Hammond: 10 Rams most likely to be moving on after season

The 10 Rams most likely to be moving on after Sunday’s season finale

Rich Hammond

https://theathletic.com/1490075/2019/12/27/the-10-rams-most-likely-to-be-moving-on-after-sundays-season-finale/?source=twittered

It’s time to sign the yearbooks — “Have a neat winter!” — and clear out the lockers. This Rams season ends Sunday at the Coliseum against the Arizona Cardinals, at least a week earlier than even the strongest pessimists expected.

At best, the Rams will finish 9-7 and in third place in the NFC West. That’s a winning season, and anyone who cheered for the Rams for the majority of this decade knows how precious those can be. More was expected from the Rams this season and rightfully so.

Some roster turnover is inevitable each offseason, but given how this Rams season went, it would not be surprising to see significant changes take place. The Rams have created some tight quarters for themselves, in terms of the salary cap, by giving up recent giant contracts to Jared Goff, Todd Gurley and Aaron Donald.

The Rams already have committed approximately $182 million to players for the 2020 season, with the NFL salary cap reportedly to be set in the range of $201 million. The Rams will be helped by the fact that they can carry over approximately $8 million in unused cap space from 2019.

Which players won’t occupy spots in the home locker room at Sofi Stadium? Some could be cut in February and others could leave as free agents in March. The trade market always opens up around the time of the draft in April. It will be a fascinating offseason for the Rams, so here’s a look at 10 players who might be moving on (for various reasons). All contract figures are courtesy of OverTheCap.com.

Eric Weddle
Signed through 2020 (salary-cap hit of $4.75 million)

A year ago, this two-year contract made a lot of sense. Weddle, even at age 34, still seemed to have some good years ahead of him and could be a strong locker-room mentor, and at two years and $11.3 million, he wasn’t terribly expensive.

The season started off fine for Weddle, but his effectiveness seemed to wane over the second half of the season. The Rams can walk away from the second year of Weddle’s contract this offseason and retain only $500,000 in dead-cap space (they will have to pay Weddle more than $4.75 million in 2020 if he stays).

If the Rams believe Weddle’s best days are behind him and they believe John Johnson and Taylor Rapp can form a long-term partnership (more on this later), then freeing up some cap space by cutting Weddle would seem to be a reasonable move. Weddle seems to understand this and recently told reporters that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Rams decided to not bring him back in 2020.

Cory Littleton
Unrestricted free agent in March

It’s been a great journey for the Rams and Littleton, who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2016 and then, over the next two seasons, became a special-teams ace and a starting linebacker. Littleton is going to lead the Rams in tackles this season by a wide margin (he has 131, or 30 more than his next teammate, Weddle) and he’s a good citizen, a hard worker and a good locker-room presence.

Understandably, though, Littleton is looking to get paid, and he and the Rams might not be able to agree on his value. Littleton signed for $3.095 million for the 2019 season, but he’s going to get a substantial raise. The Rams have been talking to his representatives for a while. No deal appears to be close.

If Littleton believes he is worth more than $12 million per year, should the Rams go that high? Probably not, and the Rams could be in a situation where they allow Littleton to test the market and see how much another team might be willing to give him. Littleton has been effective for the Rams, but he’s also undersized for an inside linebacker. That could be a factor, both in terms of his market value and his value to the Rams.

Rob Havenstein
Signed through 2022 ($7.8 million salary-cap hit in 2020)

Is it possible to lose a starting job and a roster spot because of an injury? After Havenstein suffered a knee injury last month, Bobby Evans stepped in at right tackle and the rookie has done an admirable job. Add that to the fact that Havenstein did not appear to be in top form even before his injury, and there has been some question about whether he will return.

Havenstein signed a new contract 16 months ago, one that includes an annual salary-cap hit of approximately $8 million through the 2022 season. That’s not bad at all for a 27-year-old lineman who already has proven himself as a multiyear starter. It’s difficult to project what the Rams might get in return if they shop Havenstein on the trade market, but if they believe Evans is ready to hold things down at right tackle, that might be the move.

Dante Fowler
Unrestricted free agent in March

The Rams brought back Fowler on a one-year, $12 million contract, and that seemed to be a win-win proposition. They got him for another season at a manageable number, and Fowler got a chance to prove himself worthy of a bigger, multiyear contract after the season.

Fowler did his part. He’s second on the Rams with 11.5 sacks, just one fewer than Aaron Donald, and while still prone to a bit of game-to-game inconsistency, he’s a force off the edge. Chances are, Fowler has priced himself out of a job with the Rams because some team will give him big money. Even if the Rams want to match it, they probably won’t be able to, given their cap situation.

