National Football League

Peter Schrager's Cheat Sheet: How the Rams went all-in on Von Miller trade

Updated Nov. 7, 2021 5:05 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

By Peter Schrager
FOX Sports NFL Analyst

Welcome to the Week 9 edition of the Schrager Cheat Sheet.

Each week, I take a look at several things you need to know heading into the NFL weekend. This week, we look at how the Los Angeles Rams decided to go all-in with the Von Miller trade, round up the muddled race for the No. 7 spot in the NFC, examine the rising Patriots and more.

Peter Schrager's Cheat Sheet Week 9: Are the Rams Super Bowl favorites with Von Miller?

What does the Von Miller trade mean for the Rams? Can the New England Patriots make the playoffs? Peter Schrager provides answers in this week's Cheat Sheet.

1. Rams are all-in ... times 100

The announcement of the Von Miller trade caused shock waves around the league Monday, but no one was particularly surprised by the team that made the deal. If the Rams weren't all-in in the past when they traded future picks for Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters, Brandin Cooks, Jalen Ramsey and Matt Stafford, they are officially all-all-all-in with the Miller deal.

Based on conversations I've had the past few days, I can tell you that the trade was discussed before the season even began, then kicked down the road with an eye toward the trade deadline. After Los Angeles traded linebacker Kenny Young to Denver in Week 7, the dialogue between Broncos general manager George Paton and Rams GM Les Snead started up again.

As the Rams boarded their flight back from Houston on Sunday, they were fresh off a 38-22 win over the Texans and feeling good. They were also feeling good about the chances of seeing Miller suit up for them the following week versus the Titans. But as the flight headed to Los Angeles, the Chargers fell behind the Patriots, and the Broncos took a lead on the Washington Football Team. With the Chargers' loss and the Broncos' win, the Rams' brass landed with the fear that Denver would say, "Screw it. We're alive in the AFC West! This deal is off!"

But the sides got back on the phone Monday morning, and much to the Rams' delight, the deal was still on. All that had to be worked out was compensation. The Broncos will ultimately pay the bulk of Miller's salary, but the picks (one second-rounder and one third-rounder) are heading to Mile High.

So here comes Miller, and with him comes even greater urgency to win the Super Bowl this season. The Rams know it. Hell, their own Twitter handle posted a video from the film "Rounders" of John Malkovich's Teddy KGB character saying, "I'm all-in."

The Rams have not made a first-round pick since they chose Jared Goff first overall in 2016. As a result of trading Goff and two first-round picks to the Detroit Lions, they will not pick in the first round until 2024 at the earliest. With the Miller trade, they won't make their first selection of the 2022 NFL Draft until late in the third round. Their first non-compensatory pick will come in the fifth round.

The approach is deliberate and unapologetic. The Rams are looking to win now. There's also a lift that comes with that. A source told me that Leonard Floyd found out about the trade when he got to the facility yesterday and was beyond fired up. It's good to be 7-1. It's even better to be 7-1 and know that your front office is working to get you more help in the quest to a Lombardi Trophy.

You know who else is all-in? The Buccaneers. And the Chiefs. The 2018 Eagles were all-in, and they won a Super Bowl. 

You know who's not all-in? The teams that have been collecting draft picks and looking to the future — one year after another. The Texans, Jets, Dolphins and current Eagles are flush with future picks. Would you rather have their situations or the one in L.A.?

Former NFL GM Scott Pioli came on my show "Good Morning Football" on Tuesday and said this is Year 5 of a seven-year plan and that we can't assess the success of this approach until we cross the bridge and get to the other side. Pioli is right. Division titles and home-field advantage aren't the goal. This approach can be marked as a success only if there's a Super Bowl championship at the end.

I liken this Miller deal to what my hometown basketball team, the Brooklyn Nets, are doing in the NBA. There's a window. It's now. It's obvious. Once the Nets acquired Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving, they didn't stop. The Nets have collected more veterans — known pieces — to join the cause. Paul Millsap, Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge and Patty Mills have all had wonderful careers. The Nets' front office went ahead and continued to add, add and add. The Rams are doing the same. 

Anything short of a championship is a letdown? So what?

Who's looking to do anything else?

2. The fight for ... seventh?

We're halfway through the NFL season, and the first six spots in the NFC playoff picture look pretty set. I'll regret writing that in a few weeks, I'm sure, but for now, the top of the conference has four one-loss teams, a 6-2 Bucs team and a 5-2 Saints team.

