Rams & free agency

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Snead said the Rams are "definitely planning to be active" in free agency. … https://t.co/ZkmhvpnIMZ pic.twitter.com/RQk8z544qi

— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) March 2, 2017

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Rams to put emphasis on fixing offense through free agency, draft

VINCENT BONSIGNORE

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rams-745521-mcvay-offensive.html

INDIANAPOLIS – Like the super smart kid in class who teachers sometimes neglect in order to tend to their less-gifted students, new Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is probably feeling a bit overlooked these days.

It’s one of the double-edged swords of taking over a unit that, frankly, is already playoff caliber

Especially when the group it has been lining up against every day in practice is, well, challenged.

As the Rams work through free agency and draft preparations – including this week in Indianapolis at the NFL draft combine – so much of the focus and talk and concentration is on lifting an offense that ranks dead last in nearly every category that Phillips sometimes feels invisible.

To the point of speaking up.

“And as any good coach will do, (he’ll say) ‘Hey, don’t forget about us over here. We’re playing defense too,’” is how Rams general manager Les Snead put it.

Good luck with all that, Wade.

No matter how many times he raises his hand or jumps up and down or tries to bring attention to himself, the Rams need to ignore him as much as possible.

Nothing personal, good sir.

The Rams won’t completely shun Phillips this offseason – the change to his 3-4 scheme preference creates a natural need for specific additions – but let’s not get things twisted.

They arrived here in Indianapolis with a particular game plan. And it’s one they’ll carry into free agency next week and the draft seven weeks later in Philadelphia.

It’s time to pull the offense into the 21st century, once and for all.

That was the driving force behind firing Jeff Fisher last November.

And it was the motivation in identifying the offensive minded Sean McVay as Fisher’s replacement, and then locking him up almost immediately after first meeting with him.

“We’ve got to improve the offense,” Snead said, rather obviously.

Step one in that direction was taken care of when they hired McVay, a 30-year-old ball of energy and enthusiasm who spent the last three years as Washington’s offensive coordinator and whose entire coaching roots are planted exclusively on that side of the ball.

Step two was McVay hiring an offensive staff heavy on quarterback development experience and with strong backgrounds in designing offenses.

That includes new offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, quarterback coach Greg Olson and offensive line coach Aaron Kromer.

Along with McVay, they’ll form a virtual offensive think tank

Now comes the really fun part.

And probably the hardest.

It’s time to find the necessary talent to carry out McVay’s vision.

Which, at the risk of putting poor Wade Phillips on mute for now, means the Rams focusing almost entirely on offense this offseason.

The needs are too vast.

Like capable blockers to protect second-year quarterback Jared Goff.

And perimeter skill players to surround Goff with, preferably ones who strike fear in the hearts of opposing defenses and, as absurd as it might sound, can be counted on to run precise routes and hold onto the ball when targeted.

Maybe the fresh breath of offensive air McVay will blow on the Rams will transform previously ineffective players into assets.

Certainly Goff will make the natural progression in his second year. And third-year running back Todd Gurley is much too talented to suffer through another season like the last. The offensive line still tilts to the young side, so upside remains.

But across the rest of the board, improvement will require bringing in better players.

And that process begins now.

After spending the last month taking a deep dive into the Rams present roster – deciding who fits and who doesn’t – and talking through philosophies, preferable scheme fits and desired skill sets, Snead and McVay and their staffs now get a chance to put potential replacements to all those theories and prototypes they’ve been talking about.

“That’s why it’s been beneficial to have Les be able to kind of give me a jump start on, what are our needs?” McVay said. “And then is this something we feel we might be able to address in the draft or in free agency? Because just like in both, there are certain positions where there’s a little more depth in free agency. Certain positions where there’s a little more depth in the draft. And being able to use those two ways of acquiring players to improve is going to be really important for us.”

The Rams won’t find all their answers in Indianapolis, where more than 300 of the best college football prospects are gathered, a handful of whom will soon find their way to Los Angeles.

Nor will all their problems get fixed in free agency, which opens next week and offers a group of serviceable offensive lineman and wide receivers who offer immediate upgrades from last year.

But it’s a start.

And they can take a big step forward by drafting and spending their cap space money wisely.

In an encouraging sign, it looks like the Rams are ready to pounce on the free agent market. And Snead specifically mentioned the wide receiver position as a focus.

