At 4:19 a.m. west coast time on Wednesday, August 25, the Los Angeles Rams began the day bright and early by shaking up the NFL landscape with a trade.
The move? Acquiring Sony Michel from the New England Patriots to bolster a backfield getting hit by injuries. The trade was first reported by ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, who again broke the news before 5 a.m. PT.
Patriots are trading RB Sony Michel to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for two late-round conditional draft picks, per sources.
New England gets back two picks, the Rams get needed talent and depth at running back.
Now, after the Rams lured in the former No. 31 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, the avalanche of reactions have begun to cover social media and bury any other NFL news on the morning. National outlets, including beat writers of both the Rams and Pats plus two former Pro Bowlers, were among the notable reactions to the Michel-to-Rams trade.
Here are some of the reactions.
Ex-Pro Bowlers on ESPN Like the Move
Jeff Saturday and Bart Scott, who have seven Pro Bowl appearances between them, reacted on the “Keyshawn, J-Will and Zubin Show” on ESPN Wednesday morning after their colleague Schefter broke the news.
Saturday: “I like the Sony Michel fit. I like the duplicity of him as a back, being able to get out of the backfield and you know he’s learned the screen game. You know how to get out of the backfield in the passing game, all those things in New England. I understand some of the injury concerns that Sony has kind of faced in his career. But I like this pickup. I think it brings a lot of balance to the Rams offense.”
Scott, who spoke after Saturday: “In your mind now when you think about this addition because we thought we were talking about the Rams in high regard with Cam Akers, now you bring in a guy that’s a veteran guy that understands how to run between the tackles much like Todd Gurley. He can still be one of those screen prizes.”
‘Good Morning Football’ Wakes Up to the News
NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” crew were among the ones wide awake when the news broke. Peter Schrager and Nate Burleson offered up their thoughts on the trade, with Schrager saying this move had great potential of happening for a while.
Schrager: “This has been whispered for a couple of weeks now that they’ve (New England) got this loaded backfield and Sony might want to have a new start. So they give him that opportunity. It’s a good fit for both teams.”
Schrager also pointed out that Michel already shares a collegiate connection with his soon-to-be RB coach with the Rams.
Burleson: “We know Sean McVay likes those versatile running backs that you can use in the screen game and I feel like he’s going to have a fresh start out there, and they need him. You know I love the fact that McVay and the Rams had a need, they went out there, they sought a trade. The Patriots, who have 15 running backs, are like ‘Yeah, we got one you can take. And his name is not Ramondre Stevenson.'”
Beat Reporters Hinted the Move Would Eventually be Made
Lastly, The Athletic’s Jourdan Roudrigue (Rams coverage) and Jeff Howe (Patriots) penned together why the move was made by both sides. Rodrigue pointed out how Rams general manager Les Snead scrutinized that Rams backfield closely, plus how the team wanted to evaluate the current climate in the RB room before deciding to make the aggressive move to land the 2019 Super Bowl champion Michel.
Rodrigue: “They needed to first determine (Darrell) Henderson’s projected carry share as durability has been the biggest concern with him despite his talent. Moving for Michel re-affirms those concerns, especially after Henderson sprained his thumb this week.”
Also, the Rams are without Raymond Calais in the backfield after sustaining a foot fracture that will require him sitting out for four to six months. Calais has also been placed on waivers per the Rams’ transaction page.
Meanwhile, Howe reported that the 26-year-old Michel was putting together his finest training camp to date because he was finally healthy as injuries derailed his 2020 season (Michel was limited to six starts). Howe mentioned that Michel ran with a noticeable burst during practices. But even he asked, why trade?
Howe: “Aside from having a deep backfield, the Patriots declined Michel’s fifth-year option this offseason, so he was set to become a free agent in 2022 while Harris, J.J. Taylor and Stevenson are under contract for multiple years.”
And the one who wins the trade per Howe?
“The biggest winner here is Taylor, a human spark plug and fan favorite who is also having a good summer.”
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National Reactions Pour In After L.A. Rams Trade for Sony Michel