- Joined
- Jan 13, 2016
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- 1,131
Hey all. New to the forum figured my first post should be something I love Mock off seasons. I am basing my cap figures and comparable contracts on numbers from spotrac.com. I determine contract using statistics and the contracts players with comparable statistics received once they hit FA. This will be long, but I promise it will be worth it.
Chris Long, DE , Rams (12 mil savings)
Love Chris and respect all the work he's put in even through the hard years, but he is 31 coming off of two injury ravaged seasons where he was outplayed by William Hayes even when he was healthy. He is strong leader, great vet presence, and good on twitter, but at age 31 and a 12 mil cap hit it is is time inject some youth in Fisher's favorite part of the team
Jared Cook, TE, Rams (7 mil savings)
Kinda self explanatory. His only saving grace could be a weak TE class in FA and the draft
Roger Safold, OL, Rams (2.6 mil saving)
Garrett Reynolds proved to be more than adequate as the vet presence on the young line settling G-Rob down. Rams want to develop Battle and seem to really like Darrell Williams, so they are probably set at tackle behind Robinson and Big Hav. Wichman and Brown are two promising young pieces at guard who I would continue to develop instead of paying the bloated salary of Mr. Glass Shoulders.
Nick Foles, QB, Rams (Post June First cut 1.75m savings)
I would be excited if the eagles took him off our hands for next to nothing, but I don't see that happening. With Keenum coming back as the bridge QB for a new solution at QB and Mannion worth developing Foles is the odd man out.
Total Savings= $23.35m
Trumaine Johnson, CB, Rams 4 yr/ $9.75m (comparable Sam Shields, CB, Packers 4yr/9.75M)
If I could only keep one between JJ Tru I am probably going with Tru. Both have number 1 CB upside, but I am giving Tru the slight edge because offers size we don't have at CB. This year Fish often used Tru to shadow bigger WRs like Megatron, Alshon, and Michael Floyd. Tru is also a playmaker near the top of the league in INTs. A CB with his size, coverage ability, and ball skills is easily worth 9.75 mil a year on the open market if not more. Rams will be fine with Roberson and EJ competing for the spot opposite him.
Marvin Jones, WR, Bengals 4yr/$6.75m (between Golden Taint 6.25m and Eric Decker 7.25)
Jones is a deep threat, who has good hands, and decent size. He excelled as the number two option opposite AJ Green and also performed admirably when he had to step as the top option. Snead said he wants to add more consistency at the position, the best way to do that is by adding an established vet with some upside and rookie with alot of upside who will step in for Kenny Britt when his contract is up after 2016. Jones has plenty of upside and is better than what we currently have. He was also born in LA and played his college ball at Cal, so he probably wouldn't mind heading back out to sunny southern California.
Rodney Mcleod, S, Rams 4yr/$5.5m (between Malcolm Jenkins $5.16m and Nate Allen 5.75m)
Eric Weddle's and Eric Berry's contracts are going to bloat the FA safety market at position starving for quality starters league wide. Mcleod graded as a top coverage safety and is solid in run support. Unlike previous years he rarely let plays get over the top of him playing in his deep angel safety role. His deep angel role also cuts down on his INT opportunities, but he is a leader, versatile, and can play nickel in a pinch. In a recent radio interview Snead singled out Mcleod, Ogletree, TJ as future leaders of our team ominously leaving out the most tenured Rams Long and Lauranatis. He is already a captain and could fill the leadership vacuum those guys leave.
William Hayes, DE, Rams 2yr/$5m (Justin Tuck 2yr/$5m)
Giving him the exact contract Justin tuck got from Raiders at age 31. I don't think he is going anywhere the Bromance between him and Fisher is strong. Hayes is a terrific run defender and well above average as a pass rusher. He is also a leader and the perfect guy to provide and example for a young developing EDGE defender.
Ladarius Green, TE, Charges 4yr/$5m (Between Kendricks $4.6m and Martellus Bennett 5.1m)
The TE position is weak in FA and the draft so Green could be the most enticing player in both phases and could make closer to Dennis Pitta money 6.1m. Rams are two TE offense so I wouldn't be surprised if they spent more than $4.5m on two TEs again. Green is athletic and played well in a lead TE role for San Diego anytime Antonio Gates went down. I know a lot of you are thinking Jared Cook part two, but I think Green has better hands, actually plays up to his size, and is just as athletic. High upside and I think he can explode as top target in our offense with decent QB play.
