In the Sean McVay and Les Snead era, the early offseason months has often been the time of year when the Los Angeles Rams make a splashy free agent move.
Does the head coach and general manager, let alone the Rams in general, have another earth-shaking move on deck?
Things are quiet at the moment in L.A., with the Rams celebrating the Super Bowl 56 win. If anything, there’s the chatter of who will stay on board to “run it back” as McVay called it during the team’s victory parade on Wednesday, February 16.
However, if there’s one potential offseason move that could qualify as an “ideal” trade scenario, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine has mentioned who could be worth a look on the Super Bowl winner’s side.
The ‘Ideal’ Trade Involving the Rams
In his Saturday, February 19 article called “The Ideal Offseason Trade Scenario for Every NFL Team,” Ballentine believes that this trade can fill a hole the Rams have on defense: The second level of the unit.
And that’s where Ballentine points to this potential trade suitor: The Kansas City Chiefs sending inside linebacker Anthony Hitchens to the defending champs. Ballentine wrote:
“One hole exists in the second level of the defense, though. Troy Reeder was graded by PFF (Pro Football Focus) as the 74th linebacker in the league. Kenny Young only played in seven games after playing six in 2020. The rest of the group is incredibly young.
Hitchens has plenty of playoff experience. He’s made 11 playoff starts with the Kansas City Chiefs and had a good season in coverage in 2021, only allowing a passer rating of 83.4 when targeted.
The Chiefs might be eager to move on from Hitchens with both Nick Bolton and Willie Gay Jr. on the roster. If anything, he gives the Rams a veteran at the position who should jell with an already veteran-laden defense.”
Young was sent away to the Denver Broncos following the Rams’ Week 3 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ultimately, that helped clear the way to bring in Broncos legend Von Miller to join L.A. before the trade deadline. Meanwhile, here’s one more element involving Reeder: He’s a free agent come March 16.
Hitchens’ Value & Production
Let’s be realistic: Hitchens isn’t exactly a household name among linebackers. Nor on his current NFL team on a roster with Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill.
But, he is a coverage inside linebacker — something the Rams lacked this past season.
Anthony Hitchens forces this interception with his drop. Instead of just backpedaling he turns and runs and it forces Hoyer to throw this ball higher than he wants to which leads to the pick
One of his picks this past season came inside SoFi Stadium:
Rookie LB Nick Bolton deflects the Justin Herbert pass, and Anthony Hitchens intercepts it. #Chiefs football.
He’s smart enough to pick up on screens — proven here from 2019:
Re-watching some of the #Chiefs game. Anthony Hitchens made a heck of a play on this screen.
While Hitchens has just two career interceptions, he’s swatted 12 career passes including three seasons of producing four and two pass deflections according to Pro Football Reference.
From a contract value standpoint, Hitchens is set to earn a base salary of $7.8 million in 2022 per Spotrac. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2023.
But here’s how he could fit the Rams: The team is reliant on their exotic fronts to generate a pass rush first, which ultimately became the strength of the defense. For a consistent pass defending linebacker like Hitchens, this could spark the tail end of his career as he enters his 30s. And while Miller brought a heavy dosage of pressure from the LB group alongside Leonard Floyd and rookie Ernest Jones, this is still a linebacking core that could use someone to pick up the underneath routes or disrupt the middle throws. Hitchens could come in handy there.
Hitchens, again, may not generate a buzz like a Miller trade or Matthew Stafford-like move from last year. But he’s considered an “ideal” fit to fill a hole in one part of the Rams moving forward — should the champs consider luring him in.
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‘Ideal’ Trade Scenario Sees Rams Filling a Hole for 2022