Tag: rams offseason

PFF gives Rams an offseason grade of B-

Pro Football Focus handed out offseason grades for every team in the NFL and the Rams were around the middle of the pack

It was another interesting offseason for the Los Angeles Rams this year, featuring some high-profile losses but also some big-name additions. They cut Johnny Hekker and traded away Robert Woods, while also losing key starters such as Von Miller, Austin Corbett and Darious Williams in free agency. They still haven’t re-signed Odell Beckham Jr. yet, either.

Their two most notable signings were Allen Robinson and Bobby Wagner, who at the time of being signed were arguably the best player remaining at their respective positions. Both Robinson and Wagner will help the Rams immensely, hopefully making up for the losses Los Angeles has suffered.

The draft was relatively uneventful for the Rams, since they didn’t go on the clock until No. 104 overall, but they came away with a potential Day 1 starter in the third round with Logan Bruss.

As a whole, the Rams did what they could to maintain a championship-caliber roster, and for the most part, Pro Football Focus liked their moves. PFF gave the Rams an offseason grade of B-, which is right in the middle of the pack among other teams.

Their free agency grade was “above average,” while PFF gave them a C+ for their draft.

Considering their lack of firepower this offseason, from their limited cap space to their previously traded first- and second-round picks, the Rams did pretty well to stay among the best teams in football.

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The Rams didn’t use the franchise tag this year. Was it the right move?

The Rams did not tag anyone before the deadline, marking the third year in a row they’ve passed on the franchise tag.

After using the franchise tag in 2016, 2017 and 2018, the Los Angeles Rams have now gone three straight years without applying it to a player. With Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline passing, the Rams opted not to use the tag on any of their pending free agents – a group that includes John Johnson and Leonard Floyd.

Los Angeles appears poised to let both players hit the free-agent market, barring a last-minute extension before the new league year begins on March 17. The legal tampering period opens on March 15, too, so there’s less than a week until the agents of Floyd and Johnson can talk to other teams.

If the Rams are intent on retaining either Johnson or Floyd in 2021, it’s somewhat risky to pass on the opportunity to use the franchise tag. Doing so wouldn’t have meant they’d be forced to pay either player a fully guaranteed salary in 2021. The franchise tag can be used as a way to extend contract talks, giving the team and the player until July 15 to work out a long-term deal.

It also would’ve opened the door for a tag-and-trade, which teams have utilized often in recent years – especially with pass rushers. The Rams could have potentially secured a second- or third-round pick for Floyd in a tag-and-trade, which would’ve helped their draft capital immensely this year.

With Johnson, it’s reasonable to think they could’ve fetched a third-rounder for him. He’s a top safety and although there are plenty of good ones hitting the market this year, a team probably would’ve given up a third to acquire him.

There was a chance that the Rams couldn’t find a trade partner for either player if tagged and they would’ve been forced to pay either Johnson $11.2 million or Floyd $15.7 million in 2021. But in that scenario, they also could’ve rescinded the tag and allowed them to hit free agency if no deal was reached by July 15.

In a year where the salary cap is going to decrease, it’s hard to blame the Rams for not wanting to pay Johnson or Floyd a fully guaranteed salary in 2021. They’d be much better off signing one of them to a long-term extension, allowing the contract to be structured with a lower cap hit in 2021.

But there would have been benefits to using the tag, like extending the negotiating window and opening the door for a possible trade. Now, the Rams will gamble on Johnson and Floyd possibly leaving in free agency.

Report: Michael Brockers available for trade, Rams getting calls about Robert Woods

According to Albert Breer, Michael Brockers is available and teams are calling the Rams about Robert Woods.

As is often the case, the Los Angeles Rams will be active this offseason – and already have been after agreeing to a trade for Matthew Stafford. The decreasing salary cap has put the Rams over the limit by about $35 million, meaning several moves will need to be made before March 17 to get under the cap.

