LA Rams acquire Jaguars OLB K'Lavon Chaisson in trade proposal

The Jacksonville Jaguars are still confident fourth-year outside linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson live up to his draft billing. But if they don't see enough progress from him in the upcoming months, they could trade him before this year's deadline. If that's the path they take, they should then consider sending him packing to the Los Angeles Rams as Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report suggests.

Ballentine compiled a list of trades each NFL should make before the 2023 season starts and has the Jags shipping Chaisson to the Rams, noting that the time has come to move on from the former LSU Tiger, and Los Angeles would be an ideal landing spot due to their need to bolster their pass rush.

"The Jaguars drafted two more pass rushers in Yasir Abdullah and Tyler Lacy. That gives them two more options and there are other veteran options on the free agent market or potentially available trade that Doug Pederson might be more comfortable with. The Rams make sense as a trade partner.

They are incredibly young on defense and need edge-rushers after releasing Leonard Floyd this offseason. Chaisson is a worth a flier for them because he has a better chance of breaking out with a change of scenery after three years of stagnation in Jacksonville."

As Ballentine noted, the Jags just drafted a couple of pass rushers, Tyler Lacy in Round 4, and Yasir Abdullah in the fifth. However, neither one has shown enough yet to make the team's brass think they can make an impact in 2023. Maybe as training camp progresses, they'll move up the depth chart and make Chaisson expendable but they're both unproven for the time being.

On top of that, Chaisson is currently No. 3 behind Travon Walker and Josh Allen and if he makes an impression in training camp, he'll get an uptick in playing time. In the same manner, defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell believes the Texas native has the tools and talent to succeed. Caldwell also says that Chaisson hasn't had the benefit of a full season and if he can manage to stay healthy, he might be able to hit his stride.

Chaisson, a first-round pick in the 2020 draft, had the fifth-year option on his rookie deal declined. He appeared in all 16 games and started three as a rookie but has seen his playing time decrease considerably the last two years. On top of that, having played in three different systems and different positions might have hindered his development. However, he will no longer have an excuse as he's entering the second season in Caldwell's scheme.

The Jaguars are giving K'Lavon Chaisson a legitimate chance to prove himself

Chaisson has been the subject of trade talks since the end of his rookie season because fair or not, he hasn't lived up to expectations and he's running out of chances in Jacksonville. While it's true that he could certainly benefit from a fresh start, the Jaguars don't seem to be ready to give up on him just yet.

The team's brass made it clear time is running out when they opted no pick up his fifth-year option but they still think Chaisson can develop into a productive player, and that's the thing. Some players need more time than others to figure things out in the NFL and it looks like the current Jaguars regime won't move on from Chaisson until they're 100 percent sure he won't be able to develop into a steady contributor.

If the Jags don't see enough progress in training camp, LA will then become a solid trade destination for Chaisson and a sixth-round pick, as Ballentine suggested, seems like fair compensation.

Even though it's unrealistic to expect Chaisson to become a 10-sack kind of player in 2023, he could become a productive rotational pass rusher, and if that turns out to be the case, the Jacksonville Jaguars are better off keeping him at least for one more season. But if he fails to impress, it wouldn't be shocking to see them finally pull the plug on him.

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