The trade deadline came and went on Tuesday afternoon without a single move made by the Los Angeles Rams. Some thought maybe they’d make a trade for a quarterback with Matthew Stafford’s thumb injured, but Los Angeles opted not to go down that road.
In fact, the Rams didn’t even look into any trades for a quarterback. Sean McVay was asked whether they explored the possibility of trading for another signal caller but he flatly said “no.”
That could be a sign that Stafford’s injury is only a minor one, and that he could be back sooner rather than later. We know he isn’t going on injured reserve, which is great news, and he hasn’t even been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Packers.
It’s also an indication that the Rams are confident in Brett Rypien as a temporary replacement for Stafford.
“He’s done a great job just in general,” McVay said of Rypien. “I think really, he’s one of those guys that you can see he’s a pro’s pro. He’s always preparing himself as if he understands that there’s one situation or he’s one snap away from having to go into the game and that came to fruition last Sunday. So he did a really good job and I think whether he was preparing to start or whether he was preparing to be the backup, I think his consistent approach is something that’s a good thing for him. I don’t really see much change. I see a guy that came in, handled the walkthrough excellent just like he’s kind of done from the jump and been really pleased with Brett.”
While the Rams were idle at the trade deadline, their division rivals were active. The 49ers landed Chase Young in a deal with the Commanders, the Seahawks acquired Leonard Williams from the Giants and the Cardinals traded away Josh Dobbs.
McVay expressed confidence in the roster the Rams currently have, saying the other moves in the NFC West don’t affect the Rams at all.
“Not in the least bit. I feel really good about a lot of the things that are going on. It always is about, OK, if there’s an interest and then is there somebody that were interested in or vice versa. So it takes two parties to be involved in things like that, but the nature of some of the situations with us in general that you’re familiar with, limited in terms of all right, going out and actually bringing people in and I feel good about this. I feel good about a lot of the things that I think we’re capable of doing. Obviously, we’re not pleased with where we’re at through eight games, but I can see through and I see a lot of light in regards to some of the things that you’re not just saying it’s a false hope. You can see tangible evidence on the film that’s reflective of, I know we can be better in some of these areas and I know I’ve said that to you guys before. But that’s where you feel really excited about this opportunity this week, get the bye, and then you come back for the last eight games and see what we can do with it where there’s a lot of football left to be played.”
The Rams did bring back Dresser Winn, who they signed as an undrafted free agent back in May, so he’ll back up Rypien if Stafford is unable to play. It wasn’t a blockbuster move at all, but the Rams needed depth and they liked his familiarity with the offense after spending the offseason in Los Angeles.
