After parlaying the second overall pick in the 2012 draft into three first-round picks and a second-round selection, Rams coach Jeff Fisher is looking to stockpile more selections on draft day.
Mike Lombardi of NFL Network reports that, with the trade deadline nine days away, the Rams are actively shopping players.
Lombardi named no names. But he said that the Rams are willing to flip players for picks because the Rams “know they’re not going to the Super Bowl this year.”
It’s a little premature to put a fork between the horns, however. At 3-3, the Rams could still steal a wild-card berth. And, as we’ve seen time and again in recent years, anyone with a seat at the postseason table can then run the table.
Thus, we don’t see this as a case of Fisher folding the tent, but as a delicate balance between determining which players aren’t needed for the present and whether and to what extent those men can be turned into draft picks than can help secure the team’s future.
The most intriguing player who could be traded is running back Steven Jackson. As rookie Daryl Richardson develops, and as the Rams reportedly plan to move forward without Jackson in 2013, could they move forward without him for the balance of the season, if the Rams want to give Jackson a chance to play for a contender. And if the Rams truly believe that they’re not a contender in 2012.
We’re not so sure that they’re not.