I understand they can backload his contract to get under the cap this year. But having that kind of money allocated for a RG might not be what they want long term. They manipulated Noteboom's contract to fit him under where they wanted and look where it got them. I look at the Rams historically how they manage their cap. Like most teams they allocate a certain percentage of their cap to the OL. So if they spend big at RG somewhere else needs to be filled on the cheap.
It's why I don't expect them to pay Jackson the kind of money he's looking for. They will tender him and play him as an affordable option this year. Then see him as a comp pick after that. That's why I expect them to draft a LT this year. So do they simply let him ride the bench or do they play him to season him to make the transition to LT next year? If they play him it will be at RT.
My problem with Havenstein is his play. This is a pass heavy offense and pass protection has always been his weakness. Havenstein has always been a run blocking type of RT which is what "old school" RTs were. That was fine when they had Gurley as their RB and the offense was more run heavy. But now the run game is designed to open up the passing game with an inside run attack. This is a different offense than Sean ran with Gurley which was a perimeter run game.
They are overpaying Havenstein simply because they needed stability on the OL and the rest of the OL was a mess. But now this OL is much better and I would prefer to allocate those cap dollars to someone like Dotson. This is the financial reality we are talking about. Who is worth more a top run blocking RG for a run game that is designed to run inside or a limited RT who is fine in run blocking but struggles to pass protect?
All I'm saying is that there will be consequences if they pay Dotson top dollar while also paying Shelton a competitive salary as well. Those cap dollars have to come from somewhere. So next year if Jackson plays well do they pay him top dollar as well? LT is going to cost a hell of a lot more than RG. Whitworth played for a discount. Look at what his average was and compare it to what they are going to pay Havenstein just this year. IMO Havenstein is no Whitworth.
Cap management will come down to planning.
LT: Play Jackson on a second round tender. Draft their LT of the future on the second day and start him in 2025. That buys 4 years of rookie contract at the position.
LG: Avila will be on his rookie contract for 3 more years.
C: Offer Shelton what they were going to pay Brian Allen, i.e. about $9M/yr.
RG: Try to resign Dotson for no more than $15M/yr. If they can't they start McClendon or Noteboom whose contract is restructured to pay him $4-$5M / year. If Joe starts he's a bridge player for McClendon or a drafted RG.
RT: If they can sign Dotson for $15M / yr then release Havenstein as a post June 1 transaction. Start rookie OT they draft on the second day who will move to LT in 2025. If Dotson isn't signed and McClendon starts at RG then Noteboom can be the bridge RT until the rookie can play.
Restructuring Noteboom and releasing Havenstein could clear between $18-$20M in cap. Now they have the space to sign their RFA, Witherspoon and their draft class.
This isn't just about Dotson, it's about the entire roster. Look at the RFA they probably want to extend, $11 M projected cost for the draft class, $5M for Robinson, and a minimum of $5M of cap space to start the season. That money has to come from somewhere and as much as $41M free cap seems it won't stretch as far as some people think. Extending Dotson and Shelton could eat up over half of it for just those two players.
