Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams are reportedly "lurking on the pass-rush market" ahead of the 2022 NFL trade deadline on Tuesday.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Wednesday the Rams were "in heavy" on Carolina Panthers defensive end Brian Burns to see whether he was available. The Panthers dealt star running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers last week.

While L.A. has recorded a modest 12 sacks in six games so far this season, the team still ranks sixth in the NFL in pass-rush win rate, according to ESPN.

Defensive tackle Aaron Donald has paced the Rams with four sacks, while linebacker Bobby Wagner and cornerback Jalen Ramsey each have two apiece. The addition of Wagner has helped offset the loss of linebacker Von Miller to the Buffalo Bills in free agency.

The Rams are coming of their bye week, during which defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said it's important to get more consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

"Our pass rush just in general has to pick up," Morris told reporters. "All those things are what make us great. When those things get rolling, our pass-rushers get home, they cause disruption, they tip balls, they make the things happen that make defense easy. We need more opportunities like that. Right now, we're playing decent, but you can play so much better, and we all know what it looks like."

Burns could have provided a massive boost, but for now, it doesn't appear the Panthers are heading toward a full-scale roster reconstruction following the McCaffrey trade.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday an unnamed team offered Carolina two first-round draft picks for Burns, who's tallied 30.5 sacks in 55 career games but were turned down, with the Panthers saying they're not looking to move the standout lineman.

Denver Broncos linebacker Bradley Chubb is another marquee name who's been floated in the rumor mill leading up to the deadline and could be of interest to the Rams.

"Yeah, I heard about [the rumors], but I'm just focused on trying to help my guys fight through this," Chubb said Sunday, per Mike Klis of 9News. "I know it's a business and anything can happen, but all I care about right now is my guys and trying to get this thing turned around."

The 2020 Pro Bowler has 5.5 sacks in seven appearances so far this season for the 2-5 Broncos.

Whether it's Burns, Chubb or another veteran, impact edge-rushers typically cost a king's ransom, so L.A. will have to pay up to make a game-changing addition to its front seven.

Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald announced Tuesday that he is parting ways with Kanye West's Donda Sports marketing agency, denouncing West's "recent comments and displays of hate and antisemitism."

Minutes later, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown announced that he is also parting ways with Donda Sports, writing that he will "always continue to stand strongly against any antisemitism, hate speech, misrepresentation, and oppressive rhetoric of any kind."

On Oct. 9, West, who legally changed his name to Ye, tweeted that he would "go death con 3 on Jewish people." He claimed that it was not antisemitic because "black people are actually Jew also." The tweet was removed and Twitter locked his account.

The since-deleted tweet was one of a number of troubling actions the Grammy-winning rapper has taken over the last month.

West was criticized for wearing a "White Lives Matter" T-shirt at his fashion show in Paris—the phrase was coined as "a racist response to the civil rights movement Black Lives Matter"—and also posted a screenshot of a conversation he had with Sean "Diddy" Combs on Instagram in which he made antisemitic remarks.

West also filmed an appearance on The Shop, however, SpringHill Company CEO Maverick Carter said the company had decided to pull the episode after West used the show "to reiterate more hate speech and extremely dangerous stereotypes."

Donda Sports, West's marketing agency, signed Donald and Brown in May. The deals didn't impact their representation, only their marketing contracts and off-field and off-court ventures.

Donald was the only known NFL player to have signed with Donda Sports, though former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown was named president of the organization in February. Jaylen Brown was also the only known NBA player to have teamed up with Donda Sports.

Brown's decision to part with Donda Sports comes after he said in an interview with Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe on Monday that he was going to stay with the organization:

"The reason why I signed with Donda Sports, it represented education, it represented activism, disruption. It represented single-parent households, and a lot more people are involved in something like that.

"A lot of people that I work with, work with their families, build love and respect for, spending time in the summer. A lot of people involved. That’s what the organization from my vantage point from Donda Sports represented."

Donald had not commented on the situation until he announced his decision to part ways with the organization.

