[Elvis]

Rams roster needs: Which players might they target in free agency and the draft?

BY GARY KLEIN
STAFF WRITER
FEB. 26, 2024

No more rebuild, remodel, reframe or however the Rams defined their frugal 2023 spending approach.

After achieving an unexpected 10-7 record and earning a playoff appearance, the Rams in the upcoming season will be regarded by some as potential Super Bowl contenders.

And they are flush with salary-cap space to build the roster.

Last week, the salary cap was set at $255.4 million, an increase of more than $30 million from 2023. The Rams currently have about $40 million in cap space, according to overthecap.com.

The NFL scouting combine begins Monday in Indianapolis, free agency opens in March and the draft will be held April 25-27 in Detroit.

Coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead, for the third year in a row, will be absent from the combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Instead, McVay, Snead and pro and college scouting personnel will review game video, and video from the combine, workouts, pro-day workouts on college campuses and in-person workouts.

It’s a predraft approach that works for the Rams.

Last year, they netted receiver Puka Nacua, guard Steve Avila, nose tackle Kobie Turner and outside linebacker Byron Young, all of whom played significant roles.

The Rams hold the No. 19 pick in the draft, but there is no guarantee Snead will make a first-round pick for the first time since 2016. History suggests he will trade back for more picks.

The Rams also have a pick in the second, third, fifth and sixth rounds. They will be awarded a compensation pick for Raheem Morris’ departure to become coach of the Atlanta Falcons, and they are expected to receive compensation picks for the free-agent departures of Baker Mayfield and Matt Gay, and possibly Nick Scott and A’Shawn Robinson.

Here are five questions facing the Rams as they prepare for free agency and the draft:

Should the Rams invest long term in a star edge rusher?
Dante Fowler Jr. Leonard Floyd. Von Miller.

They all played for the Rams, but the team under McVay has not signed a marquee edge rusher to a long-term deal. The philosophy has worked — the Rams made Super Bowl appearances to cap the 2018 and 2021 seasons — but adding a proven player to complement star tackle Aaron Donald and the emerging Young could help new defensive coordinator Chris Shula make his mark.

The Michael Hoecht experiment at outside linebacker in 2023 did not pan out, so the Rams might be poised to make a move.

The Rams reportedly flirted in the past with the Carolina Panthers about Brian Burns, and now the 25-year-old is a free agent. So is Jacksonville Jaguars star Josh Allen (26), the New York Jets’ Bryce Huff (25) and and the San Francisco 49ers’ Chase Young (24).

Do the Rams require a lockdown cornerback to be a serious contender?
In 2018, the Rams made a Super Bowl run with cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib. In 2021, star cornerback Jalen Ramsey led the secondary.

Last season, the Rams attempted to get by with Ahkello Witherspoon, who played on a veteran-minimum contract, and second-year pros Derion Kendrick and Cobie Durant.

Ramsey’s former Miami Dolphins teammate Xavien Howard, 30, was released last week. He joins a free-agent class that includes Jaylon Johnson, L’Jarius Sneed. Kendall Fuller, Chidobe Awuzie and Stephon Gilmore.

Rams safety Jordan Fuller, a team captain, is a pending unrestricted free agent. The Rams are likely to let him test the market before deciding whether to re-sign him.

Is now the time to address the quarterback of the future?
Matthew Stafford, 36, cannot go on forever — though he is signed through 2026 and, based on his 2023 season, there is no reason to anticipate a dropoff in performance.

The Rams thought that they found Stafford’s backup and possible successor when they drafted Stetson Bennett in the fourth round last year. But the former Georgia star spent his rookie season on the nonfootball injury/illness list for an undisclosed issue. His future with the team is uncertain.

Will Snead trade for, sign or draft another quarterback?

With the Rams picking at No. 19, USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye appear out of reach. But Snead has proved — see Jared Goff in 2016 — he is capable of engineering historic draft feats.

