The Rams are heading toward the NFL trade deadline with a handful of names on the board, and each one comes with a clear argument for and against. Los Angeles still hasn’t tipped its hand on whether it will actually make a move, but the options being linked to the team all come with different kinds of appeal - and different kinds of risk.
One of the cleanest fits on paper is Josh Downs, because the Rams need help at wide receiver and he brings the kind of quick, reliable game that can work next to Davante Adams and Puka Nacua. Downs would not be the “X” receiver the Rams are missing while Adams is out, but he would give Sean McVay a target who can win underneath, separate cleanly and find space in zones.
He ranked fourth in first downs per route run on third and fourth down last season, and his style lines up with what Jamison Crowder brought to this offense when he had success here. The hesitation is just as obvious: Downs has never been more than a WR3 in Indianapolis, posted 566 yards last year and has 30 catches for 330 yards this season.
His smaller frame also limits him as a blocker, and McVay does ask that of his receivers.
Troy Franklin is another receiver who makes sense in a different way. He was a first-round pick and flashed big-time production as a rookie, going over 1,200 yards with 10 touchdowns.
With Adams sidelined, Franklin could slide into the “X” role right away and, once Adams is back, give the Rams a bigger vertical threat. The long view is part of the appeal too, since Los Angeles would still control him for multiple years and could use the fifth-year option.
But Franklin’s production has fallen off hard since that rookie year, with just 824 yards since then. He has also had trouble settling into a Liam Coen offense that is very similar to McVay’s, and drops plus a low targeted success rate over the last two seasons have made him a tougher sell.
A change of scenery might help, but the Rams may not be the place for it.
On the defensive side, the case for Tershawn Wharton starts with a simple need. Poona Ford is out for the season, and that loss is going to show up in the run game.
Wharton would give the Rams the exact kind of nose tackle presence they’re missing in the middle of the defensive line. The problem is the price tag.
A team would have to absorb $6.7 million in salary to get him, and the Rams currently have just $8,000 in cap space. They can create room if they need to, but that number is still a major obstacle.
Special teams is another area where Los Angeles could use help, and Chimere Dike stands out as one of the best returners in the league. He’s averaging 12.5 yards per punt return, which ranks 17th in the NFL, and that’s a major upgrade from Alex Bachman’s 5.2-yard average.
Dike would also add receiver depth, so the move would solve two issues at once. Still, the Rams would be buying a player whose value as a wideout has been limited.
He had 423 total yards as a rookie and only 124 this season, even if he was more involved in the Tennessee Titans’ offense last week. This is not the same kind of move as the Seattle Seahawks trading for Rashid Shaheed last year.
If Dike were more proven as a receiver, it would be easier to justify, but the Rams can’t spend draft capital on a return specialist alone.
Then there’s Khalil Mack, which speaks to the Rams’ pass-rush issues more than anything else. Their pressure rate sits 21st and their sack rate 27th, and Josaiah Stewart hasn’t made the leap some expected while Wesley Bailey is still developing.
Mack would bring experience and still posted a 12.7 percent pressure rate this season, better than Stewart and Bailey. Even so, the fit comes with a ceiling.
Once Myles Garrett returns from injury, Mack would be a rotational piece, and while he would help, he probably wouldn’t be the answer to the Rams’ pass-rush problems by himself.
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