I thought I would do a preview of what the Rams have on the roster and lose on the roster as they head into the offseason. I'll combine some positions so I don't have a ton of posts and it will make it easier for me to find later on.
QBs:Under contract for 2020:
Jared Goff - Cap hit 36m - if cut 51m cap hit
FA:
Blake Bortles
Positional review: I thought it was an up and down year for Goff, he can play better and he said as much. With that said, he didn't get a ton of help from his OL and not much in the run game. If the OL improves and the Rams can get a run game going I think he can be a very good QB. I don't think he will ever be great. And that is fine because there are very few very good QBs in the world. I fully expect him to restructure his contract, as it was expected after he signed it. Bortles might look for greener pastures, with a chance to start somewhere and I don't expect him back. Wolford should be the backup next year.
Free agency & draft priority: lowI cannot imagine the Rams spending much if any money on a FA QB unless they bring back Bortles on the cheap. My guess is Wolford gets every shot to become the backup. A late day 3 pick on a QB is not out of the question, or an Undrafted Free Agent. One name I keep coming back to late is Jalen Hurts. I know there are Oklahoma fans on this board that will scream at me for this, but Hurts is a developmental type that isn't good at reading a defense and has accuracy issues. He is a leader, tough and a high character guy you want on your team, so if he's available middle of day 3, I'm taking a flyer on him, thinking maybe McVay can develop him.
RBs:Under contract for 2020:
Todd Gurley - Cap hit 17.25m - if cut 25.65 cap hit - if traded 12.6m cap hit
Malcolm Brown - Cap hit 1.14m - if cut .05m cap hit
Darrell Henderson - Cap hit 0.96m
Positional Review:It was a disappointing season for Gurley, he was seemingly frustrated by his usage and never really found his groove early in the year, only to see his usage increase and have some success in the 2nd half. He just doesn't look like the same back as he did in early 2018. He lacks that explosive take off, sudden cutting and really is no longer a HR threat. On top of that, his hands were horrible this year even by his standard as he dropped a ton of balls. Brown is what he is, a between the tackles, tough yardage back with little in the way of pass catching skills. Henderson's season was disappointing to say the least. Just couldn't get on the field and I suspect he didn't pick up the playbook and his pass blocking was subpar. he is going to have to really step his game up in 2020 or he could get buried on the depth chart.
Free agency & draft priority: medium This all really hinges on Gurley and how they proceed with him and his contract. I'm not going to talk about if they should or shouldn't have given him the contract because what is done is done. I will talk about what can be done.you really have 4 options: trade, cut, restructure or status quo.
Trade: I'm not sure he could pass a physical with another team but lets say he does. He'd save 4.6m in cap space. I just cannot see a team trading for him, unless they are buying draft picks to take on salary. And IMO the Rams cannot afford to give away picks to just dump Gurley.
Cut: again, I don't see it happening because it would cost more to cut then it would to keep him, by over 8m. Its not happening.
Restructure: Nope, not happening because restructures always turn non-guaranteed money into guaranteed money and he isn't getting any more guaranteed money IMO
Status Quo: You go into 2020 with his cap number in place, you see if another off season of management helps and you bite the bullet knowing you have Brown and a 2nd year Henderson to back him up.
I doubt any moves are made as far as FAs. The Draft is a totally different animal. Its a good place to find young, cheap talent that is usually pretty deep. If the Rams do draft a RB in rounds 2 or 3, I think 1 of 2 things happened, Gurley was traded somehow or will be cut post June 1st, or they have absolutely no faith that Henderson will work out. That would be hard to imagine a front office doing after 1 year with a rookie. If they don't draft a RB early, they are fine with their 3 backs and I doubt you see one picked before the UDFA signings.
Guys that could be in play for the Rams as early as round 2: Jonathan Taylor, JK Dobbins, D'andre Swift, Travis Etienne and Chuba Hubbard. Now some of these guys will be gone, but if the Rams really feel the need for a true #1 back, these guys fit the bill.
Don't waste your time looking back, you're not going that way. - Ragnar Lothbrok
