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Prior to the Halloween, NFL teams will have to make a decision on whether or not they intend to bolster their rosters by way of trade. At 4pm ET on October 30, all trading comes to an end for the 2018 season.
With just a few weeks left before the deadline, Pro Football Focus is taking a look at a potential trade to benefit all 32 teams. For the Los Angeles Rams, it probably comes as no surprise that they’re aiming to help the Rams on defense - specifically at EDGE rusher - a spot where they could definitely use some help:
Player acquired: Ezekiel Ansah, EDGE, Detroit Lions
Compensation: 3rd round pick
If there’s a weakness on the Rams’ defense, it’s on the edge. Ansah brings a productive player who can compress the edge while Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh dominate in the middle.
Despite the constant pressure created up front by Donald and Suh, the Rams are still struggling to tally sacks and currently are tied for 22nd in the NFL (with 8.0) — only three sacks shy of finding themselves in last place for this statistical category. It’s probably not where anyone expected them to rank at the quarter point of the season, but the opposition has been wise to get the ball out quickly when facing the Rams.
Donald, Suh, and Michael Brockers account for five of the team’s eight sacks, and Samson Ebukam, Ethan Westbrooks, and John Franklin-Myers have each tallied one. It’s clear the Rams could use a more reliable pass rush from the EDGE position.
Regarding the trade for Ziggy, PFF proposes the Rams cough up a 3rd round pick in order to acquire him. And while that may sound too rich for some people’s taste, it’s worth noting that the Rams are in line for two 3rd-round compensatory picks in 2019 due to the losses of Sammy Watkins and Trumaine Johnson in the offseason.
As for production, Ansah has averaged nearly 9 sacks a season since entering the league in 2013; totaling 44 in his first five seasons (2013-2017). He finished 2017 with 12.0 sacks, and racked up a career high 14.5 sacks in 2015.
So what say ye, Rams’ faithful? If the Lions were willing to send Ansah packing for a 2019 3rd-round pick are you, like the Rams, all in?