Mark Barron, WS, Ram 4yr/$5m (Between Vontze Burfict LB 4.75m and Antoine Bethea, SS (5.25m)
A player who plays Barron's Role has never hit FA, so It was hard to find comparable contracts. 5m a year puts him just outside the top 10 for Strong Safeties and well inside the top ten for off the ball Outside LBs. My initial thought was with Ogletree back next year let Barron go and let Mo Alexander play in role similar to 2014 Barron. Then I thought about how the Patriots (yuck) use a LB core with some similar characteristics. Their 3 down guys are the highly athletic WLB Jamie Collins who is similar to Ogletree and SLB Donta Hightower a physical versatile Bama product like Barron. At MLB they have Jerod Mayo the longtime leader of the defense playing reduced snaps and will probably get cut so they can resign their young star Collins (sound familiar?). I think Williams can make some tweaks to our defense and use a similar composition with Barron, Ogletree, and Lauranatis. Bringing back Barron also allows us to play Ayers more as a pass rusher with or DE position in flux.
Draft1. Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis
Probably the QB with the highest upside in the draft. Under Snisher the rams usually swing for the fences with raw high upside guys in the first round and Lynch definitely fits that mold. He's got the size and mobility rams like in their QBs. Keenum would be decent bridge QB ala Chad Henne Blake Bortels. If all the QBs are gone by 15 and the Rams don't decide to move up for one of the top 3 my Sleeper pick here is Noah Spence, DE, Eastern Kentucky.
2. Josh Doctson, WR, TCU
Doctson isn't extremely explosive but he has great hands and specializes in going up and getting the football in 50/50 situations. Rams could really use a guy with his skill set. He could relegate Kenny Britt to the situational deep threat role sooner than later and play opposite Jones with Tavon in the slot.
2. Chris Jones, DT, Mississippi State
Not the the biggest need, but DT is the most talented position in the draft and Fisher demands a deep rotation on the d-line. Jones is a high upside guy and at 6'5 305 has the size Waufle and Fisher usually prefer along the DL. He can play nose and 3 tech so he'll instantly come in and replace Fairley's snaps and possibly replace Brockers if we aren't able to extend him.
3. Grahm Glasgow, C, Michigan
In a deep center class this spot could be filed by a number of guys, but I went with Glasgow. He is versatile and has great size for a center at 6'5 305. He played in Harbaugh's prostyle offense and has plenty of starting experience, so Fisher will have no problems allowing him to compete for the starting spot with Rhaney.
4. Alex McCalister, EDGE, Florida
McCalister is a high upside guy with character issues. He left school early after being dismissed from Florida and was also suspended earlier in the year. He is lanky at 6'6 240 and desperately in need of an NFL training program. However he can be an explosive edge rusher right off the bat . He can beat tackles with speed off the edge and his ability to dip and bend even as a lanky guy which, is quite impressive. Even though, he consistently flashes as a pass rusher on tape, but needs to develop more pass rush moves. Rams haven't shied away from guys with character issues, so McCalister is high upside guy weall worth developing behind Hayes.
6. Jake McGee, TE, Florida
I thought about giving Harkey a 3yr/1.8m dollar like the 49ers Bruce Miller and I wouldn't be surprised if Fisher and crew decided do so with the value they place on versatility and special teams. With the money we are giving Green and Kendricks I figured it would be more prudent to just draft a young guy to develop and replace those snaps.
