NFL Insider Hints at One Possible Addition to the Rams

There could be one more opening for the Los Angeles Rams to fill on offense before the trade deadline, via one national NFL insider.

The franchise has already stunned fans by shipping away inside linebacker Kenny Young to start the week of October 25. Then they added more shock by announcing that they and DeSean Jackson are listening to trade offers to end the weekday — ending Jackson’s L.A. homecoming after just seven games.

But as we’ve seen time and time again, the Rams aren’t shy about orchestrating significant trades…a la Jalen Ramsey during the middle of the 2019 season to recently Sony Michel before this season.

And on the evening of Friday, October 29, NBC Sports Pro Football Talk insider Mike Florio wrote down this name as a possibility to enter the “Rams House” next with the trade cutoff four days from now: 2018 Pro Bowl tight end Eric Ebron.

The Possibility of Ebron

Here’s what Florio wrote regarding Ebron and his current future with the Pittsburgh Steelers:

“The situation becomes even more pronounced if Jackson goes and the Rams develop a need at the position. Perhaps they’ll balance it out by trading for a tight end, such as Eric Ebron of the Steelers. That would reunite Ebron with quarterback Matthew Stafford. Either way, it would be better for the Rams if Jackson wanted to stick around. Then again, if he can’t accept his current role with one of the best teams in football, maybe the Rams will be better off if he’s gone.”

The 28-year-old Ebron spent four years catches passes from Stafford in Detroit. He still has his most career receptions (186 of 346) with the Lions according to Pro Football Reference. He also caught 11 touchdowns from the right arm of Stafford. Stafford mainly fed him inside the red zone as seen here:

His last team before the Steelers, the Indianapolis Colts, did something similar:

And now, Ebron is in a situation in Steel City where he’s starting to see diminished TE time.

Limited Role & Injuries

According to Pro Football Focus, Ebron has been targeted no more than three times in a single game this season and has only caught 7 passes for 47 yards in six games.

Ebron is additionally dealing with a hamstring injury that has ruled him out of the lineup for Sunday’s game versus the rival Cleveland Browns.

But outside of the injury and limited targets, Ebron has played fewer snaps than rookie TE Pat Freiermuth (201 compared to Ebron’s 185). Ebron, though, is trying to avoid going on a tangent about his role, telling the Pittsburgh media “I have been putting a lot of good stuff on tape and hopefully, they recognize it. There’s no use in me saying anything. My response is that I am always saying something, and for me, it it time that I don’t say anything, and I am going to continue to let my tape and my coaches work for me.”

But, could the Rams be more intriguing and put him in a situation where he sees an increased presence?

The Rams TE Room

Tyler Higbee is TE1 for the Rams — and he’s on pace for 65 catches, 602 yards and 5 TD’s by season’s end.

However, the Rams are minus a tight end…as Johnny Mundt is out for the year with a torn ACL that he sustained from the Week 6 rout of the New York Giants.

Because of Mundt’s absence, the Rams opted to avoid doing a lot of two TE sets, with Kendall Blanton only getting two snaps versus the Lions while Higbee was on the field for 65 plays.

The Rams are also yet to utilize intriguing fourth rounder Jacob Harris in some of their offensive packages, which points to Harris still learning the nuances of the position. Former Rams QB Jim Everett was one who spoke about Harris’s lack of playing time on Friday:

Could Ebron Fit if a Move Does Happen?

Ebron insists he’s happy in Steel City and deflected questions about his limitations in the offense. But, his future is nebulous there anyway.

Per Spotrac, Ebron is in the final year of his two-year deal and has a base salary of $1,120,000. He’s carrying a cap hit of $4,596,000. The Rams are expected to clear up nearly $7 million in cap room once they find a trade partner for Jackson.

One has to wonder what is now the most pressing need for the Rams before the deadline: Add to an already thinner ILB room or add a TE?

For the times that the Rams need to turn to the run if the air attack is stalled, Ebron could help give L.A. some breathing room and an extra set of hands as a blocker/red zone threat. But with the Steelers’ style of hard-nosed football plus an aging Ben Roethlisberger behind center, Pittsburgh may hang on to Ebron for the playoff push.

Either way, Ebron is a name now worth monitoring for those glued to the trade deadline. We probably shouldn’t be shocked if the Rams do reunite him with his old QB1 from the Motor City.