
Due to a trade with the Atlanta Falcons for the Rams' 26th overall pick, Los Angeles owns two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, and considering Matthew Stafford may retire within the next 24 months, the Rams may be seeking the grandson and nephew of NFL legends.
Back in late March, Rams GM Les Snead was photographed speaking with quarterback Arch Manning as Snead was in attendance for Texas' Pro Day. Manning, who is taking over the starting job from Quinn Ewers, is projected to come out of school after next season in anticipation of being a first-round pick.
Rams' GM Les Snead is chatting with Arch Manning at Texas' Pro Day
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) March 25, 2025
: @AlexDunlapNFL pic.twitter.com/Kqo9qN4FCi
Manning coming to the Rams makes a lot of sense from both sides. Manning has the tools, the pedigree, the look, the experience, and the familial support to excel. The Rams have the right environment, stability, media attention, and supporting cast to help Manning become the player many believe he can be.
From a tools standpoint, there is a lot to love. The man has the Manning touch on the football. It's not as consistent as his uncle's and grandfather's yet, but it's clearly there, and with more reps, that consistency should come.
He's got a strong arm, he is coachable, he is able to operate in a variety of formations, his throw of a fade route is a beauty, he's very mobile to the point where he is able to gain yards downfield, but more importantly, he's fast enough to extend plays.
Los Angeles is a massive media market, but not to the point that it could turn detrimental if Manning struggles early. It's not New York, and while Los Angeles always craves another sports star, they can wait as they have other sports to pay attention to.
However, the Los Angeles community embraces it's stars and Manning has star written all over him. He's a perfect fit for Sean McVay's spread offense, and McVay could utilize the pistol formation a lot more with him than Stafford due to Manning's mobility.
He wouldn't have to start right away with either Stafford or Jimmy Garoppolo likely being QB1 in 2026, which would give Manning time to develop.
If Manning takes over in 2027, that would help the Rams financially as they could re-sign their other stars while having him on a rookie deal.
With two first round picks, they have more than enough capital to grab Manning should they desire.
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Week 10 of the college football season marked the first time in about a month that the Ohio State Buckeyes were back at home. Ohio State didn’t let a first-half turnover that kept the game close slow them down for long, as the Buckeyes pulled away for a 38–14 win over unranked Penn State. It was the kind of performance expected from the nation’s No. 1 team. With it being their first home game since early October, the Buckeyes hosted a large group of recruits. Ohio State still needs to put the finishing touches on its 2026 recruiting class, which currently holds 22 commitments, and took a big step toward doing that over the weekend. Tennessee commitment Legend Bey impressed by Ohio State The Buckeyes want to add another running back to their 2026 class if the right player becomes available to complement four-star Delaware Hayes (OH) RB Favour Akih. Several running back targets already committed elsewhere have remained on Ohio State’s radar, including Tennessee commit Legend Bey, who was on campus in Week 10. Bey, a four-star athlete from Texas, has been committed to Tennessee since June. “I love Ohio State,” Bey told Rivals. “This place is a winning culture, and you feel it in this environment! The fans are amazing, and the coaches are second to none. They’re showing me a lot of love here.” Bey currently plays quarterback for his high school team, North Forney, and is a big play waiting to happen with the ball in his hands. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound athlete was offered by the Buckeyes back in January, and getting him on campus again is a major step forward in his recruitment. According to 247 Sports Composite, Bey is the No. 361 player nationally and No. 24 ATH. Running backs coach Carlos Locklyn and the Buckeyes have shown this season that they’re willing to play freshmen, with Bi Jackson and Isaiah West taking significant snaps. That approach only helps in recruiting, especially when the staff wants to bring in multiple players at the position in a single class. Ohio State also hosted 2026 Penn State OL commit Kevin Brown and 2026 Florida State CB commit Jay Timmons on Saturday. The Buckeyes were always expected to circle back to