With DL help still available in free agency, Rams playing it slow
Cameron DaSilva4 hours ago
[
theramswire.usatoday.com]
The Los Angeles Rams began to address two of their biggest needs before free agency started, signing Eric Weddle and Dante Fowler Jr. to short-term deals. It was a strong start for Les Snead and the front office, but that’s all it was: a start.
Since then, the Rams haven’t made a single other move besides letting their own free agents leave. Assuming Ndamukong Suh leaves as expected, the Rams are going to have a gaping hole at either nose tackle or defensive end, depending on where Michael Brockers plays next season.
As of now, the defensive line is likely Los Angeles’ biggest need, right next to inside linebacker and edge rusher. There are options available in free agency, but the Rams have preferred to play it slow and steady rather than pouncing on players.
That could signal two things: Either they like their options better in the draft, or they don’t want to impact their compensatory pick formula by signing an outside free agent. Or both. Among the defensive linemen still available who would certainly help the Rams are Suh, Tim Jernigan, Corey Liuget, Danny Shelton, Muhammad Wilkerson, Bennie Logan, Domata Peko, Darius Philon and Brent Urban.
Sure, a handful of defensive linemen have signed already, including Malcom Brown, Sheldon Richardson and Brandon Mebane, but none of them have inked deals longer than three years. That excludes edge rushers like Preston Smith, Za’Darius Smith and Trey Flowers, but the contracts for interior defenders have been relatively affordable.
The Rams don’t have a ton of cap space – about $9 million as of now – to spend on free agents, but a player like Shelton would dramatically help the run defense. If he gets a similar deal to the three-year, $15 million contract his former teammate Brown got, the Rams can easily afford to sign him. Logan won’t break the bank, either, and would allow the Rams to keep Brockers at defensive end, plugging Logan in at nose tackle.
Both of those players could count toward the compensatory pick formula, though, and could cancel out one of the Rams’ losses. Considering Los Angeles hasn’t signed a single free agent who qualifies for a compensatory pick in the last two years, that could be the hold-up.
It’s possible they’re waiting for more players to be cut this offseason, since they won’t count against the formula. There’s also a chance Los Angeles would rather draft a defensive lineman instead of spending $5 million a year on one.
Either way, their slow-play approach to the D-line has been interesting, given the talent available in free agency. Their patience likely isn’t due to a lack of free agents out there, but rather Snead’s unwillingness to sign unrestricted players due to money and the draft pick implications it would have.
