Top free agent and trade targets the Los Angeles Rams could look at to address cornerback after loss to 49ers
Who are the top targets the Los Angeles Rams should add at cornerback via free agency or a trade?
The Los Angeles Rams are coming off of an embarrassing loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football, a night where the Rams’ defense was cooked by the 49ers’ backups all game. Aside from the defensive line, the Rams had a night to forget defensively.
It was such a bad night for the Rams, who believed they had “four CB1s” entering the season that it prompted head coach Sean McVay to openly state the Rams would look to add to the room right after the game. The secondary, a clear weakness of the team entering the season, has cost them two key wins this season, and it seems like the Rams are close to entering desperation mode here if they want to make a playoff push.
Who are some realistic targets for the Rams to pursue to fix such a difficult position room?
Free Agent and Trade Targets for Los Angeles Rams
Free Agents
Stephon Gilmore
The leader in the clubhouse, Stephon Gilmore is the cornerback that makes the most sense out of any free agent left on the market. Gilmore isn’t what he once was, but he’s still a capable man coverage corner, something the Rams are running at a higher level than they probably should with their personnel.
Having Stephon Gilmore matching top receivers every week, allowing Darious Williams, Cobie Durant, and Emmanuel Forbes to play to the passing strength opposite of him in increasingly-popular 3×1 formations would be a lot more comforting than almost any other move they could do right now with any other free agents.
The free agent pool is so barren right now with options that Gilmore would be the only free agent I would entertain in this conversation. It helps that he would be an outright upgrade over what the Rams have in the room right now.
Asante Samuel Jr.
I’ve seen Samuel’s name be thrown around a few times, and I can’t imagine that the Rams would be keen to add him. He’s coming off of a neck injury and still recovering from that, and when he played, he wasn’t any better than what the Rams currently have, especially as a tackler. Hard pass on my end.
Trade Targets at Cornerback
Trevon Diggs
Let’s start with a bit of a splash move here. The Rams have always coveted ballhawks at cornerback and have made a similar move in the past when they traded for Marcus Peters some years ago. Diggs and Dallas’s new coaching staff have already butted heads some this season. With Dallas’s upcoming cap struggles, offloading Diggs could add some much-needed cap space room to their situation.
For the Rams, Diggs would give them a playmaker they desperately need in the room and a proven top coverage option. At just 27 years old, Diggs still has plenty left in the tank, and his cap numbers get easy to manipulate in the future without any guarantees after the 2025 season.
Tariq Woolen
It feels very slim that the Seattle Seahawks would pull off a trade in-division like this, but this is another highly appealing option that the Rams should at least try and pursue. Much like Diggs, Woolen is a proven playmaker at cornerback who would at least give the Rams someone that teams hesitate to throw at. Additionally, he also brings some much-needed size and physicality to a room that offers very little of it.
Woolen is a free agent at the end of the season with a seemingly decreasing role in Seattle. If Seattle wants to offload and get something for him by the deadline, this could be an option for the Rams.
Alontae Taylor
Taylor is another appealing coverage option that will likely be cheaper than either of the previous two options. Don’t judge Taylor for the state the New Orleans Saints are in at the moment, as he’s been a strong coverage player for his entire career. When Taylor is played at his best, he is a strong perimeter cornerback with terrific man coverage chops, something the Rams desperately need. Additionally, he is a ferocious blitzer, with seven sacks in his career, including five last year.
If the Rams were smart, they’d take advantage of a rebuilding team here and try to pry a talented coverage option from the Saints. Alontae Taylor is a free agent at the end of the season, and seems unlikely to re-sign with the team anyways, so New Orleans might be looking to grab what they can for him.
L’Jarius Sneed
This has been a popular name Rams’ fans have circled but no. Just No. Don’t even think about it. Choose better.
In all seriousness, Sneed just got diced up by the Rams two weeks ago and boasts a cap hit over $20m over the next two and a half seasons. I don’t see a lot of upside here to be worth the premium it would take to acquire him.
Los Angeles Rams News
Coaching malpractice dooms Los Angeles Rams in what should have been the easiest win of the season
The Los Angeles Rams’ coaching staff has no one to blame but themselves for their inexplicable loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football
