Rams 2024 Free Agency and Draft

Which pending free agents should the Rams re-sign this offseason?https://t.co/urkxr6tksP

— Blaine Grisak 💭 (@bgrisakTST) January 24, 2024

i’m hoping they can draft a cb. i like cooper dejean. when i read his profile i immediately think jalen ramsey. probably doesn’t make it that far though.

First up on the Free Agent Spotlight series is Kevin Dotson, who became a critical piece to the Rams' re-tooled offensive line in 2023 with his run-blocking and overall performance: https://t.co/GrsSDaxA0G

— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) January 26, 2024

this is a thought that was just running through my head. it all depends on if they would even consider avila at center.

re-sign dotson. avila at center. then draft a left tackle in the first round. re-sign jackson. let the draft pick and jackson duke it out for left tackle with the loser slotting in at left guard. then proceed to run it down opposing teams’ throats.

zn wrote:

I don’t see the Rams acting like this OL has to be fixed.

well i don’t see it as needing to be fixed either. this is just one of many possibilities. another possibility is drafting a corner at that spot and a center later. or if they trade back and get more picks that would be great too. draft that kid from oregon. jackson powers-johnson. sounds like a late first rounder at this point. then draft secondary later in the rounds.

they’ve got options which is great. i do think they need to draft a pass rusher at some point. and add another through free agency. even if it isn’t a marquee signing. and a tight end for depth. running back maybe. it depends on what they see in evans. depends on what they think of him. maybe it’s a matter of him getting the pass protection down. i don’t know, but as a runner he seems to have potential looking back at the scouting reports. a receiver might be necessary. in the later rounds for depth. and i’m a little worried about kupp’s health.

Zooey wrote:

I agree with what you said about the left side of the line, and I agree that defense is a priority. I think C becomes a higher priority than RB, though. They should add another RB or two, but I wouldn’t make it a “priority.” They have 10 or 11 picks, plus they seem pretty good at adding ronin RBs.

I acknowledge that I neglected center.

But I stand by RB being a priority. They have no 2nd back to Wms, just some guys at RB. Stats bear this out–RW gets twice the yards on an obscure stat which is “yards before contact.” That means Wms is exploiting holes to make something happen, it isn’t just him making yards cause of a good OL. If it were the latter then the 2nd and 3rd tier backs they have behind Wms would be making the same yards before contact…and no one else is, not even close. It IS a good OL as I said, but at the same time Wms is a special back with special skills. It shows up in that yards before contact stat.

The concern? He was dinged up twice in the season (including against the Lions), and they couldn’t win without him.

In my view they need another back of roughly his caliber. First, because based on 2023, it looks to me like Wms will miss games…he gets dinged. Second, because when he is healthy having two is good anyway, so it’s win/win.

Without Wms in the game, earlier in the season when he was out with the ankle, the Rams were not the same.

WITH WMS. 4.5 a carry, 119.1 yards rushing a game (would rank 12th), 9-4 record.

W/O WMS. 3.5 a carry, 94.25 yards rushing a game (woud rank 27th), 1-3 record.

InvaderRam wrote:

zn wrote:

In my view they need another back of roughly his caliber.

that’s easier said than done. i think kyren is pretty special. but yes. i get the concern. i do still wonder about evans. i haven’t given up on him.

Wms. is special so I don’t mean “get another Wms.” But there’s always 2nd and 3rd round backs who can fill the role of a good 1B back. That’s why I said “roughly” his caliber. Better than the back ups they have. Guys in the league like that include 2023 1000 yarders like James Cook, D’Andre Swift, James Conner, Joe Mixon. David Montgomery, and Raheem Mostert. All 2nd or 3rd rounders.

Your odds of getting a back of that caliber reduce drastically after round 3. The Rams hit paydirt with Wms in the 5th round but the odds of doing that again are not very good. It has to be round 2 or 3.

Zooey wrote:

On the SUBJ of running backs, I was pondering a week or so ago about what this offense would be like with Steven Jackson in his prime. Good lord. Can you imagine?

