TST Weekly Slack Chat: Trades, trades, trades!

Welcome back to another TST Slack Chat, where 3k, BMule and I discuss a handful of topics. This week we talk about the Los Angeles Rams’ trade sending ILB Alec Ogletree to the New York Giants, the trade with the Miami Dolphins to send them OLB Robert Quinn, free agency options at ILB, and more.

Hittman (TST Contributor Sosa Kremenjas): Welcome back to another weekly session of Slack Chat, let’s jump right into it!

Joe McAtee (TST Managing Editor 3k): What are we supposed to talk about

There’s been no news for the Rams

Its so quiet

So boring

BMule (TST Contributor BMule): Boring offseason

Hittman: Question 1: We haven’t gotten to discuss the Robert Quinn trade. What’s your opinions, and does this stress a early round selection of an edge player, say round one?

Joe McAtee: I dunno if Mule can answer. He might still be in mourning.

Hittman: Hahaha

BMule: Well, first off. This signals that there’s most definitely a plan at EDGE we don’t have all the pieces to yet

But I’m not sure how you can’t stress EDGE in round 1

Hittman: I mean I was clearly a fan. Quinn was a diminishing player eating up a large amount of cap. The fact that they didn’t cut him and got something in return was a big win for me

Joe McAtee: There’s clearly a plan that pretty much nobody anticipated

(or there’s no plan...)

Hittman: Do you guys think it’s a “even if good players are gone reach for a Edge in round 1” type situation?

Joe McAtee: No

Hittman: I don’t think so either

BMule: The cap, the diminishing play, all that’s warranted. But there’s so few replacements wondering on the free market

Hittman: Very true

Joe McAtee: Yeah, you can’t outright replace Quinn in FA

Hittman: Does this speak more to their confidence in OLBs Samson Ebukam and Matt Longacre, or just a “we’ll deal with it later” type situation?

BMule: We’ll deal with it later

Because whew

Hittman: I tend to lean the same way

Edge rushers aren’t easy to acquire though, and us being in the market for two now is daunting with no high pick and a lack of a second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft

BMule: Longacre is a fine player but he’s fine because he’s a sub. Throw him as a full-time starter, and I have no doubts he’s not as effective

Joe McAtee: I’m now kinda getting firmly in the IDFK camp

BMule: Which is why there must be some outside of the box plan

DL in play?

Hittman: I wouldn’t doubt it at all

BMule: Pass rush comes in a few different forms

Joe McAtee: Yup

Sure as hell did in 2017

BMule: Maybe Florida DT Taven Bryan could be an option?

Hittman: It’s clear nobody has any idea what’s going on anymore, but a trade would not shock me at all, even though I can’t see it happening

BMule: Hehe

Joe McAtee: A draft trade or current player trade?

Hittman: Current player trade

Joe McAtee: You rule nothing out for Lester P. Snead, Jr.

Hittman: Very, very true

BMule: He’s a wizard

Hittman: In fact, I think he just traded me. Hold on.

Joe McAtee: Dude is trying to trade two unused helmets and Joey the Nutritionist for a six-pack of socks

Hittman: Or a sixth round pick?

Joe McAtee: Fair market value for Joey, IMO

BMule: “We all we need!” 2018 NFL Draft entire sixth round shouts

Hittman: Alright, lets head over to question #2 boys

Thoughts on the Ogletree trade? What’s the best means to replace him, free agency or the draft?

BMule: WHEW

Les is a magician

Free agency for me. Considering the whole EDGE thing

Hittman: I was in total shock. A big extension a few months prior and now kicked to the curb

Joe McAtee: Yeah, I think it’s clear the contract team and Les’ team are not really in sync

Hittman: For the record, I absolutely loved the deal. You can get cheaper at ILB and much better, which would go a long way to fixing the run stuffing issue

BMule: I had resorted to believing the rams had to cut ILB Mark Barron simply because Ogletree was immovable. Welp. What a pleasant surprise

Hittman: I am also a free agency delver when it comes to ILB

Joe McAtee: Yeah, you can get solid ILB out of FA this year

Hittman: It’s a cheaper position and has a bunch of quality in FA. It’s too perfect

BMule: Denver Broncos ILB Todd Davis already has a locker in LA

Joe McAtee: You love that Todd Davis connection

BMule: It’s too easy man

Hittman: Les should make us happy and double dip in the ILB pool

Transform the front seven

BMule: Well, it’s currently being demolished so

Joe McAtee: If Tennessee Titans ILB Avery Williamson hits the market, he could be in play too

Hittman: I’m a Nigel Bradham guy

Just finished a 19 game season for the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl!

Joe McAtee: Yeah, there are options

BMule: There’s options of every resource level

Joe McAtee: Were you guys surprised at how vocal the Rams players were on social after the move?

Hittman: Sort of

BMule: A little

Joe McAtee: They were quiet about Bobby Q, relatively

Hittman: I think he’s got a lot of friends clearly, but moreso it was SO unexpected with the extension and all

Joe McAtee: Maybe just the shock factor

Yeah

BMule: I mean this ain’t Jeff Fisher’s Rams buddy club anymore

Joe McAtee: I wanna be in Jeff Fisher’s Buddy Club...

Hittman: I mean, typically guys wont buy homes in their respective cities until they get an extension like that. Imagine the security he felt he had?

BMule: He’ll tackle the housing market in NY

...

Joe McAtee: Rude!

BMule: True!

Hittman: On a related note, lets head to question #3: Touching on ILB, Barron is Ogletree’s former running mate. What happens to him, do you cut/restructure/leave untouched?

BMule: Leave him be

Joe McAtee: I guess they could still cut him. As long as it fits Lester P. Snead’s 2018 Mystery Plan

Hittman: I honestly think I would prefer to cut him, so long as they can line up a suitable replacement plan at ILB in FA

BMule: That’s a lot to ask of a playoff defense, ya?

