Rams Have Signed the Fewest Free Agents/NFL.com

[Stel]

QB - We have nothing but question marks.

FS- We don't have one as far as I'm concerned.

WR - Who knows if Quick will continue his improvement or even recover completely from his injury and while I like Britt, I don't think he's a true #1 WR.

CB - JJ and Johnson are both FAs next year. Many are still rooting for/hoping for JJ to pull his head out and start playing team ball but he hasn't done it yet. Johnson regressed last year IMO. Joyner was unable to beat out either of them last year and has shown me nothing so far. Of course it was his first year and most of it he was injured so still plenty of time for him to shine. Roberson & McGee? They haven't shown they're starting material yet although both are still developing like Joyner. Gaines is a smurf and the question is...can he remain healthy considering he plays against giants.

DE - Long is on the wrong side of 30 and we need to develop his replacement.

MLB - JL is only average and guess who is listed as his back up, Dunbar. Enough said.

RB - While I don't consider it a hole, I also don't see anything to get excited about either.

Don't necessarily disagree, hence my statement about upgrades. However, for the first time in several years, most, if not all, of our players are NFL caliber. Our cuts actually get signed by other teams and some have started for other teams. In the past, some of our starters were holes in the roster!

 

[DaveFan'51]

I too am fine with the approach fisher & Company are taking so far. I would just like to see them add at least one FA O-Lineman before the Draft. To keep the stress down on every pick, you know what I mean!?!:coffee:

 

[Alan]

Stel liking our progress:
However, for the first time in several years, most, if not all, of our players are NFL caliber. Our cuts actually get signed by other teams and some have started for other teams. In the past, some of our starters were holes in the roster!

Yeah, for the most part I agreed with your post. I'm just adding my thoughts to your's and not substituting them.

Considering the draft ammunition we had, combined with the deplorable state of our team when they took over, would you have expected anything else? I'm only moderately happy with where we are now.

 

[BonifayRam]

Considering the draft ammunition we had, combined with the deplorable state of our team when they took over, would you have expected anything else? I'm only moderately happy with where we are now.

Yes its always good to look back as to where this team started from in Jan 2012. It helps understanding the 3 straight Fisher losing seasons & the trending downward in the amount of wins each season. QB & OL were major contributing elements that gave us those losses but not the only elements.

I would have to compartmentalize each of the Ram team 10 units when trying to measure my happiness Alan. I would only find one major unit( its the biggest unit too) as being in a very unhappy condition @ this time. Not all bad at all really.

 

[MTRamsFan]

LOL!

 

[thehammer]

swear from reading this thread the Rams have a super bowl roster not one that hasn't had a winning season in 12 years and trending down each year under Fisher...

we overpaid to keep below avg players like Kendricks and Britt....till we hire a new head coach that is willing to clean house the losing will continue...only 2 players under 30 on entire roster played well last year Donald and Quinn....that's it

pff had us 27th in team rankings last year..also 27th in tackling efficiency..way too many avg or below avg players on the team

you should add 1 quality young fa a year in a rebuild..we aren't doing that...there is nothing crazier then a 6-10 team with cap issues.......we have 27 players becoming fa next year? Good...let them leave. Hire the right coach and let the rebuilding begin.

 

[Dieter the Brock]

swear from reading this thread the Rams have a super bowl roster not one that hasn't had a winning season in 12 years and trending down each year under Fisher...

we overpaid to keep below avg players like Kendricks and Britt....till we hire a new head coach that is willing to clean house the losing will continue...only 2 players under 30 on entire roster played well last year Donald and Quinn....that's it

pff had us 27th in team rankings last year..also 27th in tackling efficiency..way too many avg or below avg players on the team

you should add 1 quality young fa a year in a rebuild..we aren't doing that...there is nothing crazier then a 6-10 team with cap issues.......we have 27 players becoming fa next year? Good...let them leave. Hire the right coach and let the rebuilding begin.

I don't think anyone has said we are a Super Bowl roster but some of us are die hard fans and will always have that dream in preseason

you keep mentioning over and over about hiring a new head coach - but does that include getting rid of the GM Les Snead too?
Who do you think the right coach to rebuild would be?
Who do you think could have done a better job that was available at the time we hired Fisher?

 

[SierraRam]

swear from reading this thread the Rams have a super bowl roster not one that hasn't had a winning season in 12 years and trending down each year under Fisher...

Sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree. We've done nothing but improve under Fisher. Take away our strength of schedule and Sam's injuries, and we could have been a playoff team last year. An average QB would have won several more games in 2014. Now, we have an improved front 7 on defense and an above average QB who hopefully will stay upright. If we get the OL sorted out, we're on our way...

Keep the faith and look at our roster now vs. 2011 :eek:. NO Comparison!