Michael Brockers
Unrestricted free agent in March

The Rams seem to be Brockers fans. A year ago, there was some thought that they might cut Brockers, a move that would have allowed them to save $10 million in cap room, but they did not. He remained a starting defensive lineman and has had something of a “meh” season with three sacks and 61 total tackles in 15 games.

So now that Brockers can leave as a free agent, the Rams will let him go, right? Not necessarily. There has been some talk that the Rams would be open to re-signing Brockers at a smaller salary. He’s certainly not going to get $10 million per season on the open market, not at age 29 and coming off a couple average seasons.

Would Brockers, who has spent all eight of his seasons with the Rams, be open to some type of hometown discount? If so, the Rams might be able to keep their defensive line intact.

Austin Blythe
Unrestricted free agent in March

If Blythe returns, it almost certainly will be at center, but first the Rams would have to make an interesting choice. Brian Allen started 2019 as the starting center, and his play was a bit uneven before a Week 10 season-ending knee injury. That’s not unexpected for a young player, as it can take a while to learn the nuances of playing center.

Allen almost certainly would be better in 2020, but something odd happened after his injury. Blythe, who had been struggling at right guard, moved to center — his natural position — and thrived. Teammates raved about his communication and calmness, and none of that was a slap at Allen. They just thought Blythe was doing a great job.

Blythe’s cap hit this season was $2.025 million, and if the Rams can bring him back without a significant raise, it probably would be in their best interests.

Andrew Whitworth
Unrestricted free agent in March

As recently as four months ago, there was a reasonable path here. Whitworth would retire at age 38, at the end of his 14th NFL season, and Joe Noteboom would slide over to left tackle, having thrived in 2019 as a full-time starter at left guard.

That went sideways when Noteboom suffered a season-ending knee injury. It’s still very likely that he will be ready to go for 2020, but would the Rams feel comfortable moving him to left tackle without a full offseason? Also, Noteboom’s play at left guard improved from game to game. It’s a stretch to say he played at a high level.

What else can the Rams do? They’ve never seemed to view Havenstein as Whitworth’s successor, and it would be asking a lot from Evans to move to left tackle at the start of his second season. So does that mean another year of Whitworth? Quite possibly. He said this week that he would like to play another season. Are the Rams going to find an upgrade on the free-agent or trade markets? Probably not.

Greg Zuerlein
Unrestricted free agent in March

Zuerlein carried a cap hit of $2.575 million this season, and that’s fine when he’s one of the best kickers in the NFL, a distinction he held in 2017 and 2018. There were some troubling signs for Zuerlein this season, though, particularly with mid-range field-goal attempts.

Zuerlein is only 32, and these days kickers are still going strong into their 40s. But if the Rams believe Zuerlein is starting to slide, it’s possible they could look for a replacement.

Todd Gurley
Signed through 2023 (salary-cap hit of $17.25 million in 2020)

Are the Rams going to cut Gurley? This is probably the most-asked question about the Rams’ roster, and here’s probably the best way to sum it up: Cutting ties with Gurley before the start of next season would cost the Rams at least $17.25 million in dead-cap space, according to Over The Cap.

What about a trade? Well, think of it this way. Fairly or unfairly, Gurley is viewed as being damaged goods because of the way the Rams (sparingly) used him this season. The trade market for him doesn’t figure to be significant. Sure, in theory, medical records could be presented to show Gurley is healthy, but who wants to trade for a running back who hasn’t even started his massive four-year, $57.5 million contract extension?

Never rule out any type of roster movement in the NFL, but it would take some magic for the Rams to part with Gurley (and they’d still have to replace him).

John Johnson
Signed through 2020 (salary-cap hit of $965,015)

Don’t panic too much, Rams fans. It’s very likely that Johnson will return in 2020, and it would be fair to argue that this spot should be taken by Clay Matthews (or even Brandin Cooks, although it seemingly would be difficult to find a taker for Cooks’ annual cap hit of approximately $17 million through 2023).

So why Johnson? A couple reasons. He is set to become a free agent after next season and no matter what, he will be in line for a major raise from his rookie contract, which was worth just under $3.3 million. Given the success Johnson had in 2018 as a full-time starter and this season (before a year-ending shoulder injury), that could be a hefty raise.

Also, safety is one area that the Rams have seemed to deem replaceable. Since the final game of 2015, they have allowed Rodney McLeod, T.J. McDonald, Maurice Alexander, Cody Davis and Lamarcus Joyner to walk away. Taylor Rapp is likely to be a part of the Rams’ future. The Rams could trade Johnson now for draft purposes, but if he ultimately leaves, it’s probably more likely to be as a free agent in 2021 with the Rams getting a compensatory pick.