One of the most surprising developments from the 2022 NFL trade deadline was the lack of participation by the Los Angeles Rams. There was a record 10 trades completed but the defending Super Bowl champions were a part of none of them, as they didn’t make a single move.
At 3-4, many people assumed that the Rams would be aggressive in trying to shore up the holes on their roster. The team has struggled to find consistency on both sides of the ball as the offense has been tough to watch and the defense isn’t as dominant as they were a season ago.
Their push for the Super Bowl last year was jump-started at the deadline when they acquired pass rusher, Von Miller, from the Denver Broncos. Denver once again parted ways with a talented pass rusher, but it wasn’t the Rams cashing in. Instead, it was the Miami Dolphins who acquired Bradley Chubb in exchange for the last first-round pick they received from the San Francisco 49ers to move up and select Trey Lance with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
While the Rams could have certainly used another pass rusher, that wasn’t actually what they were pushing for. Instead, it was a running back that they had set their sights on according to an NFL executive that spoke to NFL Analysis Network.
“The Rams were involved in quite a few trade talks, including for Browns running back Kareem Hunt. Both sides were in serious talks, but they broke down. L.A. was unwilling to offer the high price tag the Browns had on Hunt.”
The Cleveland Browns were reportedly looking for a fourth-round pick in exchange for Kareem Hunt, who had requested a trade before the season. It is looking unlikely that the Browns will be re-signing Hunt, so shopping him made sense from their perspective.
For Los Angeles, they have shown they are not afraid to trade away draft capital if it means acquiring a player that can improve their championship odds. So, to pull out of trade to fill a position of need, the asking price must have been exorbitant on Hunt, who has excelled as a pass-catching complement to Nick Chubb but is a more than capable three-down back himself.
With no trade being made to bring in a running back, the Rams are attempting to reconcile with Cam Akers, who hasn’t played in a game since Week 5. Rookie Kyren Williams will hopefully be back and healthy to play soon, while the team also has Darrell Henderson, Malcolm Brown and undrafted rookie Ronnie Rivers as options.
