For the second year in a row, the Los Angeles Rams have some marquee players hitting free agency. Last offseason, it was Lamarcus Joyner, Rodger Saffold and Ndamukong Suh. This year, the “big three” consists of Dante Fowler Jr., Cory Littleton and Andrew Whitworth. As such, the Rams will have some extremely difficult decisions to make in free agency.
They’ll be in the market for outside players, too, but with limited cap space, they won’t be able to fetch any of the top free agents. Pro Football Focus doesn’t see the salary cap limiting Los Angeles too much, though, based on its pick for the one free agent the Rams should pursue.
According to PFF, the Rams should go after Patriots guard Joe Thuney. He’s been one of the best guards in the NFL the last few years, ranking in the top 10 at his position in PFF WAR each of the last three years.
Joe Thuney earned himself a massive contract as the last few seasons have evolved, and the Rams should do everything possible to bring him in. In each of the past three years, Thuney has ranked among the 10 most valuable guards in PFF WAR. He stepped it up in pass-protection, specifically, in his past two campaigns, ranking second in two-year PFF grade. Neither Austin Corbett nor Joseph Noteboom (the two to play the most at left guard for the Rams) qualify, but if they did, they would be around 28th and 35th, respectively, of 37 qualifiers.
Thuney has started all 64 games in his career since being a third-round pick in 2016, and he’s going to cash in this offseason. The Rams opted not to re-sign Rodger Saffold last offseason, but perhaps they’ll try to fix that mistake by going after Thuney.
If Whitworth retires or leaves in free agency, the Rams will likely try Joseph Noteboom at left tackle, which would open up a void at guard. Even if Whitworth returns, the Rams can’t bank on Noteboom being a great left guard in 2020, nor should it prevent them from signing Thuney if the money works out.