 

[dbrooks25]

swear from reading this thread the Rams have a super bowl roster not one that hasn't had a winning season in 12 years and trending down each year under Fisher...

we overpaid to keep below avg players like Kendricks and Britt....till we hire a new head coach that is willing to clean house the losing will continue...only 2 players under 30 on entire roster played well last year Donald and Quinn....that's it

pff had us 27th in team rankings last year..also 27th in tackling efficiency..way too many avg or below avg players on the team

you should add 1 quality young fa a year in a rebuild..we aren't doing that...there is nothing crazier then a 6-10 team with cap issues.......we have 27 players becoming fa next year? Good...let them leave. Hire the right coach and let the rebuilding begin.

Yeah......NOPE

 

[Alan]

BonifayRam liking the progress:
I would have to compartmentalize each of the Ram team 10 units when trying to measure my happiness Alan. I would only find one major unit( its the biggest unit too) as being in a very unhappy condition @ this time. Not all bad at all really.

We're definitely heading in the right direction but will we get there before I die?

As we both know though, that "major unit" will forever hold us back if it isn't fixed and if we don't get it fixed soon, many of those players we got to fix the other units will be lossed in FA.

 

[Alan]

thehammer thinking everything is a nail:
swear from reading this thread the Rams have a super bowl roster not one that hasn't had a winning season in 12 years and trending down each year under Fisher...

we overpaid to keep below avg players like Kendricks and Britt....till we hire a new head coach that is willing to clean house the losing will continue...only 2 players under 30 on entire roster played well last year Donald and Quinn....that's it

pff had us 27th in team rankings last year..also 27th in tackling efficiency..way too many avg or below avg players on the team

you should add 1 quality young fa a year in a rebuild..we aren't doing that...there is nothing crazier then a 6-10 team with cap issues.......we have 27 players becoming fa next year? Good...let them leave. Hire the right coach and let the rebuilding begin.

Those posts that you claim are glorifying our roster must have been deleted because I can't find them.

We didn't overpay for Kendricks or Britt. Their salaries are higher than they would have been a few years ago because the new CBA and the new TV contracts have both combined to cause some serious inflation when it comes to players 2nd and sometimes third contracts. That's as it should be because no unproven rookie draftee deserves to get big bucks and the money has to go somewhere right?

As for adding 1 quality FA per year, we have done that and more. Let's see, Snisher has been here 3 years and to name just three (your criteria), Cook, Britt and Saffold. Hopefully, Ayers will become another one.

To end on a note of agreement, I'm not and never have been a fan of Fisher so we agree on that.

 

[Rams43]

I would think that the reason of being so conservative & cautious thus far in free agency is due to the fact Fisher will have 27 current signed Rams entering free agency.

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/2016/st.-louis-rams/

5 DL'ers
All our QB's
3 safeties
3 WR's
3 Lb'ers
3 RB's
2 FB's
2 Ol'ers
2 CB's
Our Kicker

I think it's a bit misleading to quote 27 FA's in '16, Bonifay.

I opened your link and found only 8 starters among the 27.

And I included Foles, Barron, and Zuerlein in that group of 8, at that.

Doesn't that present a far more relevant picture?

I think Demoff is all over this FA and salary cap issue.

I much prefer Stel's portrait of our roster situation.

 

[Ballhawk]

The Rams were absolutely miserable in 1998 and people were giving up on Vermeil, but with a few off season additions, mainly to the O line and skill positions, they won the Super Bowl!
While there is no Faulk coming to town there are many things aligning the same this off season.
The new left tackle is in his second year, there is a new QB in town, the OC has been changed, And the defense is pretty stout.
The ingredients are mostly there, if they can upgrade the O line they should be pretty good. No Super Bowl but pretty good.

 

[Stel]

I think it's a bit misleading to quote 27 FA's in '16, Bonifay.

I opened your link and found only 8 starters among the 27.

And I included Foles, Barron, and Zuerlein in that group of 8, at that.

Doesn't that present a far more relevant picture?

I think Demoff is all over this FA and salary cap issue.

I much prefer Stel's portrait of our roster situation.

Just an FYI:

San Fran has 21 FAs in 2016
Seattle has 31 FAs in 2016
Arizona has 33 FAs in 2016

Outside the division?
Green Bay has 21
New England has 39

I wouldn't sweat our 27 too much.

 

[RamFan503]

swear from reading this thread the Rams have a super bowl roster not one that hasn't had a winning season in 12 years and trending down each year under Fisher...

we overpaid to keep below avg players like Kendricks and Britt....till we hire a new head coach that is willing to clean house the losing will continue...only 2 players under 30 on entire roster played well last year Donald and Quinn....that's it

pff had us 27th in team rankings last year..also 27th in tackling efficiency..way too many avg or below avg players on the team

you should add 1 quality young fa a year in a rebuild..we aren't doing that...there is nothing crazier then a 6-10 team with cap issues.......we have 27 players becoming fa next year? Good...let them leave. Hire the right coach and let the rebuilding begin.

