Joshua Downs wants a trade away from the Indianapolis Colts, but does it make sense for the Los Angeles Rams to acquire him? Some would say, yes. Some would say, no. The dichotomy makes this a great debate.
On the one hand, Downs is talented, he can stretch the field, but if memory serves, we’ve seen the young man make some strong catches over the middle too. Though he’s not the biggest receiver, similar to Tutu Atwell. So, would Downs handle the level of run blocking the Rams might ask him to do?
Also, would the Rams use Downs? It’s well-known Matthew Stafford sometimes just locks in on one player and goes from there. If Downs isn’t Stafford’s main target on a given day, how much work would he get?
Can trading for Downs work? I believe Sean McVay could make it work. Is trading for Downs worth it? That’s the debate.
As talented as Downs is, I am not sure he’s what the Rams need for the Super Bowl in 2026. I am not sure he truly moves the needle. I can be proven wrong. This story isn’t quite done being written just yet, but for me, more than any trade, the Rams need to win games. They have the pieces; it’s up to them to deliver.
Los Angeles Rams Make Perfect Sense as Josh Downs Trade Suitor (sports.yahoo)
“So far this season with the Colts, Downs has caught 26 passes for 307 yards, but has not found the end zone. Last year, he racked up 58 receptions for 566 yards and four scores.
Throughout his entire 54-game NFL career, Downs has totaled 224 receptions for 2,447 yards and 11 touchdowns.
At 25 years old, Downs would bring excellent slot production to the Rams’ offense. He would also be an addition both for this season and the future. Assuming Los Angeles worked out a contract extension with him, the move could pay dividends for years to come.“
Joshua Karty’s return is the full-circle flourish to Rams’ kicking saga (ramblinfan)
“Perhaps the most hilarious, or tragic, for the doom and gloomers out there, aspect of Karty’s return is that he is in a sense replacing his own replacement, Harrison Mevis, who lasted all of 14 games after taking over last November. The Rams just can’t get this right.
Rams re-up Joshua Karty in latest go-round of kicker carousel
Grupe, their first stab at upgrading on Mevis, was waylaid by misfortune rather than mistake. Tearing his ACL on his second Rams kickoff was not the plan.“
4 key matchups that will decide Rams vs. Chargers on Sunday (ramswire)
“LT Alaric Jackson vs. OLB Khalil Mack
Mack will play on the left and right side, so Warren McClendon Jr. will have to block him, too. But it’s imperative for Jackson to protect Matthew Stafford’s blindside because if Mack gets around the corner, he has the ability to attack the football and force fumbles.“
Chargers look to avoid 0-7 start in battle of LA (nbcsports)
“Mike Florio details the nuggets in Week 8’s “battle of LA,” where the Chargers look to avoid their third-ever 0-7 start and Puka Nacua’s bid at history.“
Rams and Chargers share a city, not a rivalry as they head into their first meeting in 4 seasons (apnews)
“INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Although the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers share a stadium, they don’t share a rivalry.
The NFL schedule only puts these teams together once every four years, and they have neither the long history nor the recent animus necessary to make Sunday’s meeting into a true crosstown showdown.
“It’s a big town to cross,” Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said with a grin. “I don’t run into those guys too often, to be honest with you. I don’t really want to make that drive. Nobody does.”
Kyren Williams and Blake Corum are too potent for the Rams to ignore (ramblinfan)
“In that game, Kyren Williams and Blake Corum combined for 192 rushing yards on 5.8 per carry, with each eclipsing 90. It was easily the run game’s most complete performance this season. In a recent interview on The Pat McAfee Show, Stafford described how his running back duo is perfectly suited for LA’s offense.
“I haven’t had a tandem like Kyren Williams and Blake Corum where they both can do everything,” Stafford said.“We can call our entire offense with both of those guys in the game.”
The offense continues to feature Stafford as its engine, propelling him to 1,989 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. But the Rams are also one of only two teams with two names among the league’s top 25 rushers.“
Puka Nacua admits he’s still managing his injured calf every day (ramswire)
“He wound up playing and caught eight passes for 68 yards and a touchdown, but he’s not fully out of the woods yet with his injured calf. Nacua told reporters on Thursday that he’s still getting treatment and managing the injury, doing everything he can to suit up on Sundays.
“After a Thursday practice, I’ll get some supplemental work, but it’s definitely something that, maintenance every day in the morning, moving some stuff in my insoles and stuff like that and working with everybody in the training room and ‘EQ’ [equipment staff] so I can go out there and play as free and confident as I can,” he said.“
‘His Vertical Route Tree Would Complement (Puka) Nacua’ — NFL Analyst Urges Rams To Pursue Trade for Pro Bowl WR After Davante Adams’ Injury (sports.yahoo)
“But now “The Athletic’s” Ted Nguyen is suggesting that trading for Brian Thomas Jr. could help swing the Super Bowl odds back in the Rams’ favor. His idea is for the Rams to send the Jacksonville Jaguars a third-round pick in 2027 and a fifth-round pick in 2028 in exchange for the one-time Pro Bowler.
“The Rams tried to play it too cute in the draft and live in two timelines, taking quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th pick when the best option this season would have been a receiver,” Nguyen argues. “Davante Adams is 33 and had hamstring issues last season — it wasn’t hard to predict he would miss games this season. Puka Nacua has had injury and off-field issues.”
Sean McVay open to having 2 kickers active on game day (sports.yahoo)
“Mevis lost his job this season due to the same issues, with Blake Grupe (tore his ACL in his first game) and Brandon McManus taking over since. With Karty back in the facility, and his “knuckleball” kickoff style being pointed at as a possible solution to the team’s long-standing kick coverage issues, some wonder if the Rams will entertain the idea of having two kickers on their game-day roster.
Head coach Sean McVay would not close the door on the idea.
“We’ll work through all different things,” said McVay. “It all depends. When you have 48 bodies and the different guys that are filling in, you have to really ask yourself, ‘Okay, does that really make sense? Does it fit?’ There are a lot of layers to it so I wouldn’t be ready to answer that question yet.”
Week 8 Preview: Los Angeles Chargers vs Los Angeles Rams (lastwordonsports)
“The Rams are in the midst of the easiest part of their schedule. They must capitalize on this opportunity and come away with a win this week. The Chargers are vulnerable with several problems throughout their roster. During the offseason, the Chargers hired offensive extraordinaire Mike McDaniel as their offensive coordinator. McDaniel has struggled to find success, while Star Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has had the worst start to a season in his career.
The Chargers will also be without star safety Derwin James Jr., who has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury.“