“We’re confident that we knowmarket and who, in that market, fits Sean the most, and from there we’ve got to wait and see what happens next week,” Snead said. “But we’re confident we’re prepared to test that market, and that we’re prepared to test the market in the draft as well. We know we want to get better on offense.”

If that means sticking Wade Phillips in the corner or Snead and McVay clasping their ears to tune him out, so be it.

[zn]

I don’t think Bonsignore has any idea how much talent is or isn;t already on the offensive roster.

The coaches are still learning themselves.

But Bonsignore seems to talk like there’s none at all.

I personally don’t buy that.

.,

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Rams’ free-agency foray likely to target receivers and offensive linemen

Gary Klein

http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-free-agency-20170305-story.html

The Rams mollified the fan base last week by unveiling a retro-style home uniform.

There won’t be many cheers at the Coliseum next season if they don’t upgrade the players who will be wearing them.

Especially receivers and offensive linemen.

Those are expected to be the Rams’ main areas of focus this week when NFL free agency begins.

The Rams must find players to complement and protect quarterback Jared Goff, the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, and improve what has ranked as the NFL’s worst offense for two consecutive seasons.

“There’s a lot of things that we’re looking to do moving forward where it’s figuring out what do our players do best?” Coach Sean McVay said. “And then there’s also going to players we’ll acquire in free agency and the draft that are going to try to help that process of becoming a good offense.”

The Rams last August signed receiver Tavon Austin to a four-year $42-million extension. They are expected to let Kenny Britt, who had a 1,000-yard season in 2016, sign with another team.

General Manager Les Snead said the Rams have studied available receivers for McVay’s offense.

“We’re confident that we know that market and who, in that market, fits Sean the most,” Snead said, adding, “We’re confident we’re prepared to test that market, and that we’re prepared to test the market in the draft as well.

“We know we want to get better on offense, that includes wide receivers and other positions as well.”

The NFL set the 2017 salary cap at $167 million. That Rams have about $40 million in cap space, but nearly $17 million is expected to go to cornerback Trumaine Johnson if he signs a one-year franchise tender.

On Tuesday, the 48-hour period known as the “legal tampering” begins. Representatives for free agents can negotiate with teams but not sign contracts. Players can start signing contracts Thursday.

Britt is among eight Rams player who will be unrestricted free agents, including safety T.J. McDonald.

“It’s a big-picture map,” Snead said. “Where does T.J. fit? Do you need something else instead of him? Things like that. That’s what we’re working through now.”

Here is a look at some of the players might be considering as free agents:

Receivers

Alshon Jeffery, Vincent Jackson, DeSean Jackson, Brandon Marshall and Terrelle Pryor are among the marquee names available, but the Rams are not likely to go that route.

Jackson and Pierre Garcon thrived last season with McVay as the Washington Redskins’ offensive coordinator. Jackson played at Long Beach Poly High, but a homecoming is not expected because Austin is already in place as a player that could potentially fill that role. Garcon, however, could be the Rams’ main target after catching 79 passes for 1,041 yards and three touchdowns last season.

Former USC receiver Robert Woods, who played his first four NFL seasons with the Buffalo Bills, is among other receivers on the market.

Offensive linemen

The Rams won’t make a determination about tackle Greg Robinson’s status until offensive line coach Aaron Kromer works with him during organized-team activities during spring.

So the most pressing issue is finding a center who can help protect Goff, who was sacked 26 times in seven games.

Veteran Nick Mangold has the resume, but at 33 probably not the health. Green Bay’s JC Tretter, at 26, could grow with Goff. Cincinnati’s Andrew Whitworth, Baltimore’ s Ricky Wagner, Detroit’s Riley Reiff and Minnesota’s Matt Kalil, who played at USC, are among available tackles. Cincinnati’s Kevin Zeitler, Green Bay’s T.J. Lang and Dallas’ Ronald Leary are among available guards.

Tight ends

Veteran Lance Kendricks and second-year pros Tyler Higbee and Temarrick Hemingway are on the roster. The Rams recently signed 6-foot-7 Travis Wilson, a former Utah quarterback, as a tight end.

Martellus Bennett, who helped the New England Patriots win a Super Bowl title, is among the free-agent tight ends. Indianapolis’ Jack Doyle, former Ram Jared Cook and Miami’s Dion Sims are among others available.

