The Los Angeles Rams continued their run of bold moves this offseason on Thursday, trading pretty much their entire stock of picks for the next two years to the Titans for the No. 1 overall selection in this month’s NFL Draft.
The Rams traded two first-rounders, two second-rounders (both this year), and two third-rounders for the top spot this year. While the Rams won’t reveal their intentions yet, they are obviously taking a quarterback, with Carson Wentz as the early favorite over Jared Goff.
The trade marks the seventh time since 1990 that the No. 1 pick has exchanged hands. The list has some big hits and big misses: Jeff George (1990), Russell Maryland (1992), Ki-Jana Carter (1995), Orlando Pace (1997), Michael Vick (2001), and Eli Manning (2004), who was traded after being drafted.
The list of quarterbacks who have been acquired via trade-ups into the top five isn’t exactly inspiring: George, Kerry Collins (1995), Ryan Leaf (1998), Vick and Mark Sanchez (2009), and Robert Griffin III (2012). Manning and Philip Rivers were swapped for each other in 2004 in a deal that worked out for both teams.
The Titans and new general manager Jon Robinson have been lauded far and wide for acquiring this surplus of picks. And the Rams have been generally getting lambasted by media and fans for mortgaging their next two drafts, particularly in a year with no consensus No. 1 quarterback prospect.
But without the benefit of being able to predict the future, I like the deal for the Rams as much as I do the Titans. Let’s break it down:
¦ The Rams certainly punted on this year’s draft, giving up picks 15, 43, 45, and 76. Their remaining picks for this year are 1, 110, 113, 177, and 190. Beyond the first overall pick, the Rams will be drafting a few backups and special teams contributors, each of whom has about a 50-50 chance of ever contributing in the NFL.
But the Rams don’t need to keep drafting players for the future. They’ve been doing that for the last four years, flush with draft picks from the RG3 trade. Not coincidentally, the Rams have had the youngest roster in the NFL for four years in a row. They have a good young defense led by Robert Quinn, Aaron Donald, and Trumaine Johnson, several high draft picks on the offensive line, and a potential young star in running back Todd Gurley. It’s time to win now.
They also have been held back because they haven’t had a decent quarterback. The Rams have finished no worse than 6-10 and no better than 7-9 in each of their four seasons under Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead. Those two probably aren’t feeling so great about their job security — moving to a new city often can mean starting fresh with the football operation — and with their young players now hitting their prime, this offseason presented the perfect time to make a big move for a quarterback.
The “LA Factor’’ certainly had a big effect, as well. Sorry, but the Rams can’t move back to Los Angeles and start Case Keenum at quarterback. They already signed up for “Hard Knocks,’’ and now will have a shiny new No. 1 quarterback to promote.
It certainly wasn’t the most prudent trade, and the Rams will regret giving up those 2017 draft picks. But the importance of finding a franchise quarterback in the NFL is almost unquantifiable, and the Rams would never escape quarterback purgatory if they didn’t take a gamble.
¦ Of course, the Rams might regret this trade, because it’s not as if their roster is stacked. Most alarming is the lack of weapons around their rookie quarterback.
The Rams could have a solid running game with Gurley and Tre Mason, but who is Wentz/Goff going to throw to? The Rams’ receivers are Tavon Austin, Kenny Britt, Brian Quick, and tight end Lance Kendricks — about the least imposing group of pass catchers in the NFL. They also could use depth at linebacker and safety.
And it’s not like the Rams can make any drastic moves. Free agency is all but over, and they’ve already traded most of their picks. Their only hope is getting a decent receiver or second- or third-round pick for Nick Foles, who is now expendable.
¦ There is nothing to dislike about this trade from the Titans’ perspective, with Robinson, the former 12-year Patriot scout and executive, pulling off quite the haul. The Titans now have picks 15, 33, 43, 45, 64, 76, 140, 193, and 222, plus extra first- and third-rounders in 2017.
