Should the Rams have made a move for Greg Newsome or Tyson Campbell?
Sean McVay said last week that the Los Angeles Rams would “look into” potentially adding cornerback help after a tough performance against the San Francisco 49ers. Then on Monday, he said it’s not something the team has talked about yet.
If they do want to bring in some talent at a position that was viewed as a weakness this offseason, they might not want to wait too much longer because the options could dry up. On Wednesday night, two possible targets came off the board following a trade between the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Browns sent cornerback Greg Newsome and a sixth-round pick to the Jaguars for cornerback Tyson Campbell and a seventh-rounder. It was an unexpected deal that swaps cornerbacks and late-round picks, mostly due to the financial situations of each player; Newsome is on a rookie deal and Campbell already signed a $76 million extension last summer.
Rams fans had been clamoring for the team to go after a player like Newsome, who’s talented and still on a cheap contract. It wasn’t exactly known that Campbell was available, but he’s another good corner who could’ve helped the Rams amid Ahkello Witherspoon’s absence.
If the Rams were to have gone after Newsome, they would’ve had to give up a premium pick, most likely. They didn’t have a corner of Campbell’s caliber to send to the Browns, so the draft pick would’ve had to be much earlier – potentially as early as a second-rounder.
Newsome would’ve helped the Rams this season and for years to come had Los Angeles extended him, but the team will now have to turn its attention elsewhere if the cornerback group doesn’t improve before the Nov. 4 deadline.
With teams always looking to bolster their secondary, it’s possible others such as Denzel Ward, L’Jarius Sneed and Sauce Gardner could be next to come off the board.