Getty Aaron Donald celebrates with his now former Rams teammate Kenny Young during the Sunday, October 24, home victory over the Lions.
Kenny Young saw action on 38 plays in the 28-19 Los Angeles Rams‘ Week 7 victory over the Detroit Lions: Tying for third on the Rams’ defense with seven tackles and receiving an 82.3 tackling grade by Pro Football Focus.
But Sunday became the last time Young will wear the Rams uniform.
In a surprise trade on Monday, October 25, the Rams made a deal with the NFL trade deadline quickly approaching next Tuesday, November 2, sending the inside linebacker Young to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a draft pick upgrade.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the trade news at 11:28 a.m. PT:
Trade: Rams are sending LB Kenny Young and a 2024 7th-round pick to the Broncos in exchange for 2024 sixth-round pick, per sources.
Broncos have eight injured LBs, including six on injured reserve.
At 12:22 p.m. PT on Monday, the Broncos confirmed the move:
We’ve agreed to a trade with the Rams to acquire LB Kenny Young and a 2024 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick.
📰 » t.co/ZEvTcukWqM
What Was the Motive Behind Young Trade?
Again, this move comes as a swift surprise for the Ram defense.
The 26-year-old Young racked up 39 tackles including 24 solo stops in all seven games for the now 6-1 Rams. He reached 10 tackles twice in games against the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Here’s one notable read he made in the 34-24 victory over the Bucs:
Rams in the “mint” nickel –line slants right, Kenny Young shoots his gun, makes the play, not sure this is what Rams always want because if he misses, gap is open, but good players can “feel it” shot he shoots tha gap
Of course, this play from 2020 likely sticks with Ram fans from the New England Patriots game:
However, if there’s reasoning as to why the Rams are shipping away Young, The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue points to this motivation in the Rams’ LB room:
Online Reactions Are on the Stunned Side
Young’s production in the first seven games was an improvement from his 2020 early slate, as he reached 25 total tackles and had no games of reaching double digits in tackles.
Plus, nearly 24 hours ago, Young was lauded for his play against his ex-Rams teammate Jared Goff and his new team the Lions.
Kenny Young deserves a lot of credit in crucial moments on that defensive series. Had the third-down stop on Goff that was spoiled by the fake on fourth down, then was well in the mix on both third, fourth down stops a few plays later (including 0.5 tackle credit on fourth down)
So the online reactions generally fell into the stunned category. L.A. radio personality Nick Hamilton of Sirius XM was one who was left scratching his head
Sosa Kremenjas of PFF is another who views this move as a surprise.
The Rams basically gave Kenny Young away for free. I’m shocked, honestly. Not sure if a corresponding move is coming or not, but they need to figure out the ILB position. Fast.
ESPN Rams beat reporter Lindsey Thiry also was left perplexed by the move.
Rams are sending Kenny Young to the Broncos. Right now, trade doesn’t seem to make a ton of sense given Young was most productive LB, leaving only Troy Reeder as only LB with significant defensive snaps this season. Also have Travin Howard and Ernest Jones, but limited D snaps.
Perhaps, if anything, maybe one reason behind Young’s sudden departure involves his ability in coverage. Against Goff and the Lions, Young surrendered the most passing yardage among the LB group (55) and allowed the highest yards per reception average at 18.3.
Young struggled the most against Kalif Raymond, who caught 2 passes for 49 yards and averaged 24.5 yards a catch when Young was the closest coverage defender. Raymond finished the game with 115 yards on 6 receptions.
However, Young isn’t one to constantly miss tackles. He had zero in that category versus the Lions. He’s only missed three tackle opportunities through 384 defensive snaps this season via PFF. He also had this sack of the seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady:
.@KennyYounggg lays the BOOM‼️
But for Young, it’s the second time in his career he’ll change teams near the mid-season point. Back in 2019, the Rams managed to work out a deal to nab Young from the Baltimore Ravens. Per Spotrac, Young had a base salary of $2,183,000 with the Rams but was set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2022.
His departure now leaves Jones, Troy Reeder and Travin Howard as the remaining active ILB’s for the Rams.
The Rams Twitter account posted this graphic following the trade:
Thank you, @KennyYounggg.
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Rams Trade LB Kenny Young to AFC in Surprise Deal: Report