Not only can the Titans stockpile talent, they also have a ton of flexibility to move up and down in each round and target specific players. The Titans job just got a lot more enticing for Josh McDaniels next offseason if things don’t go well for Mike Mularkey this fall.
The Titans’ future will of course hinge on the development of Marcus Mariota. But Robinson now has a great opportunity to surround Mariota with the weapons to succeed. The Titans could use another young receiver to pair with Dorial Green-Beckham, Kendall Wright, and free agent signee Rishard Matthews, and another tight end to go with Delanie Walker. They also need to restock a defense that is thin at linebacker and defensive back.
¦ With the Rams all but spoken for at No. 1, the trade puts the Browns and Chargers in the driver’s seat, particularly with several teams seeming desperate for a quarterback. The Browns, picking No. 2, can simply take the quarterback that falls to them, or trade out, hope to collect a glut of picks, and take someone like Paxton Lynch or Connor Cook later in the draft. The Chargers, at No. 3, don’t need a quarterback, and divesting the pick into several more would be a smart strategy.
The 49ers (picking No. 7), Eagles (8), Bills (19), Jets (20), and Broncos (31) all are candidates to trade up for one of the top quarterbacks.
BUSY OFFSEASON
Patriots’ work never finished
A few thoughts on the Patriots as draft preparation kicks into high gear and the offseason program begins:
¦ The nine-week offseason program begins Monday, and while it is supposed to be voluntary, the team gave several players financial incentive to participate.
Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski have the highest workout bonuses on the team at $250,000. Rob Ninkovich, Shea McClellin, Martellus Bennett, and Stephen Gostkowski are next at $100,000, followed by Nate Solder ($31,000), Donald Brown ($30,000), Brandon Bolden, Jonathan Freeny, LaAdrian Waddle, James Develin (all $25,000), and Nate Washington ($20,000).
The players have to attend 90 percent of offseason workouts to collect their bonuses, except for Bennett, whose contract inherited from the Bears stipulates he has to attend 85 percent. Everyone else on the Patriots will make the standard $195 per day.
¦ This is an important time for pre-draft visits, with less than two weeks to go until the draft. Each team gets to bring 30 players to its facility for official visits. They are strictly get-to-know-you visits, with nothing allowed on the field (many private workouts already have been conducted on college campuses). Team doctors are allowed to examine a player, however.
But each team conducts their visits a little differently. One longtime agent relayed to us that some teams treat the visits almost like college recruiting, where they parade the prospect around the building to meet the various executives and coaches, then take him out for dinner and/or show him the city.
Then you have the Patriots, who are all business, of course. When they bring a player in for a visit, it is for the entire day — usually 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. — and usually contained within the walls of Gillette Stadium. They introduce the player to a few of the coaches and spend most of the day in meeting rooms, reviewing film and talking football on the white board. The Patriots usually don’t take the player out to eat, instead feeding him in the team cafeteria.
And if they’re serious about a prospect, they make it very clear to the player and his agent not to leak word of the visit. In 2011, Nate Solder had his visit canceled at the last minute when word got out, although the Patriots still drafted him, anyway.
¦ The Patriots certainly gambled and lost on Dominique Easley, the former first-round pick who was unceremoniously released after two seasons. They could have drafted Stephon Tuitt or Kony Ealy instead of Easley, who has bad knees and never clicked with the team.
Easley violated many of the NFL Draft’s 10 commandments — he admitted that he wasn’t a big fan of football, he was well-known for having an aloof personality in college, and he entered the NFL with two torn ACLs on his résumé — yet the Patriots gambled on him, anyway.
Following his release on Wednesday, we learned that Easley wanted nothing to do with New England from the moment he was drafted, he refused to listen to the Patriots about his rehab, a teammate called him a “locker room cancer,’’ he is getting sued in Florida for having an aggressive dog, and the Patriots had no idea he had suffered pitbull bites right before the 2014 draft, setting him back in his ACL rehab.
It’s interesting that Easley, by all accounts a bad egg in the locker room and off the field, was the team’s first draft pick following the Aaron Hernandez debacle.