Linebackers

The Rams are switching from a 4-3 to 3-4 under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. That is not as drastic as it appears because in the pass-happy NFL defenses are often in five-defensive- back alignments.

Still, the Rams are thin at linebacker. Alec Ogletree and Mark Barron are expected to fill roles on the inside so the free-agent search will be focused on players who can play outside and rush.

Green Bay’s Nick Perry, Houston’s John Simon and Denver’s DeMarcus Ware are among the outside linebackers about to hit the market. Ware, 34, played for Phillips in Dallas and Denver.

Cornerbacks

With nearly $17 million earmarked for Johnson, the Rams are not expected to spend heavily, or perhaps at all, for another free-agent cornerback.

And this is a draft deep in cornerbacks.

So free agents such as Houston’s A.J. Bouye, Buffalo’s Stephon Gilmore and New England’s Logan Ryan are most likely not in the mix with the Rams.

Safeties

With Phillips having assessed the roster, and the inability of teams to get onto the field with their players until April, this will be interesting to watch.

If the Rams let McDonald sign elsewhere, are they prepared to go into the season with Maurice Alexander and Cody Davis as the top safeties?

Arizona’s Tony Jefferson is probably too expensive for the Rams, but perhaps they will take a look at players such as Arizona’s D.J. Swearinger, Jacksonville’s Johnathan Cyprien or Dallas’ Barry Church.

More likely, they will look to the draft.

[InvaderRam]

zn wrote:

I don’t think Bonsignore has any idea how much talent is or isn;t already on the offensive roster.

The coaches are still learning themselves.

But Bonsignore seems to talk like there’s none at all.

I personally don’t buy that.

.,

i don’t either, and i also don’t think the answer is by getting even younger on offense. in fact i think that’s the exact opposite of what goff would need unless there’s blue chip talent to be had there. sign some veteran talent. a veteran wr and some up and coming oline talent and i think there’s some talent already on the team that can be developed.

meanwhile the defense has some glaring holes that could be filled with some serious talent on what might be the strongest defensive class the league has seen in a long time.

maybe this is some kind of smokescreen.

[zn]

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Just some interesting observations on the FA market this year & its relation to the draft

—

Albert Breer

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/03/06/myles-garrett-combine-cleveland-browns-nfl-draft

I think I’ll repeat that offensive linemen figure to get paid on the open market this week—and the final effect could be that guards wind up paid like tackles. Why? The offensive line franchise tag number ($14.271 million) isn’t broken down by position, which means it’s based on what left tackles make. That, in turn, makes it tough to tag even a great guard.

And so premier guards can make it to the market. As of now, there are 14 linemen making eight figures per. Only three of them are guards. Add to all of this that the coming draft class of offensive linemen is weak, and Kevin Zeitler, Ron Leary and Larry Warford could join the group, or at least settle on the fringes of it.

I think the flip side is that the market at both corner and receiver—two spots where there’s relative strength (Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall, Kenny Stills, DeSean Jackson at receiver; Bouye, Stephon Gilmore, Dre Kirkpatrick at CB)—could be adversely affected by the historic quality of the draft class at corner and strong depth of the class at receiver.

It’s not out of the question that Jeffery becomes the second- or third-highest-paid receiver in league history, and Bouye and Gilmore easily outdistance the deal Janoris Jenkins got last year. But there’ll be a number of would-be suitors who balk at the prices and sit tight until April, which is one reason why you shouldn’t panic if your team is strangely quiet in filling those needs this week.

[sdram]

I was wondering if the reported glut of DB’s in this years draft will drive down the FA prices for somebody like McDonald have a chance to resign him. Wonder if they want McDonald back? Same thing for Tru Jo. seems like there’s a good chance this And then I actually read the post above and it mentions this same thing. It’s all up in the air ain’t it.

I think the flip side is that the market at both corner and receiver—two spots where there’s relative strength (Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall, Kenny Stills, DeSean Jackson at receiver; Bouye, Stephon Gilmore, Dre Kirkpatrick at CB)—could be adversely affected by the historic quality of the draft class at corner and strong depth of the class at receiver.

