Why are the Rams trading Marcus Peters for nothing?

The Los Angeles Rams have traded cornerback Marcus Peters to the Baltimore Ravens for linebacker Kenny Young. Why have the Rams bailed on Peters already?

After only 22 regular-season games and three postseason contests in 2018, the Los Angeles Rams have decided to punt on their cornerback investment Marcus Peters by sending him to the Baltimore Ravens for lesser-known linebacker Kenny Young.

News of this high-profile trade between the Rams and Ravens was first reported by FS1’s Rob Parker, who lives and works in Los Angeles, as well as teaches classes at the nearby University of Southern California.

Peters is an immensely talented defensive back, but character concerns and up-and-down play on the gridiron will have him playing for his third team in his five-year NFL career out of the University of Washington. This brings to question, why are the Rams essentially trading away a Pro Bowl-level cornerback for next to nothing?

There are a few reasons that the Rams did what they needed to do by trading Peters away to an AFC team. The first is the Rams defense, and quite frankly, the entire team has gotten stale in recent weeks. Los Angeles has lost three games in a row and looks very much like it’s experiencing a Super Bowl hangover after dropping last year’s title bout to the New England Patriots.

Parting ways with a high-profile player like Peters might set the tone the rest of the way for this team, knowing damn well that last year was last year and what the Rams are doing now will no longer cut it. They might be favored this week against the lowly Atlanta Falcons, but Mercedes-Benz Stadium was a house of horrors for the Rams in Super Bowl LIII back in February.

Another reason the Rams moved off Peters is his volatile nature. He was kicked off the Washington Huskies and created scene after scene as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017. This led to him being traded to Rams very early in the 2018 NFL offseason.

His unevenness personally is negatively affecting his play professionally in 2019. The Rams need to take back control and this is a way to do that. But will it be enough? Keep in mind that the Rams are in third place in the NFC West behind the 5-1 Seattle Seahawks and the 5-0 San Francisco 49ers. A certain playoff spot is quickly slipping away for the Rams after dropping three in a row.

Lastly, there could be an under-the-radar factor for the Rams by swapping Peters for Young. Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has built an illustrious coaching career on that side of the ball due to his ability to coach up linebackers. If he can take Young’s game to a higher level than what he was in Baltimore, then that might help offset an underperforming Peters in the secondary.

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Overall, the Rams were able to get to a Super Bowl with Peters in their secondary. That being said, the juice doesn’t seem to have been worth the squeeze. To not even get two years out of Peters is a testament to how bad the fit was in Los Angeles. He might be in a better spot playing for a division favorite in Baltimore in an excellent defensive backfield. For the Rams, this was necessary.