Louisiana State’s Jayden Daniels, Oregon’s Bo Nix, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy and Washington’s Michael Penix are other prospects that could learn and develop behind Stafford.

Are the Rams willing to pay a premium for an interior offensive lineman?
On the eve of last season, the Rams’ traded two midround draft picks to the Pittsburgh Steelers for guard Kevin Dotson.

It turned out to be a huge coup for the Rams.

Dotson started 14 games at right guard and is now regarded as perhaps the top free agent at his position, putting him in line to cash in.

Rams guard Kevin Dotson blocks Detroit's James Mitchell during a playoff game last season.
Rams guard Kevin Dotson, who was a stellar acquisition last offseason, blocks Detroit’s James Mitchell during a playoff game last season. (Duane Burleson / Associated Press)
Dotson said near the end of last season that he would love to stay with the Rams, but the Rams under McVay have never paid a premium for a guard. With Avila’s success as a rookie on the left side, the Rams could opt to repeat the success on the right through the draft.

Left tackle is another position of intrigue.

Alaric Jackson, who beat out Joe Noteboom and started 15 games, is a restricted free agent. The Rams can tender an offer to Jackson and will have the right of first refusal if he receives offers from other teams. The versatile Noteboom, carrying a salary-cap number of $20 million, is a candidate for a restructured contract or, possibly, a release.

Can the Rams find a current and/or future replacement for tight end Tyler Higbee?
Higbee, 31, suffered a major knee injury in the Rams’ wild-card playoff loss to the Detroit Lions.

The eight-year veteran is expected to work his way back, but it remains to be seen how soon a player who will carry a $12.1 million salary-cap number can be at full strength.

Davis Allen, a 2023 fifth-round pick from Clemson, showed promise as a rookie. The Rams are not expected to re-sign Brycen Hopkins.

Dalton Schultz, Hunter Henry, Noah Fant and former Ram Gerald Everett are among available free agents.

[Elvis]

Good article, sizes up things well but this is the Rams beat writer for the LA Times who's been on the beat since they came back to LA. Shouldn't he be able to offer us a little insight into what the Rams are thinking, what they're likely to do?

Maybe i'm just unwilling/unable to understand how things work nowadays but it never ceases to amaze me how little added value we seem to be getting here.

As for one of the questions, should the Rams start looking for their next QB now? I know a lot of people will say yes but i'm in the i don't care camp.

So much unanticipated stuff happens, it's so hard to know what you'll have in a player, there's a good chance your plans will go awry. The further you plan ahead, the more likely things will change before you get to execute the plan.

I know there are good examples of it working but there are plenty where it doesn't too.

Also we don't know what McVay really wants in his next QB. Does he want to develop a rookie, find his own Mahomes? Does he prefer veterans like Stafford instead?

Anyway, i'm not staying don't do it but i'm okay pushing that further down the road too.

I mean look at the switch from Goff to Stafford, there was no grand plan there, just an opportunity that came up and worked out great. If anything the plan was to stick with Goff considering the contract they gave him and that plan fell apart pretty quickly.

Things change...

[ramsman34]

Frankly, any one of us here could have written that Capt. Obvious article. Jourdan and Jake seem to be the only ones who get any real inside stuff. And even that is sparse. The Rams are good at poker.

I’m starting to think they let Dotson walk if they think they’ll get a 3rd round comp pick. Then they will get one of the top IOL in the draft in the hope they can repeat last year with Avila. They will re sign A Jax, tender a bunch more then try to retain the keys guys from the 2023 team. I think they make a play for one of the released edge guys and not trade for one. Likely K Mack or Uche from the Pats. I think they are looking hard at how to draft Brock Bowers. But there are some FAs A Schultz and Henry who would thrive under MCV. Corner is the trickiest one to predict. I think they want 2 and Witherspoon could be one of them. I think they draft another RB. All speculation of course but as “informed” as any beat writer. lol.

