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4 Rams ranked among NFL’s top 101 free agents for 2021
Cameron DaSilva
Mon, February 15, 2021,
4 Rams ranked among NFL’s top 101 free agents for 2021 (yahoo.com)
Just as it did last offseason, free agency is likely to hit the Rams hard this year with a number of key players set to hit the market. Nine players who started at least two games last season will become free agents – eight of which are unrestricted free agents – which just goes to show how many losses the Rams could suffer.
The biggest names are undoubtedly John Johnson and Leonard Floyd, but Troy Hill, Gerald Everett, Josh Reynolds and Austin Blythe shouldn’t be overlooked as key free agents. Darious Williams will be a restricted free agent and should be back, but if a team covets him, they could make him an offer that Los Angeles can’t afford to match.
Touchdown Wire ranked the top 101 unrestricted free agents of the 2021 offseason, and four Rams made the list. Three were in the top third of the list, including two players in the top 25.
17. EDGE Leonard Floyd
Floyd is coming off the best season of his career and is hitting free agency again for the second time. He had 10.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss and 19 QB hits, all of which were career-bests for the former Bears edge rusher. He benefitted greatly from playing alongside Aaron Donald, just as Dante Fowler Jr. did, but could teams be scared off by Fowler’s regression with the Falcons after leaving the Rams? It’s possible, though Floyd is a more well-rounded edge defender.
22. S John Johnson III
Johnson is a stud in every sense of the word. His versatility, coverage skills, tackling and instincts make him one of the best safeties in the NFL – and he’s about to be paid like it. Johnson is unlikely to return to the Rams, who have a long track record of not paying their homegrown defensive backs. But someone will pay him handsomely, and he deserves every penny. Johnson should be one of the highest-paid players at his position and his placement in the top 25 of this list proves it. It’s a strong free-agent class at safety, with four players ranked ahead of Johnson on Touchdown Wire’s poll.
32. CB Troy Hill
Hill ranks high on this list despite finishing his 2020 season on a low note against the Packers. He was valuable to the Rams this past season, mostly covering the slot but also moving outside when the Rams used Jalen Ramsey in a “star” role as the nickel. Hill scored three defensive touchdowns and made a lot of plays for the Rams, which outweighed the mistakes and lapses in coverage that he had. Los Angeles would like to have him back, but with cornerbacks tough to come by, a team might pay give him more than the Rams can afford. Only three cornerbacks rank higher than Hill on this list.
62. TE Gerald Everett
It’s not terribly surprising to see Everett ranked in the top 101, but his placement this high is all about his potential. He hasn’t produced a ton in the NFL thus far, but he’s also been stuck behind Tyler Higbee each year he’s been in the NFL. Still, he’s had at least 33 catches and 320 yards in each of the last three seasons. And you could argue his best football is still to come. Everett is an athletic tight end who can still block, too, and has the potential to be a 700-yard receiver in the right situation. He won’t be one of the top-paid tight ends in the NFL, but Everett’s ceiling is still high thanks to his movement skills and build.
Cameron DaSilva
Mon, February 15, 2021,
4 Rams ranked among NFL’s top 101 free agents for 2021 (yahoo.com)
Just as it did last offseason, free agency is likely to hit the Rams hard this year with a number of key players set to hit the market. Nine players who started at least two games last season will become free agents – eight of which are unrestricted free agents – which just goes to show how many losses the Rams could suffer.
The biggest names are undoubtedly John Johnson and Leonard Floyd, but Troy Hill, Gerald Everett, Josh Reynolds and Austin Blythe shouldn’t be overlooked as key free agents. Darious Williams will be a restricted free agent and should be back, but if a team covets him, they could make him an offer that Los Angeles can’t afford to match.
Touchdown Wire ranked the top 101 unrestricted free agents of the 2021 offseason, and four Rams made the list. Three were in the top third of the list, including two players in the top 25.
17. EDGE Leonard Floyd
Floyd is coming off the best season of his career and is hitting free agency again for the second time. He had 10.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss and 19 QB hits, all of which were career-bests for the former Bears edge rusher. He benefitted greatly from playing alongside Aaron Donald, just as Dante Fowler Jr. did, but could teams be scared off by Fowler’s regression with the Falcons after leaving the Rams? It’s possible, though Floyd is a more well-rounded edge defender.
22. S John Johnson III
Johnson is a stud in every sense of the word. His versatility, coverage skills, tackling and instincts make him one of the best safeties in the NFL – and he’s about to be paid like it. Johnson is unlikely to return to the Rams, who have a long track record of not paying their homegrown defensive backs. But someone will pay him handsomely, and he deserves every penny. Johnson should be one of the highest-paid players at his position and his placement in the top 25 of this list proves it. It’s a strong free-agent class at safety, with four players ranked ahead of Johnson on Touchdown Wire’s poll.
32. CB Troy Hill
Hill ranks high on this list despite finishing his 2020 season on a low note against the Packers. He was valuable to the Rams this past season, mostly covering the slot but also moving outside when the Rams used Jalen Ramsey in a “star” role as the nickel. Hill scored three defensive touchdowns and made a lot of plays for the Rams, which outweighed the mistakes and lapses in coverage that he had. Los Angeles would like to have him back, but with cornerbacks tough to come by, a team might pay give him more than the Rams can afford. Only three cornerbacks rank higher than Hill on this list.
62. TE Gerald Everett
It’s not terribly surprising to see Everett ranked in the top 101, but his placement this high is all about his potential. He hasn’t produced a ton in the NFL thus far, but he’s also been stuck behind Tyler Higbee each year he’s been in the NFL. Still, he’s had at least 33 catches and 320 yards in each of the last three seasons. And you could argue his best football is still to come. Everett is an athletic tight end who can still block, too, and has the potential to be a 700-yard receiver in the right situation. He won’t be one of the top-paid tight ends in the NFL, but Everett’s ceiling is still high thanks to his movement skills and build.