QB: Keenum, Lynch, Mannion
RB: Gurley, Mason, Cunningham, Brown
WR1: Jones
WR2: Tavon
WR3: Britt, Doctson, Marquez
TE: Green, Kendricks, McGee
LT: Robinson, Battle
LG: Reynolds, Donell
C: Glasgow, Rhaney
RG: Brown, Wichman
RT: Havenstein, Williams
Defense
LE: Hayes, McCalister
UT: Donald, Trinca-Pasat
NT: Brockers, Jones
RE: Quinn, Westbrooks, Longacre
SLB: Barron, Ayers
MLB: Lauranatis, Hager
WLB: Ogletree, Bates
LCB: Tru, UDFA
RCB: Roberson/Gaines
NCK: Joyner/Gaines
FS: Mcleod, Davis, Bryant
SS: McDonald, Alexander
Special Teams
P: Hecker
LS: McQuaide
K: UDFA
Cuts
Chris Long, DE , Rams (12 mil savings)
Love Chris and respect all the work he's put in even through the hard years, but he is 31 coming off of two injury ravaged seasons where he was outplayed by William Hayes even when he was healthy. He is strong leader, great vet presence, and good on twitter, but at age 31 and a 12 mil cap hit it is is time inject some youth in Fisher's favorite part of the team
Jared Cook, TE, Rams (7 mil savings)
Kinda self explanatory. His only saving grace could be a weak TE class in FA and the draft
Roger Safold, OL, Rams (2.6 mil saving)
Garrett Reynolds proved to be more than adequate as the vet presence on the young line settling G-Rob down. Rams want to develop Battle and seem to really like Darrell Williams, so they are probably set at tackle behind Robinson and Big Hav. Wichman and Brown are two promising young pieces at guard who I would continue to develop instead of paying the bloated salary of Mr. Glass Shoulders.
Nick Foles, QB, Rams (Post June First cut 1.75m savings)
I would be excited if the eagles took him off our hands for next to nothing, but I don't see that happening. With Keenum coming back as the bridge QB for a new solution at QB and Mannion worth developing Foles is the odd man out.
Total Savings= $23.35m
Free Agency
(Projected cap Space 39.2 Million + 23.35 in Cuts= $62.55 million)
(Projected cap Space 39.2 Million + 23.35 in Cuts= $62.55 million)
Trumaine Johnson, CB, Rams 4 yr/ $9.75m (comparable Sam Shields, CB, Packers 4yr/9.75M)
If I could only keep one between JJ Tru I am probably going with Tru. Both have number 1 CB upside, but I am giving Tru the slight edge because offers size we don't have at CB. This year Fish often used Tru to shadow bigger WRs like Megatron, Alshon, and Michael Floyd. Tru is also a playmaker near the top of the league in INTs. A CB with his size, coverage ability, and ball skills is easily worth 9.75 mil a year on the open market if not more. Rams will be fine with Roberson and EJ competing for the spot opposite him.
Marvin Jones, WR, Bengals 4yr/$6.75m (between Golden Taint 6.25m and Eric Decker 7.25)
Jones is a deep threat, who has good hands, and decent size. He excelled as the number two option opposite AJ Green and also performed admirably when he had to step as the top option. Snead said he wants to add more consistency at the position, the best way to do that is by adding an established vet with some upside and rookie with alot of upside who will step in for Kenny Britt when his contract is up after 2016. Jones has plenty of upside and is better than what we currently have. He was also born in LA and played his college ball at Cal, so he probably wouldn't mind heading back out to sunny southern California.
Rodney Mcleod, S, Rams 4yr/$5.5m (between Malcolm Jenkins $5.16m and Nate Allen 5.75m)
Eric Weddle's and Eric Berry's contracts are going to bloat the FA safety market at position starving for quality starters league wide. Mcleod graded as a top coverage safety and is solid in run support. Unlike previous years he rarely let plays get over the top of him playing in his deep angel safety role. His deep angel role also cuts down on his INT opportunities, but he is a leader, versatile, and can play nickel in a pinch. In a recent radio interview Snead singled out Mcleod, Ogletree, TJ as future leaders of our team ominously leaving out the most tenured Rams Long and Lauranatis. He is already a captain and could fill the leadership vacuum those guys leave.
William Hayes, DE, Rams 2yr/$5m (Justin Tuck 2yr/$5m)
Giving him the exact contract Justin tuck got from Raiders at age 31. I don't think he is going anywhere the Bromance between him and Fisher is strong. Hayes is a terrific run defender and well above average as a pass rusher. He is also a leader and the perfect guy to provide and example for a young developing EDGE defender.
Ladarius Green, TE, Charges 4yr/$5m (Between Kendricks $4.6m and Martellus Bennett 5.1m)
The TE position is weak in FA and the draft so Green could be the most enticing player in both phases and could make closer to Dennis Pitta money 6.1m. Rams are two TE offense so I wouldn't be surprised if they spent more than $4.5m on two TEs again. Green is athletic and played well in a lead TE role for San Diego anytime Antonio Gates went down. I know a lot of you are thinking Jared Cook part two, but I think Green has better hands, actually plays up to his size, and is just as athletic. High upside and I think he can explode as top target in our offense with decent QB play.
