Re: 5 Rams who could be in their last season with the team

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5 Rams who could be in their last season with the team
By: Andrew Ortenberg | 2 hours ago
[theramswire.usatoday.com]

It’s often said that “NFL” stands for “not for long.” There’s an incredible amount of turnover for all teams from year to year. The Los Angeles Rams are no exception.

The Rams roster currently looks a lot different than it did last year, with a slew of departures and acquisitions this offseason, and it will surely look a lot different than it does now at this time next season.


To project what the Rams’ roster will look like in 2019, here’s a look at a handful of high-profile players who might not be back with the team next year:

1. Lamarcus Joyner
Monday’s deadline to extend a franchise tagged player came and went with no new deal for Joyner. In fact, there weren’t even any reports that the two sides were even talking. That could be a sign that the Rams are quite tight-lipped with their negotiations, or that the team wasn’t that interested in locking him up.

Joyner will make $11.3 million under the tag in 2018, a steep price for a safety in today’s market which has begun to devalue the position. Many of the top safeties in this year’s free agent class struggled to get big money. The Rams could decide to sign one of the many cheaper safeties sure to be available, and use the money currently allocated to Joyner to help retain some of their young, soon-to-be free agents.

2. Aqib Talib
Talib came over in a trade with the Broncos this past March, reuniting him with defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. Since he was acquired for a relatively low price, a fifth-round pick, and is scheduled to make a non-guaranteed $8 million in 2019, the Rams could easily decide to move on.

They could make Talib a one-year rental to bolster this year’s secondary and cut him next offseason having given up very little. The Rams recently signed Nickell Robey-Coleman to a three-year deal and already picked up the fifth-year option on Marcus Peters and could look to move forward with youth in the secondary while reducing payroll by cutting Talib, who will be 33 by the time the 2019 season rolls around.

3. Andrew Whitworth
With no clear replacement on the roster, the Rams would almost certainly like to have Whitworth around as long as he’s willing to continue playing. Unfortunately for them, the All-Pro protector of Jared Goff’s blindside will be 37 in 2019. Any possibility of this being Whitworth’s last season would be entirely due to retirement as he’s still playing at a very high level at a reasonable salary.

At Whitworth’s age, most players like to take it year to year. It’s impossible to foresee how he will feel at this time next year, but there’s certainly a chance he calls it a career. A Rams Super Bowl run could make retirement more likely, as it often does for veteran players who like to ride off into the sunset after.

4. Rodger Saffold
Whitworth isn’t the only offensive lineman who could be in his last year with the team. Although Saffold had a great year in 2017, he ultimately could be allowed to walk due to the amount of money he’s likely to command on the open market when he becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season.

With the interior lineman market taking off and a premium being placed on quality guard play, the Rams simply may not be able to afford him. It’s a harsh reality of the NFL that you can’t extend everybody, and the Rams will have to make several tough decisions. Many other players are waiting to be paid, and the Rams drafted three offensive linemen in April with an eye towards the future. It’s far from certain, but there’s a good chance the Rams’ offensive line looks a lot different in 2019.

5. Ndamukong Suh
Like Talib, Suh could end up being a one-year rental. He was signed with an eye toward winning now and being as good as possible in 2018. Suh signed with the team because he wanted to play with a contender for the first time in his career, and reportedly took less money from the Rams than was being offered by other teams. He’s unlikely to do that again, and the Rams will probably not be looking to pay full price, as they’d rather use the money to keep their own young, homegrown guys around. Suh will likely be looking for one last big payday for his career and may have to find it elsewhere.

The bottom line:
Overall, the Rams will have some tough calls to make. In addition to finally paying Aaron Donald, the team will eventually need to commit big money to Todd Gurley and Goff, among others still on their rookie deals. With the hard salary cap, it’s inevitable that some good players will walk. It’s hard to predict how things will shake out, and there’s a lot of football to be played in between, but as of right now it would be a surprise if more than a couple of these guys were on the roster in 2019.