If the Los Angeles Rams want to fill their increasing large void at wide receiver, they’ll have to look somewhere other than Brian Thomas Jr. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Jacksonville Jaguars are planning to keep Thomas, ending months of speculation that the former Pro Bowler could be on the move.
This isn’t especially surprising from the Jaguars’ perspective, considering they’ve made it clear they’re going all in on a Super Bowl run this year. In just over 24 hours, the Jaguars have acquired safety Jessie Bates III, and defensive linemen Davon Godchaux and Jordan Davis, sending out a mass quantity of draft picks to get those deals done (including a first, two seconds, a fifth and a sixth). Given that their general manager, James Gladstone, used to work in the Rams front office, their approach is not surprising.
But it does leave the Rams with one fewer option if they decide to bolster the receiver room at the NFL trade deadline.
Thomas isn’t as good as Puka Nacua, who’s now on injured reserve, nor Davante Adams, who’s missed several weeks already with a hamstring injury. Despite that and despite a disappointing last couple seasons compared to his rookie debut, he’s still a talented player with a combination of speed and skill Los Angeles simply doesn’t have right now. He wouldn’t have fixed all of the passing game’s issues, but certainly could have helped.
With this news, the best receiver on the likely trade block is Josh Downs from the Indianapolis Colts. This season, playing for a bad Colts offense with an even worse quarterback in Daniel Jones, Downs has posted 33 receptions for 354 yards and one touchdown, all hovering just below his career averages in terms of raw numbers and per-game efficiency. He’s a slot receiver, having taken over 52% of his snaps there this season, the third-highest rate in the NFL. That’s not a bad thing for this Rams offense, though, and actually should fit in well alongside a (hopefully eventually) healthy Nacua and Adams.
Plus, the Rams shouldn’t turn their nose up at obviously talented contributors at this point.
Beyond that, options are a bit more scant. The Philadelphia Eagles are obviously open for business, which could make Dontayvion Wicks an option. His hands have always been iffy but his route-running is his best skill. Jajuan Jennings has had a solid career, but the former San Francisco 49er hasn’t done anything of note with the Minnesota Vikings this year. Across town, the Los Angeles Chargers haven’t done anything yet ahead of the deadline, but could they be persuaded into moving Quentin Johnston?
With this news this morning, one major detail has changed, one remains the same. The receiver with arguably the highest upside on the market isn’t going anywhere. But that doesn’t stop the Rams from needing another wide receiver.