The lucky No. 7? Yeesh. Pick your poison, or, in this case, pick your mediocre squad of choice!

I'm going to watch this race for No. 7 with a keen eye because it involves so many teams that are battling between "Look toward the draft" and "Hey, if we get into the playoffs, who knows?!"

The current owner of the 7-seed is Carolina, and your argument for why Carolina's best days are ahead is rich: Christian McCaffrey is coming back, Stephon Gilmore will lift the defense, and Sam Darnold is playing for his football life. But are you sold on the 4-4 Panthers?

There are also the 4-4 Vikings, a team so tantalizing at times and so disturbingly disappointing at others that you almost don't want to give them the benefit of hope or optimism. Coming off a home loss to Cooper Rush — a game the Vikings led for 59 minutes — do the Vikings really deserve any January football? 

The 3-4 Falcons? Didn't they just lose to the Panthers after a week of us crowning Matt Ryan as "underrated"?

The 3-4 49ers?

The 3-5 Seahawks? At least Russell Wilson is coming back.

The 3-5 Bears? It's tough to wrap your arms around them at the moment, isn't it?

The 3-5 Eagles?

One of these teams will play in a January playoff game. Which one deserves it? Which one doesn't deserve it the least?

3. Here come the Patriots

Uh oh. Here they come. 

The Patriots are 4-4, winners of two straight and playing better football every week. The defense has been outstanding the past two weeks, confounding the Jets in Week 7 and stifling a Chargers team coming off a bye in Week 8. I look at the schedule that awaits the Pats, and aside from two contests against the mighty Bills, the Patriots have:

— Carolina 
— Cleveland
— Atlanta
— Tennessee
— Indianapolis
— Jacksonville
— Miami

I could argue that, even with two losses to Buffalo etched in pencil (and it's not ridiculous to think they could win one of those games), the Patriots will go at least 6-3 in their final nine games. 

That'd get them into the playoffs. 

Just when you thought they were dead and buried, the Pats are back in contention. And you know what we always say: Don't let Mac Jones get hot. 

4. Cool story, bro

My favorite story of the week came in a big moment during the Saints' 36-27 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday. 

Down 10-7 and needing a big play to move the chains, Trevor Siemian connected on a 38-yard pass to Kevin White. Yes, that Kevin White. 

If you're scratching your head and wondering where he has been, let me tell you — to hell and back.

White was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2015 draft, going to the Bears as a physically gifted athlete akin to DK Metcalf. But his career was derailed by injury after injury. He broke his tibia in 2015, broke his fibula in 2016, broke his scapula in 2017, strained his hamstring in 2019 and was cut by both the Cardinals and 49ers in the past 24 months. Entering his fifth NFL season (he missed all of 2015 and 2019), White had just 25 career catches for 285 yards. He still hasn't scored a touchdown in the NFL.

The catch Sunday was huge. It was great for the Saints, who went on to win the contest, but also great for White, who hadn't caught an NFL pass in three years.

Stories such as that are why the NFL is the best. And I can't lie: Having met White a handful of times, I couldn't be rooting any harder for him to have a comeback season in New Orleans. 

5. Rookie backs

As debates about Saquon Barkley's contract dominate radio airwaves in New York City this week, I can't help but look at the leading rushers from Week 8 of the NFL season.

1. Elijah Mitchell, San Francisco 49ers (137 yards): The 194th overall pick in 2021, base salary: $660,000

2. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears (103 yards): The 11th overall pick in 2021, base salary: $660,000

3. Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers (91 yards): The 24th overall pick in 2021, base salary: $660,000

4. Darrell Henderson, Los Angeles Rams (90 yards): The 70th overall pick in 2019, base salary: $878,832

5. Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers (82 yards): The 126th overall pick in 2021, base salary: $660,000

It's difficult to rally around the "pay the veteran running back!" cause after weeks like that.

Peter Schrager is an NFL writer for FOX Sports and a host of "Good Morning Football" on NFL Network. 

share

Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Football League

Von Miller

Los Angeles Rams

Denver Broncos

New England Patriots

Carolina Panthers

Atlanta Falcons

Minnesota Vikings

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Chicago Bears

Philadelphia Eagles

Kevin White

New Orleans Saints

Elijah Mitchell

Justin Fields

Najee Harris

Darrell Henderson Jr.

Chuba Hubbard

Peter Schrager