Rams mailbag: Answering trade questions about Tyler Higbee, Darius Slay

The Rams have a lot of questions to answer this offseason.

The Los Angeles Rams are gearing up for the NFL combine, the start of free agency and eventually, the draft. There are a lot of decisions to be made and questions to answer, making for a very interesting (and unpredictable) offseason in L.A.

They have five starters set to hit free agency, no first-round pick and a bunch of key players to pay in the next year. Surely, the Rams will explore trades this offseason, as they always do, but who could they target and who might be shipped out of town?

I answer some of those questions and many others in this week’s mailbag ahead of the combine.

That’s a good question, and I don’t think they will trade for him. Les Snead and the front office always explore all options and avenues for improving the roster, so perhaps they inquired about Slay, but it’s hard to imagine the Rams landing another high-priced cornerback with Jalen Ramsey already on the team.

The only way I could see a deal for Slay happening is if the Rams trade Ramsey for him and a draft pick, in an attempt to recoup some assets in this year’s draft. I can’t imagine that happening, so it’s safe to bet Slay won’t be wearing horns in 2020.

I think expecting to get a couple of mid-round picks for Tyler Higbee is unrealistic. At best, he’d probably net the Rams a mid-round pick – maybe a third or fourth-rounder. I thought they should’ve traded him last year and given Gerald Everett more playing time, but Sean McVay obviously likes Higbee’s skill set.

The more likely outcome is Los Angeles shopping Everett with one year left on his contract. He’d probably bring in less than Higbee, but possibly a fourth- or fifth-rounder.

I would think so. I don’t know about two-back sets, but McVay showed a willingness to expand and adapt toward the end of last season, playing Higbee and Johnny Mundt together often. It helped the running game and made things simpler for Jared Goff.

The problem with more 12 personnel is that a wide receiver has to come off the field. Taking snaps away from the team’s best playmakers (Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks, Cooper Kupp) isn’t necessarily smart.

I think the Rams will bring back Andrew Whitworth and Cory Littleton. Dante Fowler Jr. is going to command around $17 million per year on the market and probably price himself out of the Rams’ range.

Austin Blythe should be back, too, and I think there’s enough of a mutual respect between the Rams and Michael Brockers to get a deal done at a reasonable cost.

This is a question that’s difficult to find an answer to. He was one of the best right tackles in the league in 2018, not only in pass protection but also in run blocking. He really struggled against quicker pass rushers last season, but it’s hard to say why.

He should bounce back in 2020 with a much better season after recovering from his knee injury.

I would say they’re about 75%. It’s just hard to see any team wanting to take on his contract, and the Rams can’t exactly cut him unless they want to take on $20.15 million in dead money. It’s possible they’ll dump his contract for a mid- to late-round pick, but they’re better off keeping him on the roster rather than trading him to save $4.65 million.

If he is on the roster, it’s unclear what his role will be. It’ll probably be similar to how he was used in 2019, though it wouldn’t be a surprise if Darrell Henderson ate into Gurley’s touches more.

Sometimes coaches just need a change of scenery. There’s no reason to believe there were any issues between Fassel and McVay, though some will point to McVay yelling at Fassel after that surprise (and failed) fake punt in Week 17.

Fassel had been with the Rams for nearly a decade, which is a long time. He probably just wanted to explore other opportunities.

I think Whitworth and Littleton are as close to must-haves as anyone for the Rams. They don’t have a viable replacement for Brockers right now, but Morgan Fox could probably fill in for the time being until a rookie develops or a free agent gets acclimated.

Fowler was very impactful for the Rams last season, but he’s only had one great year in the NFL and will be one of the top-paid edge rushers in the league. The Rams might have to hope a rookie or players such as Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Samson Ebukam can step up in his absence.