Mark Barron, WS, Ram 4yr/$5m (Between Vontze Burfict LB 4.75m and Antoine Bethea, SS (5.25m)
A player who plays Barron's Role has never hit FA, so It was hard to find comparable contracts. 5m a year puts him just outside the top 10 for Strong Safeties and well inside the top ten for off the ball Outside LBs. My initial thought was with Ogletree back next year let Barron go and let Mo Alexander play in role similar to 2014 Barron. Then I thought about how the Patriots (yuck) use a LB core with some similar characteristics. Their 3 down guys are the highly athletic WLB Jamie Collins who is similar to Ogletree and SLB Donta Hightower a physical versatile Bama product like Barron. At MLB they have Jerod Mayo the longtime leader of the defense playing reduced snaps and will probably get cut so they can resign their young star Collins (sound familiar?). I think Williams can make some tweaks to our defense and use a similar composition with Barron, Ogletree, and Lauranatis. Bringing back Barron also allows us to play Ayers more as a pass rusher with or DE position in flux.
Draft
Probably the QB with the highest upside in the draft. Under Snisher the rams usually swing for the fences with raw high upside guys in the first round and Lynch definitely fits that mold. He's got the size and mobility rams like in their QBs. Keenum would be decent bridge QB ala Chad Henne Blake Bortels. If all the QBs are gone by 15 and the Rams don't decide to move up for one of the top 3 my Sleeper pick here is Noah Spence, DE, Eastern Kentucky.
2. Josh Doctson, WR, TCU
Doctson isn't extremely explosive but he has great hands and specializes in going up and getting the football in 50/50 situations. Rams could really use a guy with his skill set. He could relegate Kenny Britt to the situational deep threat role sooner than later and play opposite Jones with Tavon in the slot.
2. Chris Jones, DT, Mississippi State
Not the the biggest need, but DT is the most talented position in the draft and Fisher demands a deep rotation on the d-line. Jones is a high upside guy and at 6'5 305 has the size Waufle and Fisher usually prefer along the DL. He can play nose and 3 tech so he'll instantly come in and replace Fairley's snaps and possibly replace Brockers if we aren't able to extend him.
3. Grahm Glasgow, C, Michigan
In a deep center class this spot could be filed by a number of guys, but I went with Glasgow. He is versatile and has great size for a center at 6'5 305. He played in Harbaugh's prostyle offense and has plenty of starting experience, so Fisher will have no problems allowing him to compete for the starting spot with Rhaney.
4. Alex McCalister, EDGE, Florida
McCalister is a high upside guy with character issues. He left school early after being dismissed from Florida and was also suspended earlier in the year. He is lanky at 6'6 240 and desperately in need of an NFL training program. However he can be an explosive edge rusher right off the bat . He can beat tackles with speed off the edge and his ability to dip and bend even as a lanky guy which, is quite impressive. Even though, he consistently flashes as a pass rusher on tape, but needs to develop more pass rush moves. Rams haven't shied away from guys with character issues, so McCalister is high upside guy weall worth developing behind Hayes.
6. Jake McGee, TE, Florida
I thought about giving Harkey a 3yr/1.8m dollar like the 49ers Bruce Miller and I wouldn't be surprised if Fisher and crew decided do so with the value they place on versatility and special teams. With the money we are giving Green and Kendricks I figured it would be more prudent to just draft a young guy to develop and replace those snaps.
Roster
OffenseQB: Keenum, Lynch, Mannion
RB: Gurley, Mason, Cunningham, Brown
WR1: Jones
WR2: Tavon
WR3: Britt, Doctson, Marquez
TE: Green, Kendricks, McGee
LT: Robinson, Battle
LG: Reynolds, Donell
C: Glasgow, Rhaney
RG: Brown, Wichman
RT: Havenstein, Williams
Defense
LE: Hayes, McCalister
UT: Donald, Trinca-Pasat
NT: Brockers, Jones
RE: Quinn, Westbrooks, Longacre
SLB: Barron, Ayers
MLB: Lauranatis, Hager
WLB: Ogletree, Bates
LCB: Tru, UDFA
RCB: Roberson/Gaines
NCK: Joyner/Gaines
FS: Mcleod, Davis, Bryant
SS: McDonald, Alexander
Special Teams
P: Hecker
LS: McQuaide
K: UDFA
