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Rams 2021 free agency preview: What's next for Johnny Mundt?
Johnny Mundt will be a restricted free agent in March and shouldn’t be hard for the Rams to retain.
theramswire.usatoday.com
Along with Darious Williams, Johnny Mundt will be a restricted free agent for the Rams this offseason. As the team’s reserve tight end, he doesn’t contribute in significant ways statistically; he has just nine catches for 84 yards in three seasons.
However, he’s a good blocker when the Rams need him to be, which is an important part of playing tight end. Will the Rams try to bring him back or will they let him walk in free agency next month?
2020 stats
4 receptions (4 targets)
53 yards
1 first down
2 broken tackles
PFF grade: 64.6
Analysis
Mundt was the No. 3 tight end for the Rams last season, playing behind Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett. He suited up for all 16 games but played just 121 snaps (11%), which shows how sparingly he was deployed by Sean McVay.
Primarily a blocking tight end, Mundt did most of his work along the line of scrimmage when the Rams either ran the ball or threw it off play action. But when he did get the ball in his hands, which was rare, he looked pretty elusive.
This was Mundt’s best play of the season, shaking off a tackler and picking up big yardage.
View: https://twitter.com/ramsnfl/status/1320897464971399168?s=21
Mundt was clearly the preferred choice as the No. 3 tight end over rookie Brycen Hopkins, earning far more playing time, even if it was mostly as a blocker.
Positional need: Low
Tight end isn’t exactly a pressing need for the Rams. They can easily re-sign Mundt for a fairly low cost, which would keep him in the mix along with Higbee and Hopkins. Everett is probably going to leave in free agency for a team that gives him a better chance to play meaningful snaps.
The Rams offense goes through the wide receivers anyway, with Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods getting most of the targets. Then there’s Van Jefferson and Cam Akers, too, so the tight ends are lower on the pecking order.
Prediction: Signs 1-year, $1 million extension with Rams
Mundt is a restricted free agent, which gives the Rams an edge when it comes to re-signing him. If they want to, they can tender him at the original-round level, but that would cost the Rams an estimated $2.133 million against the cap.
Mundt probably doesn’t carry enough value to warrant a $2.133 million contract from the Rams, but I think Los Angeles will still try to bring him back at a lower rate. A one-year deal for $1 million seems like a fair cost for the Rams to give themselves some insurance in case Hopkins doesn’t pan out.