Yep. And in return, Steven in his prime deserved this offense.

You no doubt already know that Wms is from St. Louis, was a Rams fan growing up, and his favorite player was Jackson. Like I said you know that, but I just like saying it.

zn wrote:

It has to be round 2 or 3.

i differ slightly. and although the rams were very close to beating the lions. and they were very close to beating the heavily favored ravens, they still need help on the offensive line, in the secondary and a pass rusher. i think a backup running back will have to be later if they don’t think it’s evans. although they do have an extra third rounder so maybe there.  if williams misses four or five games due to injury the rams will have to adjust. if williams faces an injury worse than that. like season ending. then it almost doesn’t matter. i think kyren is that good.

or again. the rams can opt to trade back. which again i wouldn’t be against it.

zn wrote:

Without Wms it honestly doesn’t matter who else you draft in rounds 1-3. That’s why I am so adamant about them hopefully getting a 1B back. They need a back they can win with even when Wms is out. And if Wms isn’t out, having 2 backs, a 1A and a 1B, is a good thing. After round 3 it is dicey on picking RBs. In fact, Wms aside, the last good, productive RB the Rams drafted after round 3 was …drumroll … nobody. Wms is the only RB picked after round 3 to make something of himself in the entire history of Rams drafting, from 1937 to 2023.

i just don’t think it’s worth it to draft an rb 1b in the first three rounds. but maybe the rams will think differently. strengthening in other areas can help the team if the rams are to lose williams for a short period of time. and it will have the added benefit of making the team better when he is in the team healthy as well.

4 free agent players the Rams should look to target this offseason
The Rams have a projected $56.6 million dollars in open cap space, these players could help the team immediately

By Jason Dalessandro Feb 2, 2024, 11:00am CST

The Los Angeles Rams were somewhat of a surprise playoff team this past season. Coming off a 5-12 season in 2022 and being cap-strapped heading into the offseason, LA had a fantastic draft and rebounded to not only rectify their cap situation by trading away veterans, but string together a 7-1 record to end the season and earn a wild card position with a 10-7 record.

The Rams will have the luxury of returning most of their current roster in 2024, including QB Matthew Stafford, WRs Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, LB Ernest Jones and DL Aaron Donald. This time around they also ability to add some key pieces via the open market, with only a few players slated for free agency this year, and an expected $56.6 million dollars in cap space, the Rams should be viewed as potential Super Bowl candidates next season if they can build on their young playoff team.

These are four players I believe the Rams could bring in to help boost their chances of getting their third Lombardi trophy in franchise history.

Brian Burns – Edge Rusher
It’s hard to start any free agency list for the Rams without including Carolina Panthers edge rusher Brian Burns. It’s no secret that head coach Sean McVay likes Burns, as LA tried to trade a rumored two first-round picks and a second to acquire him back in 2022. Now the team has the chance to sign him as a free agent, while giving up no draft capital to get him.

Burns is currently rated the fifth best free agent available by PFF, so if there is any downside to Burns, it will be the cost to bring him to LA. That said, Burns is only 25, and one of the best edge rushers in the league, if there was a player to spend money on in long-term deal, Burns is an ideal candidate.

Last season Burns had a PFF rating of 74.1 with nine sacks on the season. He also had 12.5 sacks in 2022, and could be the perfect compliment to go along with second-year edge rusher Byron Young, who toted eight sacks of his own last year.

Kenny Moore – Cornerback
Kenny Moore may be a more surprising selection at corner for the Rams with players like Bears Jaylon Johnson and Chiefs L’Jarius Sneed available, however Moore should cost considerably less than both of those players at age 28. While that may be seen as a negative, I think bringing a veteran presence into one of the youngest cornerback rooms in the league could be a huge benefit to Los Angeles, especially if the Rams plan to used a top pick on bringing in another corner through the draft as well.

