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https://www.ocregister.com/2018/02/23/bonsignore-making-the-rams-roster-moves-as-gm-for-a-day/
Bonsignore: Making Rams roster moves as GM for a day (updated)
Among the difficult roster decisions the Rams face this offseason: What to do with outside linebacker/pass rusher Robert Quinn, left. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
1 COMMENT
By VINCENT BONSIGNORE | vbonsignore@scng.com | Daily News
PUBLISHED: February 23, 2018 at 9:00 am | UPDATED: February 28, 2018 at 5:14 pm
Editor’s note: Approximately one hour after this analysis was originally posted, news broke that the Rams were trading for Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters. The article has been updated to reflect that development.
The offseason the Rams face in 2018 is dramatically less urgent and daunting than what they encountered a year ago.
A new coaching staff was just getting settled in and questions and concerns were lurking around every corner for a franchise that hadn’t had a winning season since 2003. An upgrade at left tackle and center were badly needed and a mediocre wide receiver corps required urgent care. A culture needed to be changed and a locker room needed to be saved and restored.
ADVERTISING
As for young running back Todd Gurley and quarterback Jared Goff, uncertainty was rampant. Were they franchise-caliber players or first-round whiffs?
It was, to say the least, an ominous time.
A year later, it can safely be said nearly every concern and task at hand were decisively addressed. If the Rams weren’t hitting home runs — dynamic head coach Sean McVay, Pro Bowl left tackle Andrew Whitworth and dependable wide receiver Robert Woods come to mind — they were driving screaming line drives to the outfield wall with the drafting of Cooper Kupp and additions of center John Sullivan and wide receiver Sammy Watkins. Gurley was restored as one of the best running backs in the NFL and Goff made a gigantic leap from rookie worry to second-year Pro Bowler.
All of which helped the Rams make one of the most dramatic turnarounds in NFL history, their offense going from the worst in the league to the best while surging to an 11-5 regular-season record — their first winning season since 2003 — while claiming their first division title since 2004.
Clearly it makes for a much less anxious offseason this year — especially after trading for Chiefs All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters in a move that changes the dynamics of their to-do list. But make no mistake, they have a lot of work ahead to remain as good as they were last season. Let alone close the gap between themselves and upper echelon.
So we’re putting on our general manager and capologist caps to lend a helping hand.
Here’s what we’d do if we were in the Rams’ G.M. chair:
RE-SIGN FREE AGENT LAMARCUS JOYNER, LET TRUMAINE JOHNSON WALK
Seven months ago, it seemed inevitable the Rams and Johnson would be parting ways at the end of the season. Johnson, who the Rams utilized their franchise tag on for the second consecutive year, even conceded as much at the opening of training camp.
And while Johnson played better than anyone could have expected while emerging as a valued locker room leader, his Rams fate was essentially sealed when the club traded for Peters, a 25-year-old lock-down defender who will make $15 million less than what Johnson made last year.
The move for Peters gives the Rams much more flexibility, and enables them to bring back Joyner stress free relative to their salary cap. Joyner can remain at safety, where he emerged as a reliable run stuffer and pass defender in his first year as a starter, or begin the year at corner in place of Kayvon Webster, who went down at the end of 2017 with a ruptured achillies tendon.
The Rams have roughly $46 million available under the salary cap, and likely more if they part ways with veterans Tavon Austin, Mark Barron and Robert Quinn. Getting Joyner under contract is absolutely a must.
FRANCHISE TAG WIDE RECEIVER SAMMY WATKINS
There are valid arguments to be made for bringing Watkins back or letting him walk as an unrestricted free agent. On one hand, he represents the kind of dynamic home-run hitter the Rams have lacked for years at wide receiver. On the other, he simply did not statistically live up to the hype after they traded for him near the end of training camp.
Watkins finished with 39 catches for 593 yards and eight touchdowns. Good but not great numbers for No. 1-caliber receiver.
That’s where the franchise tag comes in so handy.
If, as some suggest, Watkins’ numbers were merely the result of him arriving late in camp and not having a full year to work with Goff, bringing him back on a one-year deal buys time to figure out whether he’s part of the long-range plan. Without, of course, committing long-range money.
Yet.
If he rebounds with a big year, they can revisit a multi-year deal next year. If not, they can simply walk away no harm done.
RELEASE TAVON AUSTIN
The Rams can create $3 million of cap space by releasing Austin, who is due $8 million in 2018. It’s not necessarily a lot of money — although every dollar counts working with a hard cap — but his departure also helps in other ways. It would open a door for the younger, more dynamic Pharoh Cooper to replace him.
