The legal tampering period begins on Monday, allowing teams to contact agents of unrestricted free agents for 52 hours before the new league year begins on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.
Contracts can’t be signed during this time, and only terms of deals can be discussed, but it’s the unofficial start to free agency frenzy. The Rams probably won’t be very active in the early stages when high-priced free agents are scooped up, but they shouldn’t just sit back and watch.
Instead, they should talk to the agents of these 11 free agents to not only show interest in them, but explore the market to find out the cost of some potential targets.
Bears LB Nick Kwiatkoski
Kwiatkoski seems poised to become a free agent after the Bears re-signed linebacker Danny Trevathan to a three-year deal. Kwiatkoski would be a more affordable option than Cory Littleton if he leaves in free agency, with his best football ahead of him after getting the chance to start for the first time late last season.
Kwiatkoski should be a legitimate target for the Rams, who don’t have much money to spend in free agency. He’d immediately become one of their best linebackers if Littleton is gone, upgrading a unit with very little proven talent.
Jets OLB Jordan Jenkins
Jenkins doesn’t get much attention when discussing free-agent pass rushers, primarily because he played for a bad Jets team. But in the last two years, he’s piled up 15 sacks, 28 QB hits and four forced fumbles in 30 games.
Jenkins has good size for the position in a 3-4 defense, too, and is a former third-round pick in 2016. The former Georgia Bulldog doesn’t boast elite athleticism and ran just a 4.80 in the 40-yard dash at the combine, but his technique and talent make him a starting-caliber player.
Bills OLB Shaq Lawson
Lawson won’t break the bank, but he’s a former first-round pick who has put together an underwhelming career up to this point. Perhaps a change of scenery will spark a breakout season the way it did for another Shaq – Shaquil Barrett – last year.
What’s encouraging with Lawson is that he’s improved each year in the NFL, culminating in a 6.5-sack season in 2019 with 18 QB hits and 13 tackles for loss, all career-highs. Lawson should be on the Rams’ radar if Dante Fowler leaves.