¦ That said, I don’t think the Patriots will miss Easley too much. They prepared for this move by signing three defensive tackles this offseason, and I don’t think the position becomes a major need for them in the draft, either. They have good depth between Alan Branch, Malcom Brown, Terrance Knighton, Markus Kuhn, Frank Kearse, and Joe Vellano.
¦ Former practice squad quarterback Garrett Gilbert, who earned a Super Bowl ring in 2014, will count $9,000 against the salary cap after winning a grievance against the Patriots related to a roster bonus that didn’t get paid when he was claimed off waivers by the Lions last June.
ETC.
Not all dealing has been done
Roster movement is pretty stagnant five weeks after the start of the new league year, but a few notable names could be moved right around draft time. Colin Kaepernick is the most talked-about name on the trading block, and the Broncos are patiently waiting to see if Kaepernick is willing to take a pay cut. If that trade doesn’t happen, watch for the Broncos to make a move for Tyrod Taylor, Mike Glennon, Josh McCown, or Nick Foles. Cleveland almost traded 31-year-old left tackle Joe Thomas last offseason, and a team such as Seattle, Carolina, or Oakland could make a play. The Jets also are trying to move $15 million defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, who could look great in a Colts or Cowboys uniform.
Key dates on the schedule
The 2016 schedule has a few highlights. The Colts will become the first team to not have a bye immediately following a London game. They play the Jaguars in London in Week 4, then face the Bears at home the next Sunday at 1 p.m. The Eagles will face three straight teams that are coming off a bye (Vikings, Cowboys, and Giants in Weeks 7-9). Robert Griffin III might play at Washington in Week 4, and Brock Osweiler will likely play at Denver in Week 7.
The Falcons will spend a week out west when facing Denver and Seattle in Weeks 5 and 6. The Dolphins will do the same when they play at Los Angeles and San Diego in Weeks 10-11, and also have four straight home games from Weeks 5-9 (plus a bye). And for the second straight year, the Patriots open and close the season on the road, with the Week 17 game at Miami, where they have lost three consecutive games.
Extra points
The most interesting story of the draft continues to be the stock of Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith, who reportedly already has ruled himself out for the 2016 season after undergoing a Combine medical recheck late last week. Smith was a likely top-10 pick before suffering a significant knee injury and potential nerve damage in the Fiesta Bowl in January. What are Smith’s prospects for a full recovery for 2017 and beyond? We’ll know based on how far Smith falls down the draft . . . Instead of waiting until Aug. 1, the NFL should just reinstate Josh Gordon now and let him sink or swim on his own. Gordon, who has been suspended for the last year for failing myriad marijuana tests, sounds like someone who needs the structure of the team environment to help him stay clean. And the NFL needs talented young star players such as Gordon and Martavis Bryant on the field, not suspended for marijuana . . . Best of luck to A.J. Tarpley, who just retired after his rookie season as a Bills backup linebacker because of worries over concussions and head trauma. Tarpley wrote an honest and revealing piece for The MMQBabout hiding his concussions and the desire to do whatever it takes to make it in the NFL. Just remember that for every A.J. Tarpley, there are dozens of players such as former Buccaneers receiver Mike Williams, who recently worked out for the Patriots and Bengals, who are desperate to take his roster spot . . . Two players lost a nice chunk of money in the Rams-Titans trade — one real, one hypothetical. Mississippi left tackle Laremy Tunsil is no longer being considered for the No. 1 pick, and he could lose anywhere from $3 million-$10 million based on how far down the top 10 he drops. And with the No. 1 pick going from a state with no income tax (Tennessee) to one with a top tax rate of 13 percent (California), the No. 1 pick will net about $2 million less after taxes for the Rams than he would with the Titans, per sports tax attorney Robert Raiola (@sportstaxman) . . . Patriots owner Robert Kraft will be delivering the keynote address and receive an honorary doctorate at the commencement ceremony for Yeshiva University on May 25 at Madison Square Garden.
Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @BenVolin. Material from interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.