Trades are always a possibility for the Rams, and according to Albert Breer of the MMQB, Michael Brockers is a candidate to be dealt. Despite still having two years left on his contract, the Rams have made Brockers available, according to Breer.

Additionally, teams have called the Rams about Robert Woods, but the team has been reluctant to deal him in the past when those inquiries have come in.

Rams DL Michael Brockers: Still just 30, and under contract at a reasonable $9 million this year and $9 million next year, Brockers is available. Teams have also called on Robert Woods, though L.A.’s been hesitant to move him in the past when interest from contending teams has surfaced.

Trading either player would save the Rams a good amount of money. For Woods, if he’s dealt by the Rams – which, based on Breer’s report, seems unlikely – the Rams will save $11.9 million in cap space this year. He’ll only leave behind $1.975 million in dead money, according to Over The Cap.

As for Brockers, the savings wouldn’t be as large. The Rams would clear $6.17 million in cap space after taking on $3.67 million in dead money. His cap hit is set to be $9.83 million next season, with Woods’ checking in at $13.875 million.

Brockers re-signed with the Rams last offseason after his deal with the Ravens fell through due to concerns about his ankle. It was a surprising move by Los Angeles considering it had already signed A’Shawn Robinson, bolstering the defensive line.

Now with Robinson, Sebastian Joseph-Day and Greg Gaines all on the roster alongside Aaron Donald, the Rams have plenty of depth along the defensive line – especially if they’re able to re-sign Morgan Fox, who’s a better pass rusher than Brockers.

Woods also signed an extension last year and is under contract through 2025 but he has no guaranteed salary left after 2021, thus making it easy for the Rams to move on from him without taking on too much dead money.

If the Rams are determined to add explosiveness to the offense, moving Woods for a Day 2 draft pick could help them accomplish that. But Woods is as steady as they come at wide receiver, so trading him now would be somewhat surprising after extending him last year.

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NFL says the salary cap will be at least $180 million in 2021

The salary cap will probably still decrease, but it’ll be higher than first expected.

The salary cap won’t be as low as initially projected, it turns out. On Thursday, the NFL informed teams that the cap will be no less than $180 million, which is higher than the floor of $175 million that was first set by the league.

A $180 million salary cap would still be a significant decrease from last year when it was $198.2 million. And considering the salary cap has increased by at least $10 million in each of the last seven years, a decrease of any amount is rare.

Even with a $180 salary cap, though, the Rams will be way over the limit. According to Over the Cap, they’re projected to be $26.2 million over the salary cap if it’s set at $180 million. That will change once the Jared Goff-Matthew Stafford trade becomes official, but the Rams will still need to get under the cap by March 17 when the new league year begins.

Here’s the full memo sent by the NFL to the 32 teams.

The Rams will have a lot of moves to make in order to create the necessary cap space, including releases, restructures and possibly additional trades. We outlined five moves they can make to free up $50 million in cap space, though the team is unlikely to make all of them this offseason.

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2021 NFL offseason: Key dates to know for the Rams

The offseason is here and there are some key dates for Rams fans to know in 2021.

The 2021 offseason is officially underway for all 32 teams, though the Los Angeles Rams have been hard at work since their season ended three weeks ago. They already agreed to a blockbuster trade with the Detroit Lions, sending them Jared Goff and three draft picks for Matthew Stafford.

That trade isn’t yet official, but it will be in just over a month when the new league year begins.

The 2021 offseason calendar is still being laid out and is a work in progress due to the pandemic, but commissioner Roger Goodell still expects there to be plenty of virtual elements to it. As of now, here’s a look at some important dates to know for the Rams as they set out to improve this offseason.

6 potential cap casualties for the Rams this offseason

The Los Angeles Rams could move on from these players this offseason in order to clear some cap space.

This offseason will present a lot of challenges for teams across the NFL with the salary cap set to drop by as much as $23 million. There will be a lot of restructuring taking place and a bunch of cap casualties as teams attempt to get under the cap this summer.

