Free agency thread

  • To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.

BonifayRam

Legend
Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
13,435
Name
Vernon
Kromer has options now before free agency. It's been leaked in slight terms that Austin Blythe has seen a ton of practice @ OC for the last two seasons. Besides Blythe, there's Aaron Neary who been here with Kromer just after he arrived. The best long term answer @ starting at center is Brian Allen.

I see no need to rush off to sign a high-cost UFA starting center myself. UFA Ryan Groy did not play any better than Sullivan last season. If Ryan Groy is somebody that the Rams & Kromer might consider to spend cap funds on ...I would tend to think that this over 6-5 325 pound OL'er it be looked @ OG not OC. Only reason Groy started less than 50% at center was due to retirement of Woods & injuries to Bodine.
 
Last edited:

jrry32

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
29,868
Kromer has options now before free agency. It's been leaked in slight terms that Austin Blythe has seen a ton of practice @ OC for the last two seasons. Besides Blythe, there's Aaron Neary who been here with Kromer just after he arrived. The best long term answer @ starting at center is Brian Allen.

I see no need to rush off to sign a high-cost UFA starting center myself.

I expect a low-cost option like Groy. Between those three (Allen, Groy, and Blythe), we should have answers at RG and C.
 

BonifayRam

Legend
Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
13,435
Name
Vernon
I expect a low-cost option like Groy. Between those three (Allen, Groy, and Blythe), we should have answers at RG and C.
The other thought here jrry32 is the Rams may not want to have 3 new OL'ers starting in new positions in that OL. Might be ideal in keeping Blythe as the starter again @ RG thus leaving them just 2 open vacancies on that 2019 OL to fill.

I believe Groy would do a good job @ LG for Kromer myself. When Groy came out of Wisconsin Badgers... it was said that Groy was a good fit in a slide-protection scheme given his size, intelligence, and functional anchor. He fits the Kromer style with great character with durable, blue-collar playing history. @ Wisconsin Groy was a left side OL'er with zero starts on the right side, 31 starts @ LG/LT & 1 start @ OC.

Anyway Rams Salary Cap guesstimate went back up to close to $27.5 million with this lates move.
 
Last edited:

Legatron4

Legend
Joined
Aug 10, 2013
Messages
9,464
Name
Wes
Appreciate everything Sullivan has done. I thought he would be another Scott Wells and ended up not missing a game. That being said, we need more physicality in the middle. He was a big reason we couldn’t protect Goff in the Super Bowl.
 

Ram65

Legend
Joined
Apr 30, 2015
Messages
9,752
Sullivan, 34 in August, graded out as the tenth-best center in the NFL in his first season with the Rams, according to Pro Football Focus. In 2018, Sullivan slipped all the way down to No. 31 with a career-low 52.7 mark.

Thanks for helping the offense get rolling. I was a big supporter of signing him that first year. Good move but, its time to move on. Keep his agents number on speed dial in case of injury.
 

dang

Legend
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Messages
7,338
Groy would be a relatively cheap target (less than $2m??). I think Allen starting with Groy as backup sounds good.
 

jrry32

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
29,868
One thing worth remembering is that Allen did get a lot of starter practice reps because we rested Sully a lot. Regardless, I think Noteboom is the favorite at LG if Saffold goes. We'll see at Center.
 

OldSchool

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
40,010
This opens up the possibility of a Guard or center if one drops to 31. Especially if we add a veteran edge that gets cut like Houston.
 

BonifayRam

Legend
Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
13,435
Name
Vernon
Next up (after Sullivan) salary cap issue date for the Rams is CB Marcus Peters will be on March 13th, 2019. If Peters is on the Rams roster at the start of the 2019 League Year in this option season, Peters $9.1 million salary becomes fully guaranteed. So we Ram fans will get that question answered.

After 3/13/2019 date the next up is on DL'er veteran Michael Brockers. Just like Sullivan, Brockers stands to hear some news on his future commitment on his contract where he will be due a $2.23 million of his 2019 Roster Bonus on Friday 3/15/2019 of his 11 million cap hit.
 

Psycho_X

Legend
Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
11,777
Next up (after Sullivan) salary cap issue date for the Rams is CB Marcus Peters will be on March 13th, 2019. If Peters is on the Rams roster at the start of the 2019 League Year in this option season, Peters $9.1 million salary becomes fully guaranteed. So we Ram fans will get that question answered.

After 3/13/2019 date the next up is on DL'er veteran Michael Brockers. Just like Sullivan, Brockers stands to hear some news on his future commitment on his contract where he will be due a $2.23 million of his 2019 Roster Bonus on Friday 3/15/2019 of his 11 million cap hit.

I’m torn on Peters, he was so bad up through that New Orleans game in the regular season but you could tell after that point that his game slowly started to elevate to the point he was a shut down level CB. Was it due to wade realizing how to use him finally? Because Talib came back? Because Peters got back to 100%? I think it’s all of the above but fact is him and Talib really performed like we thought they would together down the stretch. So it’s a gamble, but it’s only for one year. I say keep him and draft a few CBs this year in mid rounds and hope one of them pans out. Oh and add a ballhawk safety that has chemistry with Peters and Talib because Joyner had zero with them.

Brockers I think we have to keep if they are letting Suh walk. Focus on beefing up the LBer core.
 

Merlin

Damn the torpedoes
Rams On Demand Sponsor
ROD Credit | 2023 TOP Member
Joined
May 8, 2014
Messages
38,892
Groy would be a relatively cheap target (less than $2m??). I think Allen starting with Groy as backup sounds good.

Yeah I'm sure they'll take a look at Groy, given that they've targeted him in the past and he's a fit. But he'd definitely have to come cheap. Otherwise, snap up a couple interior OL types in a draft that has a ton of them. They need to build depth now and utilize the strengths of this draft, not incur more cost on the OL in FA.
 

Akrasian

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jun 18, 2014
Messages
4,933
Yeah I'm sure they'll take a look at Groy, given that they've targeted him in the past and he's a fit. But he'd definitely have to come cheap. Otherwise, snap up a couple interior OL types in a draft that has a ton of them. They need to build depth now and utilize the strengths of this draft, not incur more cost on the OL in FA.

Groy would be nice at the right price. I'd like a versatile vet who can handle OT. And yes, pretty much every season the Rams should at least be thinking OL in the draft - might not work out every year, but the pipeline needs to keep flowing - it's too important for the Rams not to have a good offensive line.
 

Donnyd

UDFA
Joined
Jun 25, 2014
Messages
3
Here are some thoughts on some of the free agents and open positions:
FREE AGENTS:
CJ- sign
Joyner- walk
Suh- walk
Fowler- sign
Littleton- sign
Saffold- walk (?)
Shields- sign
Brown- sign
POSITIONS:
Center- Allen or Blythe or draft(maybe trade down into 2nd where the top 2 will probably go)
Safety- FA and or draft
ILB- FA
DT-FA
DRAFT:
Draft best available with emphasis on the following positions:
Oline depth
Dline depth
ILB
DB depth
IMPORTANT PERSPECTIVES:
Raw talent, coachability and potential of young guys on roster (eg: Obo and Kiser)
Game plan for QB (backup and Goff's 2nd contract)
Where we need some leadership (position groups)
Planning ahead for cornerbacks