Offseason Roster Insanity

[Oyster]

Didn't Higs just become the greatest RAM tight end ever, stat wise? He's been off this year, but who wasn't. The Broncos game showed me he's still valuable.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Didn't Higs just become the greatest RAM tight end ever, stat wise? He's been off this year, but who wasn't. The Broncos game showed me he's still valuable.

We can pick & choose his value & future skill-set, which I believe are diminishing, but when you are up against the CAP, finding savings may be necessary. Hopkins is 4 years younger, less expensive and may be lost to free agency after the 2023 season if not utilized. Losing both Higbee & Hopkins together in free agency next year is a problem the Rams need to address soon. Higbee did have a good game against the Broncos, as did Hopkins, I choose to see it as enhancing Higs' trade value. jmo.

 

[Allen2McVay]

Didn't Higs just become the greatest RAM tight end ever, stat wise? \

Yep! Believe he broke all of Joe Klopfenstein's Rams' records.

@Loyal said it would never happen.

 

[Merlin]

We can pick & choose his value & future skill-set, which I believe are diminishing, but when you are up against the CAP, finding savings may be necessary. Hopkins is 4 years younger, less expensive and may be lost to free agency after the 2023 season if not utilized. Losing both Higbee & Hopkins together in free agency next year is a problem the Rams need to address soon. Higbee did have a good game against the Broncos, as did Hopkins, I choose to see it as enhancing Higs' trade value. jmo.

I don't see Higs as a great focus for saving money but if they want to start featuring Hopkins then yes it would be a good way to trim some fat because he is inconsistent as F. So it would have to be because you want to see more of Hopkins.

Who, btw, has also been infuriating. I mean who is he. Is he the guy who can't sniff the field when our TE position looks like a nuclear fallout zone. Or is he the guy who shows out time to time. He's never been a great blocker of course, but then again Higs is hit and miss as hell there too. So idk man.

TE is depressing to look at on this roster. And as bad as it is what happens if we get rid of Higs and McVay has Snead draft some shitbag who can't block at all and we're left with zero ability to block on the edge. Ugh.

 

[Riverumbbq]

I don't see Higs as a great focus for saving money but if they want to start featuring Hopkins then yes it would be a good way to trim some fat because he is inconsistent as F. So it would have to be because you want to see more of Hopkins.

Who, btw, has also been infuriating. I mean who is he. Is he the guy who can't sniff the field when our TE position looks like a nuclear fallout zone. Or is he the guy who shows out time to time. He's never been a great blocker of course, but then again Higs is hit and miss as hell there too. So idk man.

TE is depressing to look at on this roster. And as bad as it is what happens if we get rid of Higs and McVay has Snead draft some shitbag who can't block at all and we're left with zero ability to block on the edge. Ugh.

$3.4M in Higbee savings isn't to be scoffed at, especially if paired with a few others like Allen, Floyd & Van Jefferson. Individually the savings might seem small, but collectively they add up, and we haven't yet touched our big 6 player contracts of Stafford, Donald, Ramsey, Kupp, Wagner & Allen Robinson. Mind you, I don't trade Floyd unless we have already traded ourselves for someone like Brian Burns. The Rams could create approximately $10M in CAP space among these 4 and likely garner 3 pretty decent draft picks for the trouble.
And yes, I would very much like to see more of Hopkins before we lose him to free agency.
jmo.

 

[Ellard80]

It's not just Creed - I would have been happy with any OL instead of Atwell

Not that I don't agree... but we have seen this organization swing and miss with many OL draft picks as well.

 

[oldnotdead]

View: https://twitter.com/JourdanRodrigue/status/1607584685357666305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1607584685357666305%7Ctwgr%5E5740faa0a65e54ea04c3fe351bba4e9878d23c74%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.turfshowtimes.com%2F2022%2F12%2F27%2F23526260%2Frams-news-baker-mayfield-sean-mcvay-quote



A reason to think that McVay will look at Shelton as their starting Center moving forward. He's been more durable than Allen. Allen might be cut but it makes more sense just to carry him as depth for at least another year.

So we could be looking at a starting OL of:

LT Noteboom if he can return from Achilles tear, if not Jackson.
LG Jackson because he played very well at RG
C Shelton
RG Bruss or Aboushi
RT Havenstein (one more year)

Swing: OT Nsekhe, C/OG Allen, OG Anchrum or Brewer, OG/RT Thomas

I think they might view Aboushi as a bridge for Bruss, depending upon how Bruss looks in TC

 

[Riverumbbq]

A reason to think that McVay will look at Shelton as their starting Center moving forward. He's been more durable than Allen. Allen might be cut but it makes more sense just to carry him as depth for at least another year.

So we could be looking at a starting OL of:

LT Noteboom if he can return from Achilles tear, if not Jackson.
LG Jackson because he played very well at RG
C Shelton
RG Bruss or Aboushi
RT Havenstein (one more year)

Swing: OT Nsekhe, C/OG Allen, OG Anchrum or Brewer, OG/RT Thomas

I think they might view Aboushi as a bridge for Bruss, depending upon how Bruss looks in TC

I don't believe Noteboom will return until Oct/Nov 2023, and depending on how well the OL is playing (particularly at LT) should factor into his re-starting date. The Rams are in need of filling what is likely a vacant LG position, drafting a Center/OG high (late 2'nd/early 3'rd) gives us an immediate starter at LG and a strong future at Center. Bruss, Anchrum, Brewer & Aboushi make for a pretty incredible group competing for those remaining OG jobs, whether as starters or back-ups or practice squad members. Coleman & possibly even Skura could be our Center depth next year if the Rams move on from Allen, and should our team draft a top OG/C, he too would soon be in play as Center depth.

My own list of OL depth would look more like this at the beginning of 2023 :

LT) Jackson, Nsekhe (Noteboom upon his return)
LG) Very high draft pick starts, Anchrum, Brewer, Skura
C) Shelton, Skura, (the highly drafted OG/C)
RG) Bruss, Brewer, Aboushi, Anchrum
RT) Havenstein, Arcuri or Max Pircher

My suspicions have us drafting both an OG/C type and an OT in 2023.

jmo.

 

[Merlin]

Shelton is definitely a different player at center. He's very much a depth player at OG but at the pivot he has been our best performer and not just in that last game.

I remember Faulk saying he felt Shelton was better than Allen, and agreeing with him. That was a while ago. This is not new. Hopefully next year Shelton is center only and we will have good OGs to move people off the ball next to him.

 

[Corbin]

You stalkin' me?

What a steely eyed missile man…