The Los Angeles Rams are 5-3 on the season going into their bye week and are coming off of a tough loss to the Miami Dolphins, 28-17, in Tua Tagovailoa’s first NFL start.
In one of the toughest divisions in the NFL, they are currently sitting in third place behind the 6-1 Seattle Seahawks and the 5-2 Arizona Cardinals. The 4-4 San Francisco 49ers are creeping up behind the Rams.
The Rams’ offense is ranked eighth in the NFL with 396.4 total yards per game. They are 13th with 258.6 passing yards per game and seventh with 137.8 rushing yards per game.
The Rams’ defense is ranked second with 291.9 total yards allowed per game. They are also ranked second with 197.1 passing yards allowed and ranked fourth with 94.8 rushing yards allowed.
The numbers show the offense needs the most improvement because the defense is consistently in the top-five in the league, but they are a bit banged up and could use depth and more rush from the edge.
The Rams currently have a little less than eight million dollars left in cap space, and they have until Tuesday at 1 p.m. Pacific Time to make deals.
Cowboys OLB Aldon Smith
Smith is on his first team since the 2017 season when he was on the Oakland Raiders but didn’t play any games. He hasn’t had productivity since his 2015 season with the team when he started in seven of the nine games and played in less than half of the snaps.
He is having a good season thus far, playing in all games and about 73 percent of the snaps. He has 35 total tackles and five sacks so far.
The former seventh overall pick in 2011 is on a short one-year contract worth as much as two million dollars with over a million in salary cap hit and sack incentives at eight, 10, 12, and 14 sacks up to two million dollars.
He is the starting outside linebacker but with Sean Lee coming back from the injured reserve, the Rams could scoop him up in a low risk and high reward situation.
If the Cowboys feel Smith doesn’t have much value or don’t want to keep his contract on the books, they could give him up for only a 5th or 6th round pick. He could take over for Samson Ebukam and/or spell Leonard Floyd on the weak side or the strong side.
Ravens G Bradley Bozeman
The Ravens’ offensive line went into the 2020 season ranked fifth in the league, in PFF’s ratings, and Bozeman received recognition for a solid rating among guards. Though the Rams aren’t in need of a left guard per se, the Rams’ line has versatility and is able to move positions quite well to make room for Bozeman if LA is willing to give the Ravens some value.
According to Football Outsiders, the Rams’ offensive line is ranked first in the league in run blocking and second in the league in pass protection. After paying Jared Goff so much money, it’s worth keeping him healthy. Bozeman has played all of the offensive snaps in the last two seasons and hasn’t missed a game since his rookie year.
Because the Rams have an abundance of receivers, giving the Ravens Van Jefferson or Josh Reynolds wouldn’t be crazy.
At under a million dollars for the next two years, that price tag is great to take on and keep until he is up for free agency in 2021.
Giants DB Logan Ryan
Ryan is the Giants’ starting free safety right now but has the ability to double as a cornerback as well. He is a versatile player with upside, but he is a little more expensive than you would want.
His year’s salary amounts to about six and a half million dollars with three and a half million guaranteed. Aside from his base salary, he has incentives for playing time, Pro Bowl selection, and All-Pro selection. It could be upwards of that up to about eight million dollars for the year. If all incentives are met, the Rams would be over the cap. It can be someone the Giants would be willing to dump an expiring contract in a disappointing season for a 3rd or 4th round pick.
He has played almost all of the team’s snaps and has 44 total tackles, one sack, and a forced fumble in seven games.
Ryan would add depth to the Rams defense and keep them at the highest level.
It’s a good idea to have solid backups in case of an emergency, especially in a season that can be halted at any time by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Rams currently have six players on the injured reserve — guard Joe Noteboom, linebackers Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Justin Lawler, and Travin Howard, and safeties Terrell Burgess and Jordan Fuller. There are also three players with lingering injuries — cornerback Jalen Ramsey (illness), running back Darrell Henderson Jr. (thigh), and offensive tackle Chandler Brewer.
The team is going into a Week 9 bye before facing the Seattle Seahawks in Week 10 on that Sunday afternoon.