Brandon Lloyd: St. Louis Rams' Acquisition of the WR Is a Great Move

The St. Louis Rams acquired standout wide receiver Brandon Lloyd on Monday. It was a much needed move for a struggling offense and franchise.

The Rams showed life against Green Bay in their last contest.  That being said, the Rams offense was in sore need of a playmaker.  The acquisition of Lloyd addressed that concern head on. That in itself is a huge step in the right direction for the Rams as a franchise. It shows that the Rams are willing to address a problem now rather than later.

First of all, Lloyd is a marquee receiver in the NFL.  He’s a legitimate top-two pass catcher no matter the team he’s on.  For the Rams, he’ll serve as Sam Bradford’s new go-to target.

Forget his 2011 numbers.  The Denver Broncos offense has been up and down so far this season.  Denver has yet to settle on a quarterback plus they run the ball on more than half their snaps (53 percent, 16^th in NFL).   Lloyd’s true abilities are probably closer to his 2010 stats when he caught 72 passes for 1,448 yards and 11 touchdowns. 

Even if Lloyd fails to come close to that production in St. Louis, it’s hard to argue that he’s not an upgrade from what might be the worst receiving corps in football.

Also factor in his local ties from a public relations perspective. Lloyd is a graduate of the University of Illinois. He was an integral part of Illinois’ 2001 Big Ten championship team. 

This background might excite a fanbase looking elsewhere for entertainment with the Cardinals in the World Series.  In St. Louis in recent years, the months of November and December are often more about the baseball offseason rather than football. The Lloyd move is not as significant as the Cardinals in the Fall Classic, but at least it grabs people’s attention and offers a little hope.

The Rams needed to make a splash before Tuesday's trade deadline.  For a team facing an 0-5 hole, any move to help the offense is an improvement and a sign that the franchise is not going to simply “play out” the rest of its season.

The Rams did the right thing both from a football perspective and public relations perspective by acquiring Brandon Lloyd.