several key targets this fall in hopes of flipping some of them. Penn State already has a fired head coach, and Florida State could soon follow. Tennessee, meanwhile, has dropped its third game and appears to be regressing as a program likely to miss the College Football Playoff this season. Those situations open the door for programs like Ohio State to take advantage. Bey is an electric playmaker to keep an eye on as the Buckeyes look to potentially flip him from Tennessee. window.addEventListener('message', function (event) {if (event.data.totalpoll event.data.totalpoll.action === 'resizeHeight') {document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-1524').height = event.data.totalpoll.value;}}, false);document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-1524').contentWindow.postMessage({totalpoll: {action: 'requestHeight'}}, '*');
Happy 37th birthday to three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver and 2012 PFWA Most Improved Player award winner, Dez Bryant! The Oklahoma State product played in nine NFL seasons, eight of which were with the Dallas Cowboys. In his time with Big D he caught 531 passes for 7,506 yards and a franchise-record 73 touchdowns. He also served as an important bridge for Dallas in the Tony Romo-Dak Prescott transition, catching 50 passes for 796 yards and eight scores in Prescott’s 2016 rookie campaign. His time in Dallas ended with an achilles injury in 2017, but he did catch on for six games with the Baltimore Ravens in 2020 before hanging up his cleats. Which brings us to today’s quiz. How many of the players with the most receiving touchdowns for each NFL franchise can you name in five minutes? Good luck! Did you like this quiz? Are there any quizzes you’d like to see us make in the future? Let us know your thoughts at quizzes@yardbarker.com, and make sure to subscribe to our Quiz of the Day Newsletter for daily quizzes sent right to your email!
Jon Machota of The Athletic reports the Cowboys are activating C Cooper Beebe off the injured reserve. Machota adds the Cowboys are placing LB Jack Sanborn on injured reserve and signing RB Malik Davis to the practice squad. Dallas is also elevating DB Zion Childress and TE Princeton Fant from the practice squad to the active roster for Week 9 against the Cardinals. Beebe, 24, was a third-round pick by the Cowboys in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Kansas State. He signed a four-year, $5.9 million rookie deal through 2027 and is set to make a base salary of $1,064,987 in 2025. In 2025, Beebe has appeared in two games for the Cowboys and made two starts at center.
The Philadelphia Eagles are already Super Bowl contenders, but that's not stopping general manager Howie Roseman from bolstering his roster before the trade deadline on Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. On Monday, the Miami Dolphins sent linebacker Jaelan Phillips to the Eagles for a 2026 third-round pick (via ESPN's Adam Schefter). It's the third defensive trade Roseman and company have made in the past week. They already improved their secondary by acquiring cornerback Jaire Alexander from the Baltimore Ravens and CB Michael Carter II from the New York Jets. How Jaelan Phillips trade benefits Eagles Trading for 26-year-old Phillips should help the Eagles (6-2) solve one of their bigger defensive problems: the ability to generate pressure consistently. Per Pro Football Reference, Philadelphia is tied for 19th in the NFL in pressure rate (19 percent). It also has 16 sacks, tied with the Las Vegas Raiders (2-6) for 23rd in the league. Phillips had just three sacks through his first nine games with Miami, but he's still a quality pass-rusher. Pro Football Reference has credited him with 18 pressures this season, tied with Denver Broncos LB Nik Bonitto and Pittsburgh Steelers LB T.J. Watt for the 12th most in the league. That's great company for Phillips to be in. Both of those star defenders are Defensive Player of the Year candidates. As of Monday, DraftKings Sportsbook gives Bonitto +850 odds to win the award and Watt +3500 odds to capture it. Star Philadelphia LB Nolan Smith Jr. is expected to return from a triceps injury in Week 10 against the Green Bay Packers. He last played in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams. His return and the Phillips trade may now put the Eagles defense — which ranks 19th in the league in points allowed (23.1) — in a position to hit its stride. Even if their team is winning, top GMs, like two-time Super Bowl champion Roseman, continue to find ways to strengthen their clubs. He's likely done that again by landing Phillips.
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