If the Los Angeles Rams want to continue going all in this season, they should make a call to the Jacksonville Jaguars about wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. The third-year receiver was rumored to be available in the offseason after an underwhelming second season and the Rams appeared to be a natural fit, but the Jaguars look to be more open to a quick move after benching Thomas in Week 6.
Jacksonville head coach Liam Coen told reporters that guys “have to make plays” after benching Thomas at halftime.
The timing is more interesting after Davante Adams suffered a non-contact injury against the Cardinals.
After a stellar rookie season in 2024, Thomas took a step back in 2025 and has been at times completely out of the game plan for the Jags, including in Week 6 against the Houston Texans when he had multiple first-half gaffes and then didn’t play in the second half of a three-point loss.
A change of scenery could help a player who still has undeniable speed and who would give the Rams another weapon to try to boost the offense in the wake of another difficult game against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Rams are at a crossroads
The preseason Super Bowl favorites are now 2-4 and suffered a crushing loss to the Cardinals at home this Sunday, leaving the franchise in an increasingly difficult spot. The division isn’t getting any easier to manage (even as the Seattle Seahawks try to find their footing), and the rest of the NFC still has a number of dangerous teams, even if the NFC East appears to be a pillow fight division this year.
Only complicating things further is Davante Adams’s status after the veteran receiver left Sunday’s game in the final minute with an apparent non-contact injury.
So, in terms of doing something different and not just following this season’s current status quo, there are two paths the Rams can take. One would be to effectively pack it in and see what they’ve got in the way of future pieces.
Or, they could double down on this offseason’s plan: doing every single thing possible to increase their odds of making a run to the Super Bowl.
Thomas isn’t a perfect player by any means. After all, there’s a reason his role and impact have steadily decreased since his breakout rookie campaign. His “fear of contact” has been blamed for multiple drops.
But he brings something new to the table that Los Angeles just doesn’t have right now in terms of a proven commodity.
In terms of down-to-down production, the Rams haven’t been a complete disaster on offense this year. As pointed out by Sheil Kapadia of The Ringer, no team has outgained their opponents by more yardage this year than L.A. has. In terms of series conversion rate, which is a measure of how many series are converted into either a new first down or touchdown (compared to field goals, punts and turnovers), the Rams have the seventh-best rate in the entire NFL. Unfortunately, that’s largely buoyed just by first-down pickups; the Rams are merely 16th in touchdown rate.
The idea of adding Brian Thomas Jr. isn’t to fix or completely overhaul the offense, though, it simply comes down to trying to accumulate as much talent as possible.
If Adams misses time, he immediately steps in as a secondary weapon at wide receiver behind Puka Nacua. He’s not the same type of receiver as Adams, but he’s produced before, he has dangerous speed and, frankly, he’d be better than nearly any other replacement you could find at this date. If Adams isn’t lost for the year, a trio of Nacua, Adams and Thomas is an extremely versatile group that checks a ton of boxes in terms of available skill sets. Plus, with Matthew Stafford not looking quite like his MVP peak from 2025, more feasible pass catchers can’t hurt his attempts to ramp up his production.
The working theory, should Los Angeles pursue Thomas, would be that at some point simply having the most raw talent in the NFL (when paired with a top-tier coach) is enough to win enough games to earn a playoff berth and make a run to a title. You can only lean into that strategy so much with roster limitations, salary cap constraints, etc. needing to be considered, but this would be the kind of move that most aligns with that strategy.
What would a trade cost?
Obviously, the elephant in the room that hasn’t been addressed yet is trade compensation. It’s hard to gauge exactly what Thomas will fetch on the trade market, which is where he almost certainly resides given the situation in Jacksonville. Marvin Harrison Jr. was shipped from the Arizona Cardinals to the Houston Texans for a second-round pick and a sixth-round pick in the 2027 NFL draft. Thomas’s best season was far better than Harrison’s best, but if the prices are anywhere near similar it could be too rich of a price even if it is for a theoretically better player.
Still, nothing would be outright shocking out of the Rams’ front office as the trade deadline approaches. Historically speaking, this is one of the most aggressive front offices in the NFL in terms of taking swings on high-end talent, at least in recent vintage.
Los Angeles has to decide on its strategy for the rest of the season immediately. If it decides to keep the trend going from the summer, then the best way to get as much talent as possible is to call the Jaguars about Thomas. It’s not a guaranteed fix, but if you want to do anything you can to make a Super Bowl push, especially given how this season has started, then making a sizable gamble is a requirement.