The Rams will certainly be among those teams that have to make some tough decisions with players currently on their roster, needing to either restructure or cut veterans in order to free up cap space.

Here are six players who could be cut by the Rams in an attempt to clear cap space. In other words, they could be cap casualties in 2021.

Ranking the Rams’ 7 biggest needs this offseason

The Rams could use some help at these seven positions, including quarterback.

The Los Angeles Rams are facing a difficult offseason in 2021, seeing several of their starters hitting free agency while likely being over the cap at the same time. Re-signing players will be a challenge, as will bringing in marquee free agents when the market opens in March.

Fortunately, the Rams don’t have many pressing needs on their roster heading into next season. There are still holes to fill, of course, but several positions are set up nicely for the immediate future.

Here are their seven biggest needs this offseason, ranked in order of importance.

9 biggest questions the Rams are facing this offseason

The Rams are facing a lot of uncertainty as the offseason gets underway.

After coming up short in the second round of the playoffs, the Rams have less than eight months to prepare for next season. The next few months will include free agency, the draft and a lot of difficult roster decisions, putting the Rams in a tough spot with limited offseason capital.

There are a lot of questions still to answer, too, both on the roster and the coaching staff. It’s early in the offseason, but it’s a good time to look ahead to some of the pressing issues Los Angeles will face in the coming months.

Here are the nine biggest questions for the Rams as the offseason gets underway.

Look: ‘Hard Knocks’ was right there to film Jared Goff’s COVID test

Jared Goff’s COVID test was documented by a “Hard Knocks” camera crew.

When it was announced that HBO and NFL Films would cover the Rams and Chargers for this season of “Hard Knocks,” a lot of people wondered what would fill the airtime. With so much uncertainty surrounding the season due to the coronavirus, it was a worthwhile question to ask how the show would work.

Well, Jared Goff shared a sneak peek at one part of camp that will be documented on the show: COVID tests. He posted a photo from his first coronavirus test at the Rams’ facility, and right there was a camera and boom mic to document it all – from a safe distance, of course.

With the preseason canceled and training camps looking very different than a typical year, “Hard Knocks” will have to improvise this year. There won’t be joint practices to film or preseason preparation to document, making this a unique season of the show.

Goff has been outspoken about how much he dislikes “Hard Knocks” cameras always being around after his first go-around on the series as a rookie in 2016, and you can bet he’s not thrilled about crews being back this summer.

Only one team lost more defensive snaps than Rams this offseason

The Rams will be relying heavily on rookies and unproven players in 2020.

The Rams weren’t as active this offseason as they had been in recent years, but that doesn’t mean their roster didn’t undergo significant changes. Todd Gurley and Clay Matthews were cut, Brandin Cooks was traded, Eric Weddle retired, and both Cory Littleton and Dante Fowler Jr. left in free agency.

The defense, in particular, suffered significant losses, both self-inflicted and ones that were out of the team’s control. Over The Cap measured exactly how much the Rams lost on defense this offseason, listing the percentage of snaps returning for each team.

The Rams are only returning 58% of their defensive snaps from last season, which is second-lowest in the NFL. The only team returning fewer snaps on that side of the ball is Carolina at 35.2%.

League average is 72.6% on defense, so the Rams are well below that mark. On offense, they’re bringing back 87.4% of the snaps, with Gurley and Cooks being the only major subtractions. Overall, the Rams are returning 73.1% of their total snaps, which ranks 21st in the NFL.

Over The Cap also determined how reliant each team will be on players with no experience. The average across the league is only 7.3%, but the Rams nearly double that mark at 12.6%. That shouldn’t surprise anyone considering the situations at inside linebacker, outside linebacker and at running back.

The Rams are betting on their young and unproven players this season, but if they can’t come through as even average starters, the team could be in trouble – especially on defense. When you construct a roster the way the Rams have, you have to get a lot out of mid-round picks and inexperienced players.