Best 2021 NFL breakout candidate from every team
By Randy Gurzi
Los Angeles Rams: Jordan Fuller, Safety
Traditional team building is out the window when it comes to the Los Angeles Rams. This front office is all about trading picks away and they did so again when they added Matthew Stafford this offseason. In addition to giving up Jared Goff, the Rams gave Detroit two first-round picks for the veteran quarterback.
They’ve also made trades in recent years for Jalen Ramsey, Brandin Cooks, Aqib Talib, and Dante Fowler, Jr. Some of the deals have worked whereas others have not. Overall, the Rams are good with the results they’ve seen as they already made one trip to the Super Bowl and Stafford’s arrival has hopes of a return on their minds.
Of course, the downside to such trades is that they don’t have a lot of young, affordable talent. Being cap-strapped can be a problem which is why Los Angeles had to watch as safety John Johnson III and Troy Hill both left and signed with the Cleveland Browns on contracts that seemed very affordable — as long as you aren’t at the limit that is.
The good news for the Rams is, they do believe they have one player in the secondary ready to step up and become a star in Jordan Fuller. A sixth-round pick last season, Fuller had 60 tackles, five pass defenses, and three interceptions.
He could help replace Johnson and is proof that L.A.’s team-building motto can work — especially if you knock the late-round picks out of the park.