Don’t expect Rams to be active buyers at the trade deadline

Over the past few seasons, the Los Angeles Rams have been active buyers at the trade deadline. Between 2018 and 2021, the Rams made big trades for players like Dante Fowler Jr., Jalen Ramsey, and Von Miller. Even last season when they finished 5-12, the Rams were in conversations to make a move for Christian McCaffrey and Brian Burns.

However, don’t expect the Rams to be in those same conversations this year at the deadline. Sean McVay spoke about this possibility during Wednesday’s press conference and said,

“No, we don’t really have the availability. I don’t know...you kind of have to have some resources and different things like that for those to be options. So I don’t know that those conversations will be as prevalent as maybe in year’s past.”

Going back to the offseason, the Rams haven’t been making “right now” moves for their team. They traded Jalen Ramsey and cut Leonard Floyd and Bobby Wagner. They then didn’t bring in any big name free agent even though they could have created space with contract restructures to make it work.

The Rams are building for the 2024 season and beyond. While they could try and make a move for a Josh Uche, Brian Burns, etc., it doesn’t make sense to give up prime draft capital to do so. This is a team that needs to add as much high-end talent as they can. Therefore, trading away next year’s first-round pick for a player they may be able to acquire in free agency doesn’t fit their current team-build.

As of now, the Rams are trying to find players who are going to be part of the team moving forward in 2024 and 2025 when they make another push. This is why they traded away Cam Akers and Van Jefferson for almost nothing. These are two players that the Rams didn’t see as part of the future.

It's going to be different not seeing the Rams active at the deadline as buyers, but by their actions, McVay and Snead have shown over the past six months that they are standing pat and just getting through this year. This is so that they can be in a spot to make a big push and add to the top of the roster over the next two years when the current core of Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald, and Cooper Kupp are still at the backend of their prime.