OL Free Agent List... Time to go shopping

[fearsomefour]

Dakota Dozier from the Vikings is the kind of FA the Rams could be signing. Can play either T spot.
Is playing for $800 K this year.
Not sure how he is as a scheme fit.
Heck, the Raiders landed Incognito for $2M.
I’m not suggesting him but he is a key cog in their line and gets great push in the running game.
The Rams will have to do bargain shopping I think. A top rated G at $10 M a year, I just can’t see it.
But, who knows?

 

[Mackeyser]

I think we tried to pull a trade, maybe for Scherff and couldn’t get it done.

 

[PressureD41]

Either way you slice it, We need a top OC and either a LT or OG this off season. Might need #77 back for one more year

 

[Riverumbbq]

we will have 26mil to pay w/. Demoff will fine a way he always does

Perhaps even a bit more should the Rams decide to part ways with Roby-Coleman & Troy Hill.

I'm starting to think that Littleton won't be returning, the Rams have limits what they'll pay players at certain positions, and ILB hasn't really been an area where Wade Phillips, McVay, Snead or Demoff may want to spend declining CAPital.
Roby-Coleman & Troy Hill could bring some late round draft picks in a year we won't have as many, and moving them adds approximately $7.5mil. to that current $26mil. figure. Seems we might have heard something if Littleton & the Rams were hammering out a contract, there was certainly plenty of noise prior to the Donald, Gurley & Goff extensions. While Littleton continues to enhance his value by playing well, Zuerlein hasn't been helping himself lately, so a big raise not only may be out of the question, but just holding onto his Kicking position may be jeopardized if he doesn't get things turned around fairly quickly.
$33.5mil in available CAP looks a lot better when you don't plan on keeping many of your older UFA vets, so fixing the OL with a free agent, draft picks & current players isn't really out of the question if that's how they choose to prioritize 2020 spending. jmo.

 

[Soul Surfer]

There has never been a time anywhere in the history of football that you can switch around three players on the offensive line in the middle of the game and replace one with a rookie and expect to win a close game.

I admit that I was overly optimistic about their ability to have this offensive line up and going by midseason because they obviously do not with the loss of Allen in particular.

I have mentioned before that I thought they should have slid over Blythe into the center spot from the get-go and use Noteboom at Left Guard and have an open competition for Right Guard.

Blythe will never be more then a bottom level guard at that size in today's NFL but he has a chance to be an above average Center.

I was never sold on Allen simply because I didn't see him play.
Now he looks like he'd be a good backup to a highly drafted Center.

I truly think that 60 to 65% of the ability of your football team, the ENTIRE team, lies in the abilities of the offensive line.

 

[Soul Surfer]

My depth chart for next year after vetting these guys thoroughly this year in practice and games.

Starters;
LT- Whitworth(?) After evaluating his performance this year and his eagerness to start again. Or a free agent.

LG- Edwards/Noteboom

C- Blythe, if he signs for vet minimum.

Edwards/Noteboom

RT- Havenstein

Backups;

LT- Evans(?) Unless he beats out Edwards or Noteboom in camp.

LG- Evans

C- Draft pick/Allen

RG- Evans

RT- Evans

The two things I would really like to see them do is figure out your best five at their positions and stick with it giving them some playing time during preseason to get them ready for the real season.

I'm also a big proponent of next man up which they did not do against Pittsburgh when they switched three players around.

I understand them sliding Blythe over but why not put Corbett at Right Guard instead of switching Edwards over there and Corbett at Left Guard?
That messed up the whole line.

 

[MadGoat]

If they let Fowler go, most of these guys would cost the Rams a likely 3rd round compensatory pick. I'm not saying it's going to keep a signing from happening, but there will be an added cost and we know Snead loves his free picks.

A trade would make sense if they could pull it off and allow them to keep their pick.

 

[PhillyRam]

Rams have 26 million in cap space after draft pool.

That's after letting all their UFAs leave, and only Littleton, Legatron and Fowler I'd consider keeping. They'll likely lose 1 of those backers. Existing contracts have to be restructured.

Releasing Weddle saves $4M
Trading Roby-Coleman saves $4M

Re-do a deal here and there and they can get to $40M before FA starts.

 

[BonifayRam]

Trying to find suitable OL material @ this time of the season is like diving into a dumpster for your next meal.

McVay & Kromer have not experienced this regular OL massive injury events since they arrived. They have been riding high for two seasons now normal NFL reality has arrived. 9ers lost both their starting OT's early & keep right on ticking without much trouble. Seahawks have had injury issues all season in their OL & keep on winning.

This 2019 OL was weak & ineffective when the season began.

 

[Soul Surfer]

Seahawks have had injury issues all season in their OL & keep on winning.

I am mot sure if this counts as a true example because Russell Wilson almost looks better when the pocket collapses.

Which is freaking crazy!

 

[Soul Surfer]

This 2019 OL was weak & ineffective when the season began.

And it never really had the chance to improve with the injuries to Noteboom and now Allen.