A number of businesses have also cut ties with West over the last week, including Adidas, which produced his Yeezy sneakers, Vogue and Balenciaga. On Tuesday, Foot Locker announced it would no longer "be supporting any future Yeezy product drops" and it had told "retail operators to pull any existing product from our shelves and digital sites."

The Los Angeles Rams are fielding trade interest for running back Cam Akers, but head coach Sean McVay indicated on Monday that there hasn't been much momentum building from any discussions.

"Talking to different teams," McVay told reporters. "No new updates. As of right now, he's on our team, on our roster and we're taking it a day at a time."

He said it isn't definite that the Rams will move Akers before the Nov. 1 trade deadline.

McVay said last week that the Rams were looking to trade Akers to "help him look for a fresh new start with another team." However, he said the Rams are also open to retaining him, adding, "If that doesn't come to fruition, then we'll figure out a solution, how to best move forward with him here."

The 23-year-old sat out Los Angeles' Week 6 win over the Carolina Panthers due to personal reasons. The Rams were on a bye this past week and will return to action Sunday in an NFC West matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.

In his third NFL season out of Florida State, Akers has not been able to find his footing. He leads the Rams with 51 carries, but he's rushed for only 151 yards for an average of 3.0 yards per carry. He's reached the end zone only once in five games.

Akers had a promising rookie year in 2020 but tore his Achilles prior to the 2021 season. While he hasn't been able to return to the form he flashed two years ago, there are some teams around the league that could use a boost to their backfield. The New York Jets just lost rookie running back Breece Hall for the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL and could be shopping around prior to the trade deadline.

It remains to be seen whether the Rams will receive an offer they deem satisfactory for Akers.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is clearly in favor of a reunion with free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

"Absolutely. That's my guy!" Stafford told TMZ Sports when asked if he would want Beckham on the team in the future.

"I keep in contact with him. I know he's been trying to get healthy. We'll see what happens."

Beckham played the back half of last season with the Rams and helped the team win its first Super Bowl in Los Angeles. He notably starred in the playoffs with 21 catches for 288 yards and two scores.

Unfortunately, Beckham suffered a torn ACL during the Super Bowl. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network previously reported that he's expected to return to the field in mid-November.

OBJ should have multiple quality options to pick his next team. Of note, the Kansas City Chiefs are reportedly in the mix, per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network.

But the Rams should be as well. Stafford isn't the only Ram who has publicly expressed interest in Beckham returning, as cornerback Jalen Ramsey has done so too.

At the moment, though, Beckham is working his way back to the field as the NFL season plays out. He'll be an excellent midseason addition wherever he goes.

The Los Angeles Rams have reportedly decided "all options are on the table" with running back Cam Akers, who was ruled out of Sunday's win over the Carolina Panthers for personal reasons.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Tuesday that the Rams will consider both a trade ahead of the Nov. 1 deadline or a release, but it's also possible he remains on the team's roster for the remainder of the 2022 season.

Rams head coach Sean McVay said Friday the franchise was "working through some different things with Cam," and he admitted parting ways was a possibility.

"I'd like to think I'm a very open-minded person," McVay told reporters. "But I think when you look at certain situations and scenarios with the way that things have kind of unfolded, as of right now, I think ... the best option for all parties ... would be to explore if there's a good situation for him with another team."

He added keeping the third-year rusher wasn't "off the table," though.

Akers has yet to live up to expectations since L.A. selected him in the second round of the 2020 draft. He's recorded 779 rushing yards on 201 career carries (3.9 YPC) with three touchdowns. He's added just 16 catches and one score as part of the passing attack.

The 23-year-old Florida State product missed most of last season with a torn Achilles. He returned for the team's playoff run, which resulted in winning the Super Bowl LVI title, but he averaged just 2.6 yards on 67 rushing attempts in the postseason.

In September, McVay said he wanted to see an "increased level of urgency" from Akers this season.

"If Coach don't think I'm being urgent, then [I need to] be more urgent," Akers told reporters after a Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills. "That's what it comes down to."