Cooper is potentially a better receiver than Austin and likely more dangerous working out of the backfield and on jet sweeps. McVay did an admirable job figuring out a way to get production out of Austin. Now imagine what he can do with Cooper in that role.
SIGN BENGALS TE TYLER EIFERT
When healthy, Eifert is an absolute beast and one of the best red-zone weapons in the NFL. The problem is, he hasn’t played a full 16-game season over five years while dealing with various injuries. He played only two games last year — 10 over the past two seasons — but would be an ideal candidate to sign a one-year “prove it” deal in search of a bigger deal down the road.
The Rams have made it clear they want more production from their tight ends, and a healthy Eifert is talented enough to provide it. From his perspective, the Rams represent a perfect situation with an up-and-coming quarterback, a bevy of weapons around him, and a head coach in McVay whose offense relies heavily on tight end production.
KEEP OLB ROBERT QUINN
The Rams face an intriguing decision with their veteran pass rusher, as releasing him would free up $11.4 million in cap space. But Quinn made a strong case for himself over the second half of the season while finishing with 8.5 sacks. The Rams did an excellent job managing Quinn’s body following two consecutive years of reduced games because of injury, utilizing a mindful weekly practice and game schedule that resulted in a much more fresh and productive Quinn late in the season. Between his pass rush ability and the leadership he brings to the locker room, bringing Quinn back is more beneficial than the cost effectiveness of releasing him.
RELEASE MARK BARRON
Barron had a good but not great season in 2017, and while he was second on the team with 85 tackles, his $10 million price tag, coupled with injury concerns, are legitimate factors in decidingwhether to bring him back. By releasing him, the Rams will create $7 million in cap space. It would mean the Rams would look to the draft or open market to find a replacement, although third-year LB Corey Littleton is certainly a potential replacement candidate.
TIME TO HOOK UP AARON DONALD
The price tag for the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year is going up by the minute, and while he and the Rams came to an accord last year after a lengthy offseason and training camp holdout, it’s hard to imagine each side going through that again.
Donald is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and while the Rams could kick the can further down the road by utilizing the franchise tag in 2019 and 2020, the sense is they are eager to wrap Donald up.
Bonsignore: Making Rams roster moves as GM for a day (updated)
Among the difficult roster decisions the Rams face this offseason: What to do with outside linebacker/pass rusher Robert Quinn, left. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
1 COMMENT
By VINCENT BONSIGNORE | vbonsignore@scng.com | Daily News
PUBLISHED: February 23, 2018 at 9:00 am | UPDATED: February 28, 2018 at 5:14 pm
Editor’s note: Approximately one hour after this analysis was originally posted, news broke that the Rams were trading for Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters. The article has been updated to reflect that development.
The offseason the Rams face in 2018 is dramatically less urgent and daunting than what they encountered a year ago.
A new coaching staff was just getting settled in and questions and concerns were lurking around every corner for a franchise that hadn’t had a winning season since 2003. An upgrade at left tackle and center were badly needed and a mediocre wide receiver corps required urgent care. A culture needed to be changed and a locker room needed to be saved and restored.
ADVERTISING
As for young running back Todd Gurley and quarterback Jared Goff, uncertainty was rampant. Were they franchise-caliber players or first-round whiffs?
It was, to say the least, an ominous time.
A year later, it can safely be said nearly every concern and task at hand were decisively addressed. If the Rams weren’t hitting home runs — dynamic head coach Sean McVay, Pro Bowl left tackle Andrew Whitworth and dependable wide receiver Robert Woods come to mind — they were driving screaming line drives to the outfield wall with the drafting of Cooper Kupp and additions of center John Sullivan and wide receiver Sammy Watkins. Gurley was restored as one of the best running backs in the NFL and Goff made a gigantic leap from rookie worry to second-year Pro Bowler.
All of which helped the Rams make one of the most dramatic turnarounds in NFL history, their offense going from the worst in the league to the best while surging to an 11-5 regular-season record — their first winning season since 2003 — while claiming their first division title since 2004.
Clearly it makes for a much less anxious offseason this year — especially after trading for Chiefs All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters in a move that changes the dynamics of their to-do list. But make no mistake, they have a lot of work ahead to remain as good as they were last season. Let alone close the gap between themselves and upper echelon.
So we’re putting on our general manager and capologist caps to lend a helping hand.