Joe McAtee: A lot of turnover

Hittman: I guess. It’s a lot of turnover

BMule: Lose a starting CB, both EDGEs and both ILBs? Woof

Joe McAtee: But you trust in Grandpa Wade, soooooooo

BMule: I do trust in him

Barron is a solid player. Money isn’t an issue anymore

Hittman: But still. The Rams have teams to catch, namely Philly. Our window is open, we may as well strike while we can

We’ve waited a LONG time for relevant football. That window’s open. Strike while the iron is hot. Never know how long we’ll have to wait again for this

BMule: He was always >>> Ogletree for my money

Hittman: I definitely agree

Joe McAtee: They were different, but I won’t fight ya on this one

Hittman: But if you can get younger/better/cheaper, isn’t that an avenue to explore?

Joe McAtee: Always!

BMule: Sure

Hittman: Plus there is so much quality at ILB both in free agency, and it being an extremely deep draft class

BMule: Most teams don’t explore changing their entire defense either after a playoff berth

Hittman: That’s fair. Most teams don’t sign a guy to big $ and move him 4 months after either, though lol

Joe McAtee: FA is gonna be nuts

BMule: I love this year already

Joe McAtee: I got one for yall before we get into the draft

CB Trumaine Johnson. WR Sammy Watkins. S Lamarcus Joyner. We re-signing any of em?

Hittman: Whew

BMule: Sure

Joe McAtee: Cause we got the money now

Hittman: I lean no, which really sucks

BMule: Because I don’t fall into the belief that “if it hasn’t happened yet, it can’t”

Joe McAtee: Before the Quinn & Tree deals, I was at about 0% possibility

Hittman: I think Tru is as good as gone. Sammy a very small outside chance, with Lamarcus being most likely

Joe McAtee: But they’ve cleared them off the books with WR Tavon Austin coming off too. They can meet the market on Sammy or Lamarcus if they want

Hittman: Right. But what’s the deal?

If they wanted to, they could have done it last week/month too.

Joe McAtee: I’m with you

Hittman: I think it falls on more penny pinching as opposed to not having the $

Joe McAtee: What say you, Mule?

BMule: If the New Orleans Saints wanted QB Drew Brees he wouldn’t need a deal!

Joe McAtee: What’s weird is I always thought they’d sincerely be on Lamarcus for a multi-year deal

The tag at least suggests they’re not close enough to be confident in re-signing

Hittman: I have no idea why, but I believed they’d get both Lamarcus and Sammy locked up

Joe McAtee: I never thought they’d be willing to meet the market for Sammy. Somebody’s gonna go big on him, no?

Hittman: Yeah, both points are true to me

BMule: I believe it’s far from over

Hittman: Not over yet, but unless the Rams get scared and hand whatever Sammy wants, he’s at minimum going to test the market

and there has to be a team who’s desperate waiting in the wings.

Joe McAtee: I know the Rams want to get him on a short-term deal that could be, yanno, fair in terms of APY

But somebody’s gonna offer Sammy a three-year or longer, right?

Someone that can give him the sheer quantity of looks to amp his numbers up?

Hittman: I’d think so

BMule: Philadelphia Eagles WR Alshon Jeffery and Washington WR Terrelle Pryor thought so too probably

Hittman: That’s also true Mule

Joe McAtee: I don’t follow

Hittman: They got shafted in FA last year

BMule: I don’t believe Alshon Jeffrey and Terrelle Pryor were both dead set on one-year deals

Maybe I’m wrong!

One paid off big time, the other flopped HARD

Joe McAtee: Did they have more to prove than Sammy?

Hittman: I think so

Joe McAtee: I dunno, I just think people are undervaluing him compared to the market

BMule: Alshon’s situation was extremely comparable

Hittman: Yeah I ultimately think Sammy will get a nice chunk of change on the open market

BMule: The beauty of FA

Hittman: Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry just got handed $15m and teams were still looking in on trades. Teams want weapons

Here we go to our final Q

BMule: One minute you’re handing out too much $ for Robert Woods and the next it’s a steal

Joe McAtee: Yanno?

Hittman: With the bevy of draft picks the Rams have, do they have a more likely chance of moving up in the draft, moving down in the draft, or both?

Joe McAtee: Both

Lester P. Snead is about dat lyfe

BMule: Neither

Joe McAtee: Rude

Hittman: I’m honestly expecting both too

There’s no way they stand pat on five sixth-rounders, right?

BMule: I just want to see the Rams have every pick in one round

Hittman: They could trade #23 for the entire 6th round I bet

Joe McAtee: Yeah, moving down from 23 to add a second-round would be #neat

BMule: But I do think the Rams are more likely to trade up

To target an EDGE

Hittman: Man, that would be something

Joe McAtee: Got one in mind?

BMule: Boston College EDGE Harold Landry

Hittman: Harold will save us

Joe McAtee: I like the mid-round EDGE options too, TBH

Hittman: I actually really do too

BMule: But the argument to trade down is obvious

Hittman: The issue though, is we still need two!

Joe McAtee: Yeah

BMule: Gonna be wild

Hittman: We can definitely land a starter on Day 2

But the other side would still be bare

BMule: I don’t see any way the Wade enters year with two starters at EDGE with less than 16 games experience

Joe McAtee: Oh shit. Yall see what Snead just pulled off on Twitter?!

Hittman: No, what?

Joe McAtee: I’m lying, but that’s the life we lead now. Stay vigilant.

Hittman: Smh.

Joe McAtee: Self-rude!

BMule: Neat

Rams fans, chime in! What do you think of the Ogletree trade? What do you do with Mark Barron? Anyone in free agency that catches your eye? Let us know.