Top 10 UFA Targets (internal and external)

[AvengerRam]

Danielle Hunter can’t be tagged.
He’s had double digit sacks 4 of last 5 years and more than 14 3 of 5.
He’s the guy.

That would make me very happy.

 

[PhillyRam]

Not sure Dotson is realistic. I saw the top OG contracts ate 18-20M a yr. If he gets even 16-17M offer, I doubt the Rams go that high. Probably will trade back for an extra top 80 pick and draft a OG on day 2.

 

[Allen2McVay]

Previously mentioned the Elgton Jenkins contract last year. It was four years and $68M

That's an average of $17M per-year ... and Jenkins had two Pro Bowls on his resume.

Jenkins 2023 cap hit (Year 1 of the contract), was just Under $7M.

I don't know if the Rams Want or Will go that high but they should be able to fit-in a 2024 cap-hit $7-$8M.

 

[Merlin]

Not sure Dotson is realistic. I saw the top OG contracts ate 18-20M a yr. If he gets even 16-17M offer, I doubt the Rams go that high. Probably will trade back for an extra top 80 pick and draft a OG on day 2.

This is a really important season. Things are close to being aligned for us if the OL is good. So I'd pull out all stops in creativity on that deal to get it done. Then come pick 19 we might have a chance to bring in a LT too if one is there. Either way our OL has a high floor and should start the season in actual good form instead of us needing to scrape Stafford off the turf for six plus weeks.

 

[PhillyRam]

This is a really important season. Things are close to being aligned for us if the OL is good. So I'd pull out all stops in creativity on that deal to get it done. Then come pick 19 we might have a chance to bring in a LT too if one is there. Either way our OL has a high floor and should start the season in actual good form instead of us needing to scrape Stafford off the turf for six plus weeks.

I would like to have him, but not sure 18M a yr is smart for a OG and could be a contract that they regret.

Maybe take an OT at 19 and move Jackson to OG or the rookie starts at OG his rookie yr. Ogden did that for a yr so not out of the ordinary.

The kid from Oregon St looks like a mauler who could play inside for a yr.

 

[JonRam99]

I would like to have him, but not sure 18M a yr is smart for a OG and could be a contract that they regret.

Maybe take an OT at 19 and move Jackson to OG or the rookie starts at OG his rookie yr. Ogden did that for a yr so not out of the ordinary.

The kid from Oregon St looks like a mauler who could play inside for a yr.

I really don't know why people under-value good OG's. Good running games start with beef in the middle that can move guys out of the way, like Dotson & Avila. Hands down, they are the reason Kyren had such a good year. Ya maybe we'd over pay a bit on Dotson. But good God we've needed a strong OL, and we finally have one. Gotta do what we can to keep both of them IMHO.

 

[PhillyRam]

I really don't know why people under-value good OG's. Good running games start with beef in the middle that can move guys out of the way, like Dotson & Avila. Hands down, they are the reason Kyren had such a good year. Ya maybe we'd over pay a bit on Dotson. But good God we've needed a strong OL, and we finally have one. Gotta do what we can to keep both of them IMHO.

I would just feel more comfortable if he had a pedigree like Nelson or Martin, consistent play throughout his career, in order to give him such a payday. Instead this was his best yr by far it would appear, and it was his contract yr. That's a concern.

Either he has matured and he will continue to play well, or he reverts back to lackadaisical penalties and inconsistent play after getting paid.

That is s big gamble when talking about a 18-20M a yr OG

 

[JonRam99]

I would just feel more comfortable if he had a pedigree like Nelson or Martin, consistent play throughout his career, in order to give him such a payday. Instead this was his best yr by far it would appear, and it was his contract yr. That's a concern.

Either he has matured and he will continue to play well, or he reverts back to lackadaisical penalties and inconsistent play after getting paid.

That is s big gamble when talking about a 18-20M a yr OGh

hmmm good point... but I feel 50x better about this guy than I did any other OL'er we've over-paid in the last 2 decades.

 

[AvengerRam]

One guy I overlooked is Justin Madubuike, DT, Ravens. Probably won’t make it to the market, but he’d definitely be a guy worth looking at if he did.

 

[Allen2McVay]

One guy I overlooked is Justin Madubuike, DT, Ravens. Probably won’t make it to the market, but he’d definitely be a guy worth looking at if he did.

Madubuike picked a great time to have a huge season. Think he will sign a huge contract.

