St. Louis Rams Acquire WR Brandon Lloyd in Last-Minute Trade

With the NFL trade deadline just hours away, the Denver Broncos traded wide receiver Brandon Lloyd to the St. Louis Rams, according to Jason La Canfora.  

The terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed.

With this trade, Lloyd rejoins Rams offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, former Broncos head coach. Lloyd had his best statistical year under McDaniels when they were both with the Broncos. In 2010, Lloyd hauled in 77 catches for 1448 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Rams agreed to terms with the Broncos through Sunday night and into Monday morning, just after suffering a 24-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Rams quarterback Sam Bradford was unable to throw a touchdown against the Packers' 30th-ranked pass defense.

Perhaps with Lloyd as his new primary target, Bradford's touchdown column will rise from the depths it has been buried in all season.

Bradford has tossed a paltry three scores this year—only Kerry Collins has recorded fewer touchdowns, and he hasn't played since September 25, when he was injured playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Rams need help. 

Badly.

Wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker was brought into the Rams organization during the off-season with high hopes. Four games, 11 catches and 139 yards later, those hopes have been dashed—the Rams deactivated Sims-Walker for this Sunday's game against the Packers. 

Danario Alexander is currently the Rams' deep threat receiver. While Alexander is a promising receiver, with every step he takes, he is one step closer to re-injuring his bum knee.  

Brandon Gibson is a nice role player, but lacks big play ability. Gibson has been targeted as much as any Rams wide receiver, but has done little with the opportunities. He has yet to surpass 55 receiving yards in a game this year, and has caught one touchdown.

The Rams now have a true deep threat on their roster who is known for his play-making ability.

The Rams' young quarterback also has the ability to get the ball to Lloyd.

Bradford is following up a historic rookie season where he was named AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, broke Peyton Manning's rookie completions record with 354, and broke the record for most completions without an interception (174) for a rookie. He can get it done.

But Bradford simply having Lloyd on the roster doesn't automatically equate into success for the duo.  

First, Lloyd will have to learn a new playbook. Yes, it's Josh McDaniels' system, but it's also St. Louis' system, not the Broncos' system. 

Bradford and McDaniels are still feeling each other out. This is the first year McDaniels and Bradford are working with one another. Add in the lockout, where the majority of off-season work was missed, along with McDaniels' offensive structure being pretty complicated—and you can see there's a lot to overcome.

And then there's the connection with the quarterback. Typically, wide receivers and quarterbacks get mini-camps, OTA's and training camp to work with each other. Lloyd and Bradford will have a few days before they huddle up.

Nevertheless, talent should take over.

Without a doubt, as you're reading this, Lloyd is reading his new playbook. Once he digests his new responsibilities and gets a solid chemistry with Bradford, Lloyd will, again, put his unbelievable, highlight reel catches on display for the people of St. Louis. 

By putting Lloyd in a Rams uniform, St. Louis has solidified its receiving corps and given Bradford a key component to be successful on Sundays.

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