It's unlikely the Rams would receive anywhere near the initial second-round investment in return for the rusher given his mediocre production so far in the NFL, but a change of scenery is probably still the best outcome for all parties involved.

For now, look for L.A. to move forward with a backfield led by Darrell Henderson Jr. and Malcolm Brown until the Akers situation is settled.

The Rams are on a bye in Week 7 before returning to action Oct. 30 against the San Francisco 49ers.

Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. remains a free agent as he works his way back from a torn ACL suffered during last February's Super Bowl while with the Los Angeles Rams.

His eventual destination remains up in the air, but former teammate and Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey is confident that he'll head back to L.A.

“No, I ain’t got to check in,” Ramsey told reporters when asked if he had seen Beckham's recent tweets about the Rams' offers for him to return (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).

"I know what’s up. So we got a while anyway before Odell is back playing football, right? So he’s going to take care of himself, take care of his body, and when the time is right, I’m still confident that this will be home. But that’s up to him like at the end of the day. Selfishly, obviously I want him here. But I want what’s best for him, like as a friend of him. I want what’s best for him."

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Beckham is targeting a mid-November return to the field. The Athletic named the Rams, Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as potential fits, although it's unclear what (if any) team(s) lead the pack for his services.

At any rate, that team is getting a three-time Pro Bowler who excelled with the Rams after parting ways with the Cleveland Browns midseason.

He caught 27 passes for 305 yards and five touchdowns in eight regular-season games before adding 21 more receptions for 288 yards and two more scores in four playoff contests.

Beckham, who turns 30 in November, would be a welcome addition to a playoff-contending team in need of receiving help. Last time around, he helped guide the Rams to the Super Bowl. We'll see in a month's time if Beckham is a good-luck charm again, but for now, the ex-LSU star is working his way back to the field.

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay believes the supporting cast around Matthew Stafford has to step up following the team's 22-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

"I love Matthew Stafford," McVay told reporters after the game. "He is competing and doing everything in his power for this team. He needs some help. We've got to be able to help him."

McVay didn't specifically call out his offensive line, but one can assume that was one of the targets of his comment.

Andrew Whitworth left a void on the left side when he retired following the 2021 season, and the Rams have been beset by injuries this year.

As a result, Stafford has been sacked an NFL-high 21 times, with five coming Sunday night. At this pace, the 2014 Pro Bowler will absorb 71 sacks, which would be the third-most in a season.

Aside from Cooper Kupp, the Rams' receiving corps hasn't exactly delivered, either. Most notably, Allen Robinson II has struggled, catching just 12 passes for 107 yards and one touchdown.

Stafford has absorbed a lot of punishment across his 14 years in the league as well. He might have missed just eight games from 2011 to 2021, but that didn't mean he was always healthy. Entering this season, he was dealing with elbow tendinitis, which raised questions over his general status.

Even if the Rams get improved offensive line play, it might not matter that much if Stafford's elbow continues to bother him.

To some degree, Los Angeles' performance this year is a consequence of its team-building approach. Focusing on star power and veterans at the expense of depth resulted in a Super Bowl triumph in 2021, but the bill comes due sooner or later.

In the offseason, talk of a possible dynasty in Southern California was a bit premature. At the very least, the Rams appeared to be in a good position to defend their NFL crown. Instead, simply making the playoffs might be a challenge for the 2-3 squad.

The Los Angeles Rams are preparing for a significant crowd of Dallas Cowboys fans to attend Sunday's game at SoFi Stadium, and preparing for that crowd means being ready for the noise that comes along with it.

Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters Friday that the team is practicing silent counts in anticipation of issues that come along with increased crowd noise, per ProFootballTalk's Michael David Smith.

The team has also been playing loud music during practices to simulate a rowdy crowd and help the offensive players prepare, per Smith.

The Rams are no stranger to issues with crowd noise.

During the NFC Championship game last season, the team had to deal with significant crowd noise from San Francisco 49ers fans, who were easily able to make the trip to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

The Rams also had to deal with some extra noise from Cincinnati Bengals fans during last season's Super Bowl.