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The Los Angeles Rams will have a lot of flexibility and avenues to upgrade the roster during the 2026 offseason. They’re armed with two first-round picks, a decent amount of salary cap space and the pedigree of a winning franchise.
While they could use their draft picks to find developmental talent, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine suggested the Rams use one of those early selections to trade for a veteran. His idea: move a first-round pick for Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie.
The Los Angeles Rams are still alive in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy, but giving up a combined 215 yards on 14 catches to Jalen Coker and Tetairoa McMillan on Wild-Card Weekend reveals how desperately the Rams need a shutdown corner.
Their need for a cover man could be the Achilles heel that keeps them from winning a championship.
We know that general manager Les Snead is not one to sit on his hands to address a need. Snead has a long track record of trading picks for star players. They also happen to have two first-round picks, which could pave the way for the Rams to deal their late first and use the 13th pick they got from the Falcons.
At the same time, Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach isn’t afraid to trade away players if they don’t want to pay up. McDuffie and the Chiefs attempted to negotiate a new contract ahead of the season, but couldn’t come to terms.
McDuffie is an ideal defensive back to anchor a secondary. His ability to play press-man coverage, combined with his positional versatility, is relatively unique.
The Rams have $81.5 million in cap space, meaning they could make the trade for McDuffie, then sign him to a deal that would reset the cornerback market.
That would certainly be a move with ripples across the league for anyone looking to sign or re-sign a cornerback.
McDuffie, 25, isn’t just young — he’s been incredibly productive during his career. The cornerback made his first All-Pro team in 2023 and he’s been one of the top shutdown defensive backs over the past four seasons.
He’s also cheap right now — which is good and bad. As Ballentine alluded to, McDuffie will need a new deal once the 2026 season is over. The Rams could afford it, but they’ll also have several other high-profile contracts to look out for soon. That cap space could dry up quickly.
And while the idea is certainly interesting, it would be pretty surprising to see the Chiefs move on from such a foundational piece of their defense. While McDuffie missed a lot of games this year due to injury, he’s still a top-flight cornerback that any team would love to deploy.
But if the Chiefs are preparing for a future without Patrick Mahomes for a little while, perhaps they’ll want some cap relief in the meantime. That’s where Snead and McVay could come in to make another push for a Super Bowl in 2026. It would cost them one of their first-round picks, but it would certainly be worth the swing to add a star cornerback to a downtrodden secondary.