Seriously man? No real starting QB last year and we were in all but about three games. That doesn't happen with bad coaching and bad players. Your answer is to rebuild AGAIN? Let all 27 walk? Glad you have zero control over our roster or front office.

PFF has us 27th - great. I guess that means we should be picking 6th. But I get it. We played in the easiest division in football and had the easiest schedule so it's obvious that PFF is dead on accurate. Spare me.

It's pretty easy to point at a losing record and say we need a new coach. Who would you like us to hire? Fire everyone. Man - that was easy.

 

[BonifayRam]

I think it's a bit misleading to quote 27 FA's in '16, Bonifay.

I opened your link and found only 8 starters among the 27.

And I included Foles, Barron, and Zuerlein in that group of 8, at that.

Doesn't that present a far more relevant picture?

I think Demoff is all over this FA and salary cap issue.

I much prefer Stel's portrait of our roster situation.

Bit MISLEADING...really Rams43 ? I can not let that go on by.

This may help ...http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/misleading

I provided information on the total amount of Rams currently signed that will enter free agency in 2016. That #no is 27 but that list could change and grow bigger or smaller & as to what you referred to starters & back up change just as often too. Its just a snap shot here in April 2015.

I was not trying to paint any in depth picture or any portrait in my post other than the teams unit affected & the number of Rams in those units who are slated for FA'cy. For details as you eluded too the information is clearly there for any members who have the time or desire to get into it there was no need for me to add to it in my post. Is any information I provided incorrect, deceptive or untruthful?

 

[Jorgeh0605]

Possibly, but keep in mind that after the second round pick, the cap hit for draft picks is little different from the cap hit of the veteran they replace (our 3rd round slot is a cap number of just under $600K) and the cap hit for the 1st and second round players will likely be higher than that of the veteran they replace. Don't see the cap hit for the players replaced by draft picks being that different than the cap hit of those draft picks. Only makes a significant difference if a draft pick replaces a high cap number veteran.

Also keep in mind some higher priced vets that may not make it to the final 53 roster. I think Pead and Givens would pretty much fund our draft class if they got cut. And like people have mentioned in the past, Demoff doesn't set aside room for draft picks, he makes use of his money and makes room by converting someones cash into signing bonus if he ends up needing more. That being said, some of this extra money very well could go into resigning some of our guys before the year ends.

 

[Rams43]

Bit MISLEADING...really Rams43 ? I can not let that go on by.

This may help ...http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/misleading

I provided information on the total amount of Rams currently signed that will enter free agency in 2016. That #no is 27 but that list could change and grow bigger or smaller & as to what you referred to starters & back up change just as often too. Its just a snap shot here in April 2015.

I was not trying to paint any in depth picture or any portrait in my post other than the teams unit affected & the number of Rams in those units who are slated for FA'cy. For details as you eluded too the information is clearly there for any members who have the time or desire to get into it there was no need for me to add to it in my post. Is any information I provided incorrect, deceptive or untruthful?

Easy, Bonifay...

No need to get touchy, man. No insult was intended, at all.

The total of 27 was both correct and truthful. But perhaps a bit irrelevant.

What's far more relevant are the number of current starters becoming FA's. It's a far more manageable number.

The remaining 19 pending FA's are kinda fringe players, and not so difficult to deal with or replace.

In fact, as Stel posted, the 27 pending '16 FA's is a rather normal number.

 

[…..]

swear from reading this thread the Rams have a super bowl roster not one that hasn't had a winning season in 12 years and trending down each year under Fisher...

we overpaid to keep below avg players like Kendricks and Britt....till we hire a new head coach that is willing to clean house the losing will continue...only 2 players under 30 on entire roster played well last year Donald and Quinn....that's it

pff had us 27th in team rankings last year..also 27th in tackling efficiency..way too many avg or below avg players on the team

you should add 1 quality young fa a year in a rebuild..we aren't doing that...there is nothing crazier then a 6-10 team with cap issues.......we have 27 players becoming fa next year? Good...let them leave. Hire the right coach and let the rebuilding begin.

I'm thinking you're in the minority when saying Lance Kendricks is below average. Jared Cook may get more looks in the passing game, but make no mistake about the fact that Lance is our everydown TE. Not saying he is above average, just sauing he is NOT below average.

 

[Rams43]

I have little doubt that Kendricks will be a significant part of their O plans this year. A very underrated player that will be among Foles best friends this season.

Tavon is the receiver I most worry about. Hope he can finally be worth his #8 overall trade up value.

It sure wouldn't break my heart if White or Cooper fell into our laps. That's for sure.