games. Talib is on injured reserve with what McVay has described as broken ribs.
Asked Sunday about an ESPN report regarding Talib’s situation, McVay told reporters, “There’s always things that come up in some discussions, but for the most part we like to just keep those things in house.”
Last season, the Rams made a key move at the trade deadline, acquiring edge rusher Dante Fowler from the Jaguars for two draft picks.
The Rams, after 10 days on the road while turning around a season tipping toward collapse, could not wait to hit the streets after a 24-10 defeat of Cincinnati in London.
Fowler performed well and made several game-turning plays during the Rams’ drive to the Super Bowl. His biggest play: A hit on New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees in overtime of the NFC championship game caused the future Hall of Famer to throw a wobbly pass that was intercepted by safety John Johnson. The play set up a game-winning field goal that sent the Rams to the Super Bowl.
Fowler was an unrestricted free agent after the season, but he agreed to a one-year $12-million contract with the Rams. He had three sacks in the Rams’ 37-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons and 1½ sacks against the Bengals.
Ramsey seemed destined for a high-profile pursuit at the trade deadline, but the Rams’ preemptive moves on Oct. 15 took him off the market.
Ramsey is in the fourth year of a rookie contract that is paying him $3.6 million this season. He will earn $13.7 million in 2020 unless he and the Rams agree to an extension before then. The Rams technically could control him for two more seasons with franchise tags, but they are expected to sign him to a long-term deal.
Ramsey, 25, made an immediate impact in his Rams debut against the Falcons. He forced a fumble, mostly neutralized star receiver Julio Jones and helped provide the Rams’ front more time to pressure and sack veteran quarterback Matt Ryan.
Ramsey made six tackles against the Bengals.
Rams’ receiver Josh Reynolds continues to excel coming off the bench, this time replacing injured Brandin Cooks and scoring in a 24-10 win over Bengals.
“I’m getting there,” he said after the game. “It’s still a process. ... On a couple calls, in my mind, I played them like I’m used to playing them, where here it’s a little bit different.”
The off week will help him get up to speed, he said.
“I feel like I’ll really be really rolling when we get back,” he said.
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