Von Miller's addition shows the Los Angeles Rams are 'all-in' on this year's Super Bowl
The NFL trade deadline window has slammed shut, and while it was relatively quiet in recent days, one move did make a big splash: Von Miller to the Los Angeles Rams from the Denver Broncos.
And just like that, Sean McVay's defense added a future Hall of Famer for a second- and third-round pick in next year's draft.
Granted, 32-year-old Miller isn't the double-digit sack machine he was in seven of his first eight seasons, but he did rack up eight a season ago and has 4.5 through seven games this season.
Plus, he joins a star-studded defense –– anchored by three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald –– that already leads the league with 25 sacks.
The draft outlay for the Rams could be viewed as steep, considering Miller hits free agency after this season, but the Broncos picked up a hefty percentage of Miller's remaining $9.72 million salary.
That accounting from Denver allowed the Rams to stay under the salary cap, but it wasn't some act of charity. Los Angeles had to part with more attractive picks to make it worth Denver's while.
But while the 4-4 Broncos have seemingly turned their eyes toward 2022 and beyond, the 7-1 Rams appear to be pushing all their chips into the center of the pot for this season.
For evidence beyond the Miller trade, look at their draft capital — or lack thereof — remaining for the 2022 NFL Draft. Their first-round pick was included in a preseason blockbuster for Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions.
Denver owns their second-rounder and one of their third-rounders, while their fourth- and sixth-round picks were shipped off in separate deals.
That leaves the Rams with a compensatory third-round pick, a fifth-rounder and two seventh-round picks, one of which belongs to the Miami Dolphins.
Additional compensatory picks in late rounds should be forthcoming, but the Rams won't receive those details until closer to the draft.
Regardless, given general manager Les Snead's dealings, winning now means largely forgoing the front end of the draft and adding impact veterans instead.
However, the Rams do put the back end of the draft to good use, filling out their roster with later-round picks.
In the wake of the Miller trade, their penchant for adding veterans for draft picks further solidified the organization's philosophy.
As Skip Bayless put it on Tuesday's episode of "Undisputed," the Rams are "all-time all-in" on winning this season's Super Bowl.
FOX Sports NFL Analyst Peter Schrager joined "The Herd" on Tuesday to discuss the move and used the same term Bayless did.
"They're all in," Schrager told Colin Cowherd. "It's deliberate. It's intentional. They know they're all-in. And when there's that kind of pressure and urgency, you feel it throughout the building, and those veteran players, they know that the guys upstairs — they're worried about them, not about their replacements."
'The Rams are all in' — Peter Schrager on the Von Miller trade I THE HERD
The big question is: Will Miller be the difference-maker for the Rams?
After all, the NFC — with the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers also at 7-1, the Dallas Cowboys at 6-1 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 6-2 — is mighty top-heavy.
On "Undisputed," Shannon Sharpe said he believes Miller's acquisition is enough to give Los Angeles the edge, however only slightly.
"If he can be 70, 75% of what he was, alongside Aaron Donald, alongside Leonard Floyd on the line, with Jalen Ramsey on the back end, I think they become … a 55% favorite," Sharpe said.
Shannon Sharpe reacts to Von Miller being traded to the Rams I UNDISPUTED
If the trade does turn out to be the extra defensive boost the Rams need to reach the Super Bowl, it could make the event all the more special.
After the Buccaneers became the first team to win the title at their home stadium, the Rams could get that same opportunity at SoFi Stadium.
There is a long way to go between now and then, though. For now, the Rams will just hope they can keep pace in the hotly contested NFC.
Miller can only help in that regard.
