Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay are no strangers to blockbluster trades.
Some of the team’s most impactful players joined during trades, like Matthew Stafford and Jalen Ramsey. And while the Snead-McVay duo have been relatively quiet recently, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them jump back into the veteran trade market this offseason as they look to capitalize on their contention window — if Stafford doesn’t retire.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine went through trade targets for all 32 teams this offseason and identified three for the Rams. Unsurprisingly, they’re all defensive backs: Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey and Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III.
Trent McDuffie is going to be the top name on a lot of team’s trade target list. He’s a proven All-Pro talent who is only 25 and the Chiefs cap situation is bad enough that they could consider dealing him.
If so, the Rams should get aggressive to land him. His inside-out versatility and ability to play press-man coverage is the kind of talent that could take the Rams secondary to the next level.
Marlon Humphrey is like the older version of McDuffie in that regard. He’s comfortable on the outside and in the slot with the ability to man up good receivers. There’s more risk with his age, but he would achieve a similar effect on the defense as a whole.
The Rams could also opt to target a safety via trade. That’s a position where experience and communication are huge and Jessie Bates III offers that. Trading him would offer Atlanta valuable cap relief and the Rams would get a seasoned veteran to pair with Kamren Kinchens in the secondary.
Secondary is easily the Rams’ biggest need in 2026. The unit played inconsistently all season long, doesn’t have any lockdown stars and has a lot of impending free agents this offseason. It would make a lot of sense for L.A. to find replacements in free agency, the draft, the trade market or all three.
The issue for those three, though, is price. McDuffie is young and expensive. Humphrey is old and expensive. Bates is just expensive. But all three are elite players who can bring something the Rams have lacked in recent years. If L.A. couples one of these trades with at least one rookie, the unit could see a boost in productivity in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Analyst names 3 potential trade targets for Rams this offseason
Reporting by Tyler Greenawalt, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