Here’s what we’d do if we were in the Rams’ G.M. chair:
RE-SIGN FREE AGENT LAMARCUS JOYNER, LET TRUMAINE JOHNSON WALK
Seven months ago, it seemed inevitable the Rams and Johnson would be parting ways at the end of the season. Johnson, who the Rams utilized their franchise tag on for the second consecutive year, even conceded as much at the opening of training camp.
And while Johnson played better than anyone could have expected while emerging as a valued locker room leader, his Rams fate was essentially sealed when the club traded for Peters, a 25-year-old lock-down defender who will make $15 million less than what Johnson made last year.
The move for Peters gives the Rams much more flexibility, and enables them to bring back Joyner stress free relative to their salary cap. Joyner can remain at safety, where he emerged as a reliable run stuffer and pass defender in his first year as a starter, or begin the year at corner in place of Kayvon Webster, who went down at the end of 2017 with a ruptured achillies tendon.
The Rams have roughly $46 million available under the salary cap, and likely more if they part ways with veterans Tavon Austin, Mark Barron and Robert Quinn. Getting Joyner under contract is absolutely a must.
FRANCHISE TAG WIDE RECEIVER SAMMY WATKINS
There are valid arguments to be made for bringing Watkins back or letting him walk as an unrestricted free agent. On one hand, he represents the kind of dynamic home-run hitter the Rams have lacked for years at wide receiver. On the other, he simply did not statistically live up to the hype after they traded for him near the end of training camp.
Watkins finished with 39 catches for 593 yards and eight touchdowns. Good but not great numbers for No. 1-caliber receiver.
That’s where the franchise tag comes in so handy.
If, as some suggest, Watkins’ numbers were merely the result of him arriving late in camp and not having a full year to work with Goff, bringing him back on a one-year deal buys time to figure out whether he’s part of the long-range plan. Without, of course, committing long-range money.
Yet.
If he rebounds with a big year, they can revisit a multi-year deal next year. If not, they can simply walk away no harm done.
RELEASE TAVON AUSTIN
The Rams can create $3 million of cap space by releasing Austin, who is due $8 million in 2018. It’s not necessarily a lot of money — although every dollar counts working with a hard cap — but his departure also helps in other ways. It would open a door for the younger, more dynamic Pharoh Cooper to replace him.
Cooper is potentially a better receiver than Austin and likely more dangerous working out of the backfield and on jet sweeps. McVay did an admirable job figuring out a way to get production out of Austin. Now imagine what he can do with Cooper in that role.
SIGN BENGALS TE TYLER EIFERT
When healthy, Eifert is an absolute beast and one of the best red-zone weapons in the NFL. The problem is, he hasn’t played a full 16-game season over five years while dealing with various injuries. He played only two games last year — 10 over the past two seasons — but would be an ideal candidate to sign a one-year “prove it” deal in search of a bigger deal down the road.
The Rams have made it clear they want more production from their tight ends, and a healthy Eifert is talented enough to provide it. From his perspective, the Rams represent a perfect situation with an up-and-coming quarterback, a bevy of weapons around him, and a head coach in McVay whose offense relies heavily on tight end production.
KEEP OLB ROBERT QUINN
The Rams face an intriguing decision with their veteran pass rusher, as releasing him would free up $11.4 million in cap space. But Quinn made a strong case for himself over the second half of the season while finishing with 8.5 sacks. The Rams did an excellent job managing Quinn’s body following two consecutive years of reduced games because of injury, utilizing a mindful weekly practice and game schedule that resulted in a much more fresh and productive Quinn late in the season. Between his pass rush ability and the leadership he brings to the locker room, bringing Quinn back is more beneficial than the cost effectiveness of releasing him.
RELEASE MARK BARRON
Barron had a good but not great season in 2017, and while he was second on the team with 85 tackles, his $10 million price tag, coupled with injury concerns, are legitimate factors in decidingwhether to bring him back. By releasing him, the Rams will create $7 million in cap space. It would mean the Rams would look to the draft or open market to find a replacement, although third-year LB Corey Littleton is certainly a potential replacement candidate.
TIME TO HOOK UP AARON DONALD
The price tag for the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year is going up by the minute, and while he and the Rams came to an accord last year after a lengthy offseason and training camp holdout, it’s hard to imagine each side going through that again.
Donald is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and while the Rams could kick the can further down the road by utilizing the franchise tag in 2019 and 2020, the sense is they are eager to wrap Donald up.
