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After weeks and weeks of speculation, the Los Angeles Rams only made one, largely expected trade before the November 5th deadline, shipping benched former Pro Bowl cornerback Tre'Davious White to the Baltimore Ravens for a swap of future seventh-round picks.
That's right, no Matthew Stafford trade to a QB-needy team, no big swing acquisition of Bryce Young, and there was no need to flip Cooper Kupp to a contender, as based on the last two weeks, he is already on a contender.
And yet, while addressing the team's moves on Tuesday, Les Snead revealed that White wasn't the only player opposing teams called about, with some stories that could “beat Pat McAfee in the ratings” if he wanted to spill the tea.
“It's interesting, I wish… I always say when you're on active duty, I'm not sure it's productive to talk about all the conversations that you have. I did text [Rams Team President] Kevin Demoff earlier. We were talking, and I said, ‘Yes, I've had calls on many of these players.' When you're on inactive duty, it would be more fun. I could give you some good content, and maybe we could beat Pat McAfee in some ratings or something… maybe not, but at the end of the day, yes [we received calls]. This time of year is interesting. A lot of people are sharing info and reaching out, even amongst us as GMs trying to figure out who might be available based on many variables so those discussions happen. It's best to keep them internal though.”
Whoa, did teams actually call about Stafford? Kupp, sure, but did someone feel emboldened enough to shoot an offer for Kyren Williams, Cobie Durant, Kobie Turner, or even Puka Nacua? Goodness, if that really is the case, Snead should start writing down what happened now, as his eventual book post-retirement will be a fascinating read.
Les Snead believes the Rams can still be a playoff team in 2024
So why didn't the Rams sell off more of their players for future assets, especially considering they've been incredibly good at drafting over the past few years? Well, because Snead still believes the Rams can be a playoff team, as they've done a good job of overcoming adversity through the first nine weeks of the season.
“I always say this time of year, we're in the middle of it. I would say we have our reality. I don't think it's time to really determine, let's call it in totality, the roster, the strengths, the weaknesses, the superpowers, and things like that. I always go to this, it's a 17-round bout [that takes] a little over six months to get through,” Snead told reporters.
“We're about three months in and we’re 4-4, in terms of we've won four rounds and we've lost four rounds. That's the best report card you can have, but again, that means nothing. The neat thing about that report card is it definitely puts you in the mix with a chance to play meaningful football over the next three months. What you did in the past really doesn't matter. It's now going to be what you do basically each round moving forward. When we get to the end and go okay, what grade do you want to put on the season in terms of a totality?”
Is Snead on the money? It's hard to say, but at 4-4, LA is very much still in play for the top spot in the NFC West, which looked rather unlikely even a month ago.