[PARAM]

Good article, sizes up things well but this is the Rams beat writer for the LA Times who's been on the beat since they came back to LA. Shouldn't he be able to offer us a little insight into what the Rams are thinking, what they're likely to do?

Maybe i'm just unwilling/unable to understand how things work nowadays but it never ceases to amaze me how little added value we seem to be getting here.

As for one of the questions, should the Rams start looking for their next QB now? I know a lot of people will say yes but i'm in the i don't care camp.

So much unanticipated stuff happens, it's so hard to know what you'll have in a player, there's a good chance your plans will go awry. The further you plan ahead, the more likely things will change before you get to execute the plan.

I know there are good examples of it working but there are plenty where it doesn't too.

Also we don't know what McVay really wants in his next QB. Does he want to develop a rookie, find his own Mahomes? Does he prefer veterans like Stafford instead?

Anyway, i'm not staying don't do it but i'm okay pushing that further down the road too.

I mean look at the switch from Goff to Stafford, there was no grand plan there, just an opportunity that came up and worked out great. If anything the plan was to stick with Goff considering the contract they gave him and that plan fell apart pretty quickly.

Things change...

I'm with you Elvis. Get a QB in the draft now? Sign a vet later as needed? But we can't rely on that "Stafford Opportunity" showing up again.

I’m starting to think they let Dotson walk if they think they’ll get a 3rd round comp pick. Then they will get one of the top IOL in the draft in the hope they can repeat last year with Avila. They will re sign A Jax, tender a bunch more then try to retain the keys guys from the 2023 team. I think they make a play for one of the released edge guys and not trade for one. Likely K Mack or Uche from the Pats. I think they are looking hard at how to draft Brock Bowers. But there are some FAs A Schultz and Henry who would thrive under MCV. Corner is the trickiest one to predict. I think they want 2 and Witherspoon could be one of them. I think they draft another RB. All speculation of course but as “informed” as any beat writer. lol.

I don't know what to think about Dotson. They made it known they're "trying to get something done with Shelton" but crickets on Dotson. It could be he's determined to test the market. They may have slipped him an offer (or not) that he's mulling and I would think if somebody blows that out of the water, he's gone. If they haven't talked contract with him or made him an offer, he may already be gone. Get Shelton and Alaric back and draft a beast IOL.

Edge? I wouldn't mind Mack or Uche but that's going to come with a high price tag. They did well finding Young so is there another OLB in the draft they feel could repeat that process? Perhaps they believe with Turner and Young beside AD in 2024, they will be even better? Do they absolutely "need" an expensive star Edge player? I'd love a reunion with Floyd.....if it came with a 31 year old price tag.

Bowers would be a coup but that would have to be the pick at #19 and would that leave an OLB or IOL available at #52 and #83? Zinter would be a great pick after round 1 but I don't know his prognosis or timeline for recovery. I'm sure they do.

I am of the mind, make sure the OL is set right. Dotson, Shelton or one and a 1st round stud at #19...doesn't matter to me. But some combination of that. Having a stud Edge player isn't going to help if Stafford is on his back and Williams is running into OL asses.

CB? I'm not so sure they don't like Kendricks, Durant and Tomlinson. Unproven or so far proven to be liabilities most believe but third year for those two and second for Tomlinson could produce something there. We'll see but I'm sure they will add to that room in the draft and possibly free agency. Doesn't mean those 3 won't develop in 2024.

We're in a good place. We have a top heavy cap but we have a young team overall. And we're gonna get younger will 9-11 rookies from the draft.

They stopped going to the combine 2 years ago. What kind of drafts did that produce? Pretty good, I'd say. They have to be confident in their process. I know I am.

So what are our needs? IMHO... >>>>

#1 IOL
#2 Edge
#3 TE
#4 RB
#5 CB
#6 ILB
#7- 8 OT/DT DT/OT
#9 (#2) QB
#10 WR
#11 PK

It doesn't matter to me what round they get those guys in, or whether they get some in the draft and some in free agency, as long as they get those guys.