It’s not out of the question that Jeffery becomes the second- or third-highest-paid receiver in league history, and Bouye and Gilmore easily outdistance the deal Janoris Jenkins got last year. But there’ll be a number of would-be suitors who balk at the prices and sit tight until April, which is one reason why you shouldn’t panic if your team is strangely quiet in filling those needs this week.

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How Will the Rams Approach Free Agency?

Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/How-Will-the-Rams-Approach-Free-Agency/6153e9b6-ab44-4c80-8a70-c1c6f28749c7

The NFL’s “legal tampering” period is already underway, with free agent deals reportedly being agreed to in principle across the league. With the Rams sporting a new coaching staff, it’s reasonable to assume the club’s roster will undergo a fair amount of turnover between now and the start of the regular season. Free agency is one avenue for Los Angeles to make that happen.

So how will the Rams approach free agency this year? Last week at the NFL Combine, general manager Les Snead detailed the organization’s usual methodology when it comes to offseason talent acquisition.

“Philosophically we’re always: Draft first and develop from within. But you’ve definitely got to use free agency to supplement,” Snead said. “With that, similar to the draft but different is, OK, you’ve got a board of UFA’s, that you would like to acquire. Some of them get franchised before we get to next Monday and maybe your board changes. And then the market forces that go into it, because we’ve got a budget to work with.

“We’re definitely planning to be active, but you’ve got to wait to see how the process goes and see who goes off the board, what they get paid, and do they factor into your big picture,” Snead continued. “But I definitely think we need to use free agency to supplement our roster.”

While head coach Sean McVay is heading into his first free agency period with the club, he said last week having Snead continue as Los Angeles’ general manager is helpful in putting together a free agency plan.

“The thing you feel great about with Les being where it’s a new staff coming in, he’s got a jump on kind of what the draft has available, where there’s depth at certain positions that we need to address,” McVay said. “And that’s going to dictate what we do in free agency — maybe we’re able to address a certain need in the draft because there is a little more depth at a certain spot. So we expect to acquire some good players both through free agency and the draft and it’s something we’re looking forward to.”

Two orders of business the Rams have taken care of over the last week are placing an original-round tender on restricted free agent defensive tackle Dominique Easley and placing the franchise tag on cornerback Trumaine Johnson for the second year in a row. While trade rumors regarding Johnson surfaced on Monday, last week Snead said the club will likely get through the offseason program before having any more long-term contract discussions with the 2012 third-round pick.

“I think what we’re going to do with Trumaine is, because everyone is knew, we need to work together, live together, see if we all fit. Does Tru fit Wade, does Wade fit Tru? Because it’s obvious by the tag number and what corners get paid, it’s a heavy investment and you want to be right. Especially when you go long term,” Snead said.

But when it comes to the Rams’ own unrestricted free agents, two of the most notable names are safety T.J. McDonald and wide receiver Kenny Britt. Asked about them at the Combine, Snead essentially had the same answer for both players.

“We have to figure out if there’s a fit with us, with him,” Snead said of Britt. “With the new offense, we have to make sure that we’re going to put in the skill guys who are fits for Sean. We’re still in that process, but I know Kenny’s going to test the market.”

And McDonald?

“It’s definitely a different scheme, but that’s what we come to the Combine for. T.J., all of our upcoming UFAs, we’re definitely meeting with them here going into next week, see how that goes and evolves,” Snead said. “Again, it’s a big-picture map. Where does TJ fit, do you need something else instead of him, thinks like that. That’s what we’re working through now.”

As for external additions, two offensive positions the Rams may address are wide receiver and offensive line. Snead said the Rams have a good sense of the market and who may fit with McVay’s offense. But it’s a bit more difficult to turnover a majority of those on the offensive line.

“I do know this: We’re definitely inclined to try to figure out who in house is going to be one of our best five. And not just best five, but No. 6, No. 7, because that means something on game day,” Snead said. “But we’re also talking about, ‘Hey, what’s the advantage of adding someone in free agency, even the draft, to help that unit out?’ It’s a puzzle that we’re trying to figure out now. But there’s definitely going to be some guys in house that are in our lineup next year.”

Still, Snead said the Rams will likely target some defensive players as well, with the scheme change from a 4-3 to a 3-4.

“There’s some positions we’re adding to our defense we didn’t have before,” Snead said. “It’s not just one position, it’s multiple.”

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