Several Rams defensive players are due for an extension

Several Rams defensive players are due for an extension

By Alden Gonzalez

LOS ANGELES -- Wednesday's move was merely a precursor, a warm-up -- a contractual formality setting up a complex series of negotiations.

The Los Angeles Rams exercised their fifth-year option on Aaron Donald's rookie contract, one that will pay the game's best interior defender a little less than $6.9 million in 2018.

But what the Rams really want to do is lock Donald up long-term, which would probably require making him the game's highest-paid defensive player. Picking up Donald's option buys them some time in that pursuit. But ideally, the Rams would get an extension done by the end of this summer, guaranteeing Donald future dollars in exchange for what they hope would be a slight discount.

One problem: The Rams have almost an entire starting defense eligible for free agency in less than a year.

The list is daunting. It includes their primary cornerback (Trumaine Johnson), their potential No. 2 cornerback (E.J. Gaines), last year's leading tackler (inside linebacker Alec Ogletree), the starting strong safety (Maurice Alexander), the starting strongside linebacker (Connor Barwin), the starting free safety and slot corner (Lamarcus Joyner), a key backup safety (Cody Davis), and three defensive linemen critical to their depth at the position (Dominique Easley, Ethan Westbrooks and Tyrunn Walker).

The Rams have roughly $112 million in salary-cap space committed for 2018 and roughly $79 million committed for 2019, which is reasonable. But the team must give significant raises to several of its key defensive players, because (a) they're good and (b) there's not much depth beyond them. Over the last two offseasons, the Rams have lost two starting safeties, Rodney McLeod and T.J. McDonald, and their best cornerback, Janoris Jenkins. They also haven't drafted a defensive player higher than the sixth round over the last two years, though that may change later this month.

Donald's situation looms over everybody else's simply because the Rams must allocate a significant amount of cap space for him several years down the road. But timing makes the other cases a bit more urgent.

Below is a list of five key looming free agents who could warrant an extension before the start of the coming season.

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