The Los Angeles Rams look like one of a few teams in the NFC that can truly contend in 2025.
Entering Week 7, the team is sitting at 4-2 and locked in a tight battle in the NFC West with the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks. As a result, the team could end up looking to add a playmaker or two at the trade deadline to separate from the pack.
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports recently proposed some trades that could happen before the deadline. For the Rams, Benjamin identified Chig Okonkwo of the Tennessee Titans as a realistic trade target.
Okonkwo is quietly having a solid season, with 23 catches for 218 yards on a struggling Titans' offense. The tight end is headed for free agency after the season, though, and the Titans have Gunnar Helm waiting in the wings.
Regarding this potential deal, Benjamin offered the following:
Tyler Higbee just had a nice day for Los Angeles, but the former Super Bowl champion has been spotty this year after missing most of 2024 due to injury. Puka Nacua is also freshly banged up out wide, giving Sean McVay's all-star unit a new dose of durability concerns. Enter Okonkwo, who's one of the Tennessee Titans' few legitimate trade chips thanks to a 71% catch rate for his career. At 26, he's got dual value: as an immediate depth piece to aid Matthew Stafford's passing attack, and as a potential long-term chess piece for McVay's offense.
As Benjamin mentioned, due to underperformance and injuries, the Rams could use more out of their pass-catchers.
In total, the Rams' tight ends have combined for 22 catches this season. Okonkwo has more catches than that by himself, so there's no doubt the Maryland product would be an upgrade.
Okonkwo's best season came in 2023 when the tight end caught 54 passes for 528 yards and one touchdown. Okonkwo has ended with at least 450 receiving yards in each of his three complete seasons so far.
Considering Okonkwo is set to enter free agency after the season and the Titans are headed nowhere fast this year, a deal shouldn't be hard to make. The Titans would likely just be looking for anything to avoid losing the tight end for nothing next spring.
If the Rams traded for Okonkwo, they'd have a temporary upgrade that could become a permanent piece of the offense if he impresses over the second half of the season.