The Los Angeles Rams may be the kind of team that checks the market at the trade deadline without actually jumping in. Right now, that’s where things stand: quiet, cautious, and far from a sure thing, especially with the wide receiver and defensive line markets running hot.
If the Rams do decide to make a move, wide receiver is the spot that makes the most sense. The need has been obvious with Davante Adams out, and even when he returns, the depth chart behind Adams and Puka Nacua still looks thin. There just isn’t a receiver the Rams can fully trust once those two are accounted for.
Konata Mumpfield’s numbers help explain why. He has a 38.1 percent targeted success rate and has averaged -0.32 EPA per target. Even though he’s running routes at the 25th-highest rate in the NFL, his 0.13 targets per route run ranks 86th out of 103 qualifying wide receivers.
The Rams, though, keep talking like they’re comfortable with what they have. “I do think there are some guys on the roster that are capable of being able to step up if their number is called,” said McVay before referring to Mumpfield and Tutu Atwell.
“We definitely feel good about those guys being able to catch the football, but with a 60, 70-play game, there's going to be a lot that we require them to do,” added offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase on Thursday. “We feel like those guys can step up and do all those things.”
But the production hasn’t matched the confidence. Over the last two weeks without Adams, Mumpfield and Atwell have combined for just three catches. Nacua, by comparison, has 19.
That gap is why wide receiver sits at the top of the Rams’ list of needs. Adams will help when he’s back, and Terrance Ferguson returning would add another piece, but the Rams still need a third receiver they can lean on when the field gets spread out. At some point, they have to be able to operate with three wideouts on the field and know someone besides Nacua can win a key rep.
That issue showed up in a big way last season, too. With the NFC Championship Game on the line, the Rams were forced to turn to Mumpfield and Ferguson, both rookies. That’s not a spot they want to be in again.
The problem is the market. The Rams may not have the draft capital to outbid other teams, and the wide receiver pool is crowded.
Josh Downs is still viewed as a top option, but the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers are also in the mix. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer said Downs would likely cost a fourth-round pick.
Brian Thomas Jr. has also come up as a possible target, though Breer reported that the Jaguars have been less inclined to move him. As Breer put it, “Thomas brings a downfield element that’s really important in keeping defenses honest against the run, and opening things up underneath for Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington.”
If the Rams have to move down the board, the choices start looking a lot less appealing. Treylon Burks and Calvin Ridley could be in play, but Burks has never topped 450 yards in a season and hasn’t shown he can be counted on. Breer reported Ridley might cost only a sixth-round pick, but the financial picture is trickier: Ridley would count about $2.8 million against the cap this season, then jump to $29 million next season, with $7.5 million in dead money if he’s cut.
There’s also the possibility the Rams wait for a veteran to get released later in the season, the way they landed Odell Beckham Jr. in 2021. Brandon Aiyuk could be one of those names.
For now, though, the Rams are staring at a need they’ve had since the spring and haven’t really addressed. The market is expensive, the options are imperfect, and the team’s own depth hasn’t done enough to inspire real confidence. If the Rams do make a deadline deal, wide receiver is the most likely place it happens.
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