NFL Trade Rumors: Browns Rejected Rams' Offer of Marcus Peters for Joel Bitonio

The Los Angeles Rams traded Marcus Peters to the Baltimore Ravens for linebacker Kenny Young and a 2020 fifth-round pick this week, but that wasn't the first offer they made in an effort to move the veteran cornerback.   

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Rams first offered Peters to the Cleveland Browns for offensive lineman Joel Bitonio. 

The Browns weren't interested in that trade or acquiring Peters, but they were willing to part with center Austin Corbett. So the Rams dealt a 2021 fifth-round pick to land Corbett, one of three major trades that culminated in them sending two first-round picks and a 2021 fourth-round selection to the Jacksonville Jaguars for cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

As Schefter noted, the Ravens had also been having conversations regarding Ramsey. Once Cleveland passed on Peters, Los Angeles reached out to Baltimore to see if it would have interest, and acquiring that extra pick ended up being huge:

"Up until then, the Rams had offered the Jaguars two first-round picks, and Jacksonville had insisted on an extra third-rounder as well.

"But when the Rams got the 2020 fifth-round pick—what most teams consider as the equivalent of a fourth-round pick in 2021—from Baltimore, they turned around and flipped that pick to Jacksonville to seal the deal on Ramsey."

It was a major roster shuffle for the Rams, who hope those additions will help on both sides of the ball. In Ramsey and Aaron Donald, the Rams arguably have the two best defensive players at their respective positions until at least 2021.

In Pro Football Focus' rankings of the top 50 players heading into the 2019 season, they had Donald at No. 1 overall and Ramsey at No. 15. Without a doubt, the latter is a major upgrade over Peters.

If Los Angeles is ultimately able to make another Super Bowl run, that trio of trades will likely be cited as a major reason.

Granted, the 3-3 Rams have a lot of work to do just to get back into the contention picture, but they haven't rested on their laurels after a slow start. And while getting running back Todd Gurley healthy and the offense back into rhythm remains the primary concern, the addition of an elite cover corner in Ramsey will only help this team going forward.