Rams Trade For Aqib Talib, Who Joins Marcus Peters in a Powder Keg of a Secondary
By Jason McIntyre
The LA Rams have been the most active team in the offseason, and free agency isn’t even underway yet. After trading for Marcus Peters, they’ve now added another elite cornerback – albeit one who has been a headache – trading for former Broncos star Aqib Talib.
The Rams pass defense wasn’t awful last season, ranking 11th in opponent yards per pass attempt. They were 7th in opponent average QB passer rating.
What makes it interesting is last year was only year one with defensive genius Wade Phillips. Clearly, Phillips saw things he didn’t like, and so the Rams went star-hunting: They acquired Peters and Talib to fortify the secondary, and traded away former 1st round pick Alec Ogletree, a linebacker they had invested heavily in just six months ago.
Peters and Talib will instantly form perhaps the best cornerback duo in the NFC. Pro Football Focus ranked each of them among the Top 20 cornerbacks in the NFL last season. Of course, Talib has been at times a nightmare off the field – and on it, too – in Denver. By now, everyone knows about Peters’ issues. As I like to say in Vegas: Scared money don’t make money.
For the Broncos, this is easy: They’re clearing cap room to make a run at Kirk Cousins. They were able to secure a 5th round pick in return for Talib.