With Davante Adams on injured reserve and Puka Nacua expected to be out an extended period, the Rams only brought back a receiver they had released in October while the 49ers added Keenan Allen.
The Rams entered Tuesday's NFL trade deadline with a wide receiver room in shambles, and they left it almost exactly the same way. The team made just one move, re-signing Xavier Smith, a receiver it had released back in October.
That is not what an organization built this season as a Super Bowl LXI host looks like at the deadline. Davante Adams is on injured reserve, and Puka Nacua is expected to be sidelined for an extended period, leaving the receiver corps thin heading into a stretch that includes the league's toughest remaining schedule.
Contrast that with the NFC West-leading 49ers, who used the deadline to add veteran receiver Keenan Allen, bolstering a roster already competing with the Rams for the division. The Rams, who traded for edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. during their 2018 Super Bowl run, instead signaled they plan to handle their receiver shortage internally rather than through outside additions.
For a team that spent the offseason making high-profile moves to show it was all in on a championship push, standing pat while a direct rival upgraded leaves the Rams relying on depth pieces and internal solutions to survive the schedule ahead.