Yes there is plenty of Salary Cap in 2018 to improve several areas Rams Approx.Team Cap Space:
$48.5 million. There are even more positions that will suffer deletions too. The largest unknown is the pending Aaron Donald contract.
I am pretty sure that most members here would find it foolish to pay LB Rob Quinn a near 12.5 million or WR Tavon Austin 8 million for their services in 2018 too. So you could add in those savings that would push the Cap Space up towards over
64 million!
This is a Current list of Rams who will not be under a Ram contract in March of 2018:
Trumaine Johnson CB
Sammy Watkins WR
Connor Barwin 34OLB
Dominique Easley 34DE
Lance Dunbar RB
Cody Davis S
Lamarcus Joyner S
Derek Carrier TE
John Sullivan C
Jake McQuaide LS
Nickell Robey-Coleman CB
Tyrunn Walker 34DT
Cornelius Lucas LT
Matt Longacre 34OLB
Troy Hill CB
Rams
Darrell Williams RT
Zach Laskey RB
Malcolm Brown RB
Johnny Mundt TE
Paul McRoberts WR
When the Rams are facing a major unit loss amount of your secondary in a few months this will be a main focal point in the off season. Leaving your defense with a questionable #2 corner Webster who is always injured & a small UDFA CB Hatfield as your starting corners (who was toasted by a WWC QB yesterday.... Think what Brees will do to Hatfield).
I'm not quite ready to assume Austin won't be returning, ... while his 2018 CAP hit is astronomical at $8.mil. cutting him triggers a $5.mil dead money charge, so the savings becomes negligible. Austin's dead money hit falls to $0. in 2019, that's when i'd be expecting him to move on. I do agree on Quinn being relieved of duty in 2018, as his $12.4mil., and his dead money hit will only come in at around $1.mil.
With the currently scheduled 2018 available CAP funds set at approx. $38.670mil., plus the approx. $10.mil overall NFL CAP allowance which has nearly become automatic, plus what is on account today as leftover 2017 CAP space of which you can also add another $5.396.mil. in rollover to the bottom line. If indeed Quinn is let go, add again that $11.4mil. to the available CAP, ... so we now approach an available CAP nearer $65.mil., and you can certainly expect to see a few other cuts not mentioned here.
Of the earlier listed names (BonafayRam's) which may see free agency, the following are RFA's, not UFA's, so we can be reasonably certain they will be back in camp with relatively inexpensive contracts for 2018 :
Matt Longacre
Darrell Williams
Malcolm Brown
Johnny Mundt
Troy Hill
Of the remaining list of potential free agents I'd personally hope to see re-signed & back in camp :
Sammy Watkins
Dominique Easley (if healthy)
Lamarcus Joyner
Nickell Robey-Coleman
John Sullivan
Cody Davis
Jake McQuaid
Tyrunn Walker
Other than Watkins who is in a salary class of his own, the Sullivan, Joyner & Robey-Coleman contracts should be the only upscale pay-outs until we start looking at outside free-agents.
The Aaron Donald contract doesn't need to be dealt with until following the 2018 season, his 2018 5'th year option will provide a 3X salary raise over his 2017 earnings, ... and even in a worst case scenario, he would be franchise tagged in 2019 and remain with the team.
jmo.
