Broncos EDGEs Shane Ray and Shaquil Barrett
This is a two-for-one deal, and I don’t mean that as in the Rams are going to trade for both of them. They’re just equally enticing options from the same team with nearly identical cap hits this season. They’ll both cost $2.9 million in 2018 with each hitting free agency after this season. The Broncos didn’t pick up Ray’s fifth-year option, so it’s clear they don’t feel good about his future in Denver.
Jaguars EDGE Dante Fowler Jr.
Another player who’s fallen out of favor with his team, Fowler is playing just 31 percent of the Jaguars’ defensive snaps. He stuck behind the likes of Yannick Ngakoue and Calais Campbell, which won’t change anytime soon. Also without a fifth-year option in 2019, Fowler is set to be a free agent after this season and has a cap hit of $7.26 million, so a move would need to be made to fit him under the cap.
Cardinals LB Haason Reddick
Arguably the most intriguing player on this list, Reddick has shockingly been relegated to a reserve role in Arizona in just his second NFL season. He can play every linebacker position and rush the passer, giving Phillips a chess piece at the second level. Whether he’s used as a situational pass rusher, a hybrid linebacker in the middle of the defense or a full-time edge rusher, the Rams could certainly find a way to get the most out of Reddick, who was a first-round pick just a year ago.
Raiders CB Gareon Conley
The Raiders are in full fire-sale mode, gutting the roster of past draft picks like Amari Cooper, Khalil Mack and Obi Melifonwu. Could Conley be next? The Rams aren’t in desperate need of a cornerback with Marcus Peters recovering well from his calf injury and Aqib Talib slated to return later this season, but how can you not at least entertain the possibility of adding a former first-round pick?
Ravens EDGE Tyus Bowser
Bowser, a second-round pick in 2017, is almost nowhere to be found in Baltimore. He’s played only 59 snaps (12.7 percent) in six games and doesn’t have a single sack or quarterback hit. He’s a long pass rusher with freakish athleticism, which would pair nicely with Ebukam and the Rams’ defensive line. The Ravens seem to have almost no use for Bowser at this point in time and he could be on the bubble next year, so Baltimore might be willing to move him.
He’s the cheapest of all these options at just $1.3 million in 2018.
Bears EDGE Leonard Floyd
The Bears have one of the best defenses in the NFL and Floyd has had almost no part of it. He’s a starter opposite Khalil Mack but has been shut out of the sack column and has only hit the quarterback one time. Nothing about his play suggests he would be a starter for the Rams, but there is some good news.
He’s under contract through 2019 for relatively cheap
There is moere to each player in the story that 43 linked...here is a shorter version.
"Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work. - Vince Lombardi
“It’s not how you start that’s important, but how you finish!” ― Jim George