Don’t let his age fool you though, Moore’s play was still top tier last season in Indianapolis. He is a tackling machine from the corner position with 72 solo tackles in 2023 – the second-most in the NFL by a defensive back. This would be a huge strength for the Rams, as their corners struggled with broken tackles most of last year.

Moore also had three interceptions, which ranked twelfth in the league, and a PFF score of 77.4. To put it in perspective, Cobie Durant and Derion Kendrick were both under 60, and Ahkello Witherspoon, LA’s best corner, had a score of 64.0. Moore’s addition would clearly be a big improvement over the current situation, and pairing him with another young stud corner in the top two rounds of the draft could completely reset the Rams secondary for the better.

Andre James – Center
With current starter Coleman Shelton slated to be a free agent, the Rams may be in the market for an addition to the middle of their offensive line. Andre James of the Las Vegas Raiders had arguably his best season as a pro last year, and could be an improvement at the position for a relatively reasonable price.

James should be in the market for a pay increase from his current 2 year – $8.65 extension that he signed in 2021. At only 26, his new deal will most-likely need to be a long-term contract to compete with other team’s offers.

Raiderswire.com expects that James could pull a deal somewhere in the $8 million-a-year range. Considering the Rams currently pay backup center Brian Allen $6 million on average, James potential $8 million per year as a starting center would be somewhat of a bargain, even on a 3-4 year deal. Further more, the top four centers from last year all averaged over $12 million annually.

James is stellar in the run, and he fits the Rams mold of bigger interior lineman at 6’4” 300lbs. He had a PFF grade of 74.6, and was the website’s pick for 2024 NFL free agent the Raiders couldn’t afford to lose. Rams starter Coleman Shelton had a score of 64.5, meaning James should, in theory, be a solid upgrade for the interior of the offensive line and maybe even a long term answer at center.

Darnell Mooney – Wide Receiver
If there is one thing the Rams lack at wide receiver, it is a player to completely take the top off the defense. While their were high hopes that Tutu Atwell would become that player, he has struggled to stay on the field. Mooney could be the low-priced answer the Rams are looking for.

Mooney is the definition of “low cost/high ceiling” type of player. He had a down year last season behind DJ Moore, however Chicago also has one of the lower-volume passing attacks in the league, so some of the blame for his performance may be directed at that.

In his second year in the league, Mooney had 1,055 on 81 receptions and was regarded as a young up and coming player in Chicago, if McVay can get that potential again out of Mooney again, the Rams could find a steal at WR.

Mooney is only 26 years old and has an ability to separate consistently on deep routes. He could be brought in on a cheap “prove-it” type deal, and if anything, this could help push Atwell in training camp by bring in some competition. Mooney has shown in the past he can handle a substantial role in an offense, however he would not be asked to do that in LA with Kupp and Nacua, most-likely be used at wide receiver to stretch the field and bring some speed to the outside.

The Rams could also opt to bring back WR Demarcus Robinson, but he should be in for a salary increase after last season’s performance with Los Angeles. Mooney could be a lower cost option and may fit better with LA’s plans, contract wise, if they are looking to bring in another wide receiver via the draft too.

IMO they need:

CB
nickel CB
ILB 2
OLB/edge
3/4 DE

OC
OT depth
QB 2…a vet
RB 2…(KW gets dinged so they need a #2 that’s better than the guys they already have…they went 1-3 with those guys when Wms was out)

K

That’s a lot but they can also get a lot of it this year using all acquisitions methods at once: draft, high market FA, maybe a trade or 2, a good “ronin” pick up or 2 (like Robinson was).

If it were me I would act like none of the other draft picks (other than Avila, Turner, Young, Nacua, Allen) will come through. Then if a couple more do come through, it’s gravy.

Either way they went 10/7 without all those things and so are certainly competitive if they get even half of those things.

team-building article, fwiw

https://www.ftnfantasy.com/articles/FTN/108954/how-the-chiefs-built-a-top-defense

InvaderRam wrote:

i get the sense that this draft class is stronger than last year’s.

I’ve heard that.