We had a chance until the injuries hit and then Edwards would have been our top guy off the bench.

Now we'll be lucky to be competitive in most games, (though I truly think we will be) and if we don't have any more major injuries.

 

[Soul Surfer]

Releasing Weddle saves $4M
Trading Roby-Coleman saves $4M

Is this an example of your dry sense of humor?

 

[PhillyRam]

Is this an example of your dry sense of humor?

If you want to keep Littleton and or sign a decent OL or two, plus extend Kupp & Johnson, you cant pay your nickel CB $4M or keep an aging S... especially after you just drafted Rapp & Long... Guys that can slide right in to those spots next yr.

I think that is fairly obvious at this point.

 

[Merlin]

Either way you slice it, We need a top OC and either a LT or OG this off season. Might need #77 back for one more year

Key with Whit is cost. Will he take the team friendly deal he didn't take in Cincinnati? And the Rams need a plan in place in the event his dropoff continues. Age is really catching up with him.

Rams are going to pony up the bucks for a FA on the line this offseason and it won't be Whit. But yeah I'm ok with an affordable deal.

 

[Merlin]

My depth chart for next year after vetting these guys thoroughly this year in practice and games.

Starters;
LT- Whitworth(?) After evaluating his performance this year and his eagerness to start again. Or a free agent.

LG- Edwards/Noteboom

C- Blythe, if he signs for vet minimum.

Edwards/Noteboom

RT- Havenstein

I don't think standing pat is going to cut it SS. Rams need a plus addition to this group at a minimum and there will be options in FA.

 

[Merlin]

If you want to keep Littleton and or sign a decent OL or two, plus extend Kupp & Johnson, you cant pay your nickel CB $4M or keep an aging S... especially after you just drafted Rapp & Long... Guys that can slide right in to those spots next yr.

I think that is fairly obvious at this point.

I agree. Mentioned NRC in another post a while back myself as a likely cap casualty. He's a good player but you can find nickel CBs well into every draft and we probably have one on our roster. I think Long will replace him.

Supply and demand and this is a business, it's a tough deal.

 

[Merlin]

Anybody thinking those 5 names on the Guard list are going to be cheaper or the same as Saffold should put down the drinks this early on a Monday. Tackles won't be cheaper either. We're going to have to build through the draft or with low level free agents nobody on that list will be a Ram aside from maybe Whitworth.

I am 100% certain you will be wrong on this OS. Rams will have the cash and every reason to get after some good FA options.

Here's the Rams' 2020 contracts on the offensive line:

LT: Whit $11M comes off the books
LG: Edwards or Boom both sub $1M cap hit
C: Allen sub $1M cap hit
RG: Blythe comes off the books (and was sub $1M anyway)
RT: Havenstein $7.8M cap hit

Whatever the cost they will add at least one FA this upcoming offseason. I prefer a top quality addition myself and build around him but it might be more aggressive than that we'll see.

Rams are not gonna F around. They know they need to get that OL right for the 2020 season and opening the new stadium.

 

[OldSchool]

I am 100% certain you will be wrong on this OS. Rams will have the cash and every reason to get after some good FA options.

Here's the Rams' 2020 contracts on the offensive line:

LT: Whit $11M comes off the books
LG: Edwards or Boom both sub $1M cap hit
C: Allen sub $1M cap hit
RG: Blythe comes off the books (and was sub $1M anyway)
RT: Havenstein $7.8M cap hit

Whatever the cost they will add at least one FA this upcoming offseason. I prefer a top quality addition myself and build around him but it might be more aggressive than that we'll see.

Rams are not gonna F around. They know they need to get that OL right for the 2020 season and opening the new stadium.

Nothing said there changes the realities of the Rams salary cap situation. I get it I want the OLine improved to and we’ll see what happens. The Rams are 24th in available cap space next year and a lot of teams have three or four times the cap space we have. The facts don’t do anything to make it look like it’s going to be as easy to improve the line through free agency. We’re going to have months of free agency vent threads next offseason.

 

[Soul Surfer]

If you want to keep Littleton and or sign a decent OL or two, plus extend Kupp & Johnson, you cant pay your nickel CB $4M or keep an aging S... especially after you just drafted Rapp & Long... Guys that can slide right in to those spots next yr.

I think that is fairly obvious at this point.

I'm not a numbers guy but I guarantee you they're going to find a way to keep Robey-Coleman.


They will re-evaluate Weddle in the offseason but those guys are relatively cheap for starters.

I read these gloom and doom things throughout the year about where they don't have the money, etc. but somehow they manage to sign the players they need and the ones that they let go seemed to diminish when they move on rather than remain stars at their positions.

And I personally never mentioned anything about signing free agent o lineman.

 

[Soul Surfer]

I don't think standing pat is going to cut it SS. Rams need a plus addition to this group at a minimum and there will be options in FA.

"Plus editions" can be very expensive.
However that is always an option if they can get somebody and we stay under the cap.