[Elvis]

Snead has said a lot of teams will want Dotson and the Rams are one of them. This will be his 2nd contract, his best chance to really make some money. He's not passing that up and the Rams probably, ultimately, aren't the team that will pay him.

Shelton isn't as much of a big ticket item so i think a deal could get done there.

Then again it's the Rams, there's no one way they always do things, you can never say for sure...

[BrooklynRam74]

If Dotson is too costly, sign Shelton and move to RG and Draft JPJ for Center.

Actually the Interior combo of Avila, JPJ, and Shelton are interchangeable at the 3 positions. Still, should make am earnest effort for Dotson though.

[JackPMiller]

Besides signing Dotson, I hope we go after AJ Espensa or Shaw Lawso. Either one would be a good fit for us at Edge Rusher. Draft CB in round 1, like Kool Aid McKinstry, and a Center in round 2. I like Sedrick Van Pran or Zach Frazier.

[actionjack]

Rams roster needs: Which players might they target in free agency and the draft?

BY GARY KLEIN
STAFF WRITER
FEB. 26, 2024

No more rebuild, remodel, reframe or however the Rams defined their frugal 2023 spending approach.

After achieving an unexpected 10-7 record and earning a playoff appearance, the Rams in the upcoming season will be regarded by some as potential Super Bowl contenders.

And they are flush with salary-cap space to build the roster.

Last week, the salary cap was set at $255.4 million, an increase of more than $30 million from 2023. The Rams currently have about $40 million in cap space, according to overthecap.com.

The NFL scouting combine begins Monday in Indianapolis, free agency opens in March and the draft will be held April 25-27 in Detroit.

Coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead, for the third year in a row, will be absent from the combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Instead, McVay, Snead and pro and college scouting personnel will review game video, and video from the combine, workouts, pro-day workouts on college campuses and in-person workouts.

It’s a predraft approach that works for the Rams.

Last year, they netted receiver Puka Nacua, guard Steve Avila, nose tackle Kobie Turner and outside linebacker Byron Young, all of whom played significant roles.

The Rams hold the No. 19 pick in the draft, but there is no guarantee Snead will make a first-round pick for the first time since 2016. History suggests he will trade back for more picks.

The Rams also have a pick in the second, third, fifth and sixth rounds. They will be awarded a compensation pick for Raheem Morris’ departure to become coach of the Atlanta Falcons, and they are expected to receive compensation picks for the free-agent departures of Baker Mayfield and Matt Gay, and possibly Nick Scott and A’Shawn Robinson.

Here are five questions facing the Rams as they prepare for free agency and the draft:

Should the Rams invest long term in a star edge rusher?
Dante Fowler Jr. Leonard Floyd. Von Miller.

They all played for the Rams, but the team under McVay has not signed a marquee edge rusher to a long-term deal. The philosophy has worked — the Rams made Super Bowl appearances to cap the 2018 and 2021 seasons — but adding a proven player to complement star tackle Aaron Donald and the emerging Young could help new defensive coordinator Chris Shula make his mark.

The Michael Hoecht experiment at outside linebacker in 2023 did not pan out, so the Rams might be poised to make a move.

The Rams reportedly flirted in the past with the Carolina Panthers about Brian Burns, and now the 25-year-old is a free agent. So is Jacksonville Jaguars star Josh Allen (26), the New York Jets’ Bryce Huff (25) and and the San Francisco 49ers’ Chase Young (24).

Do the Rams require a lockdown cornerback to be a serious contender?
In 2018, the Rams made a Super Bowl run with cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib. In 2021, star cornerback Jalen Ramsey led the secondary.

Last season, the Rams attempted to get by with Ahkello Witherspoon, who played on a veteran-minimum contract, and second-year pros Derion Kendrick and Cobie Durant.

