Last offseason, the Rams had three big-name players set to hit free agency: Lamarcus Joyner, Rodger Saffold and Ndamukong Suh. The first two signed early in the process, but Suh sat on the market for a while before signing with the Buccaneers in May.
The Rams weren’t very active on the market, only bringing in one qualified free agent, which was Clay Matthews. Eric Weddle was cut by the Ravens and signed before free agency began, so he didn’t count toward the compensatory formula.
Suh’s departure didn’t, either, since he signed after the window closed for signees to factor into the equation.
As such, the Rams are only projected to receive one compensatory pick in the 2020 draft for their losses last offseason. According to Over The Cap, that pick will come in the fourth round. Their other fourth-rounder was canceled out by the addition of Matthews.
You might be wondering how a sixth-round compensatory pick cancels out a fourth-rounder, which is a very valid question. It’s also one that no one really has the answer to. The NFL doesn’t make its compensatory pick formula public, which complicates things.
But the equation factors in things like contract value, playing time and post-season accolades. So by some secret calculation, the Rams will get a fourth-rounder for losing Saffold to the Titans.