Retour
The Los Angeles Rams had an opportunity to add wide receiver help before Tuesday’s trade deadline, but they chose to stand pat and trust that the eventual returns of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams will get them to the playoffs and help make a deep run.
There were no real rumors linking the Rams to any wideouts before the deadline, but on Wednesday morning, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler shared something interesting. He wrote in his deadline recap piece that teams around the NFL believe the Rams inquired about Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey.
The Chargers said no to any deals involving McConkey, but it sounds like the Rams may have called about the third-year receiver.
Here’s what Fowler wrote:
The Chargers said no to at least one Ladd McConkey inquiry. Teams I spoke to believe the Rams were the ones to make that call. Overall, though, the Rams didn't seriously consider a receiver move because they expect both Puka Nacua and Davante Adams to return this season. And in the short term, they believe Matthew Stafford can maximize the supporting cast of receivers.
McConkey wouldn’t exactly solve the Rams’ problems at wide receiver, being an injury-prone player himself. He missed Week 9 with back spasms that popped up during pre-game warmups, which was his second missed game of the season. He’s exited multiple games with injuries, struggling to stay on the field all year.
He’s a talented pass catcher when healthy, as evidenced by his 1,149-yard season as a rookie in 2024, but he was disappointing last season (789 yards) and hasn’t been able to stay healthy this year.
McConkey was drafted in the second round in 2024 so he still has one year left on his contract after this season. He would’ve been more than a half-year rental for the Rams but considering he’s already banged up, how much would he have helped Los Angeles?