Ramsey’s former Miami Dolphins teammate Xavien Howard, 30, was released last week. He joins a free-agent class that includes Jaylon Johnson, L’Jarius Sneed. Kendall Fuller, Chidobe Awuzie and Stephon Gilmore.

Rams safety Jordan Fuller, a team captain, is a pending unrestricted free agent. The Rams are likely to let him test the market before deciding whether to re-sign him.

Is now the time to address the quarterback of the future?
Matthew Stafford, 36, cannot go on forever — though he is signed through 2026 and, based on his 2023 season, there is no reason to anticipate a dropoff in performance.

The Rams thought that they found Stafford’s backup and possible successor when they drafted Stetson Bennett in the fourth round last year. But the former Georgia star spent his rookie season on the nonfootball injury/illness list for an undisclosed issue. His future with the team is uncertain.

Will Snead trade for, sign or draft another quarterback?

With the Rams picking at No. 19, USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye appear out of reach. But Snead has proved — see Jared Goff in 2016 — he is capable of engineering historic draft feats.

Louisiana State’s Jayden Daniels, Oregon’s Bo Nix, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy and Washington’s Michael Penix are other prospects that could learn and develop behind Stafford.

Are the Rams willing to pay a premium for an interior offensive lineman?
On the eve of last season, the Rams’ traded two midround draft picks to the Pittsburgh Steelers for guard Kevin Dotson.

It turned out to be a huge coup for the Rams.

Dotson started 14 games at right guard and is now regarded as perhaps the top free agent at his position, putting him in line to cash in.

Rams guard Kevin Dotson blocks Detroit's James Mitchell during a playoff game last season.
Rams guard Kevin Dotson, who was a stellar acquisition last offseason, blocks Detroit’s James Mitchell during a playoff game last season. (Duane Burleson / Associated Press)
Dotson said near the end of last season that he would love to stay with the Rams, but the Rams under McVay have never paid a premium for a guard. With Avila’s success as a rookie on the left side, the Rams could opt to repeat the success on the right through the draft.

Left tackle is another position of intrigue.

Alaric Jackson, who beat out Joe Noteboom and started 15 games, is a restricted free agent. The Rams can tender an offer to Jackson and will have the right of first refusal if he receives offers from other teams. The versatile Noteboom, carrying a salary-cap number of $20 million, is a candidate for a restructured contract or, possibly, a release.

Can the Rams find a current and/or future replacement for tight end Tyler Higbee?
Higbee, 31, suffered a major knee injury in the Rams’ wild-card playoff loss to the Detroit Lions.

The eight-year veteran is expected to work his way back, but it remains to be seen how soon a player who will carry a $12.1 million salary-cap number can be at full strength.

Davis Allen, a 2023 fifth-round pick from Clemson, showed promise as a rookie. The Rams are not expected to re-sign Brycen Hopkins.

Dalton Schultz, Hunter Henry, Noah Fant and former Ram Gerald Everett are among available free agents.

Yep that old school reporting right there, no insider info at all. Frankly they probably dont get paid enough to do anymore. Jourdan is the go to now for sure.

I was in the get a QB camp based on the amount of talent that is in this draft and we have a decent amount of draft picks. If one of the guys falls into the 2nd or 3rd I would be game. What better way to learn then to have a QB like Stafford in the room. Keep an eye on Spencer Rattler. BTW you could tell that Stafford wasnt onboard during camp with Stetson, something was off.

With the Rams signing D Rob, dont need a WR this draft. There appears to be lots of options at Edge in FA or trade so I would go that route. As good BY was a rookie, he frankly didnt make much of an impact in the second half of the season, our outside rush was woeful.

So draft CB, OL, TE. then focus on QB, edge, safety, ILB

[PARAM]

I love reading everybody's take on the order of needs. Nobody is wrong. We're gonna see what THEY think and that's all that counts. Watch them do something nobody expected.