 

[FrantikRam]

I'm probably in the minority, but I'm not totally convinced that the organization really has to go out and spend big money on external talent during the 1st or maybe not even the 2nd wave of free agency.

At the moment, I sort of lean on them signing their key guys, drafting well, and picking up cheaper stopgap types like Demarcus Robinson, Ahkello Witherspoon & John Johnson III like they did in 2023. Or did they just get lucky?

If we re-signed every starter last year (Dotson, Shelton, Witherspoon, Fuller, JJ and Robinson) id be on board spending all our money this way and then going CB/EDGE in the draft before going WR/RB.

But I have a feeling we will re-sign none of those guys, which means we will have cap dollars to spend and in that case id prefer an edge to one shot our pass rush issues

 

[WestCoastRam]

I really don't know why people under-value good OG's. Good running games start with beef in the middle that can move guys out of the way, like Dotson & Avila. Hands down, they are the reason Kyren had such a good year. Ya maybe we'd over pay a bit on Dotson. But good God we've needed a strong OL, and we finally have one. Gotta do what we can to keep both of them IMHO.

I don't know that people undervalue them per se... it's just allocation of resources. Can we allocate that much money to Dotson when he have such big needs elsewhere? Especially since we seemed to have hit on Avila. I could make an argument either way. But if we pay him, that just takes a big chunk from the pot that could go elsewhere like for a corner or edge.

 

[CanadaRam]

To me priority is Dotson or his replacement.
O-line improvement is what made Rams season so good.
There will be improvement in Rams D for sure (experience alone), apart from injuries, the only real concern I have is if the Oline takes a step back.

 

[jrry32]

Danielle Hunter can’t be tagged.
He’s had double digit sacks 4 of last 5 years and more than 14 3 of 5.
He’s the guy.

Hunter is almost certainly going to be the best pass rusher who hits FA. Issue is his age. He turns 30 next year. You're almost certainly going to have to give him guaranteed money that'll basically keep him on the roster through his age-32 (if not age-33) season. It's a risky proposition. I'd lean towards Bryce Huff.

Why Huff? He's only about to turn 26 years old, has been one of the NFL's most productive pass rusher on a per-snap basis, and should be cheaper than the top dogs in FA. I think Huff is a lot like Shaq Barrett. He's been stuck playing a rotational role, but when he's finally given a chance to start, he's going to be a very productive pass rusher. His run defense won't be great, but you can deal with that issue if he's a guy who gives you 10+ sacks and a lot of pressure.

The dark horse to watch out for is Khalil Mack. The Chargers are in a cap hole, and they may not be able to keep Mack and Bosa. It's possible they trade Bosa instead of Mack, but with Mack being the older player, I could see him being on the trade market this offseason.

 

[Kupped]

Hunter is almost certainly going to be the best pass rusher who hits FA. Issue is his age. He turns 30 next year. You're almost certainly going to have to give him guaranteed money that'll basically keep him on the roster through his age-32 (if not age-33) season. It's a risky proposition. I'd lean towards Bryce Huff.

Why Huff? He's only about to turn 26 years old, has been one of the NFL's most productive pass rusher on a per-snap basis, and should be cheaper than the top dogs in FA. I think Huff is a lot like Shaq Barrett. He's been stuck playing a rotational role, but when he's finally given a chance to start, he's going to be a very productive pass rusher. His run defense won't be great, but you can deal with that issue if he's a guy who gives you 10+ sacks and a lot of pressure.

The dark horse to watch out for is Khalil Mack. The Chargers are in a cap hole, and they may not be able to keep Mack and Bosa. It's possible they trade Bosa instead of Mack, but with Mack being the older player, I could see him being on the trade market this offseason.

The Mack thing is something I’ve brought up.. worth monitoring.

Huff is definitely interesting… but I’ve read he’s truly bad against the run.
Not mediocre… bad.
Is that off.

 

[WestCoastRam]

Is anyone concerned with Snead's comments that they're going to be disciplined approach in the 1st wave of FA.

Hard to parse those tea leaves? Is he saying they won't spend big there? That they'll wait till the 2nd round to go after people?

Or maybe that they'll have their targets but won't throw the kitchen sink at them so may lose them to other bidders (my suspicion is such). And then go bargain shopping in later round of FA.

 

[Allen2McVay]

Is anyone concerned with Snead's comments that they're going to be disciplined approach in the 1st wave of FA.

...

I think the Board is fairly split on its expectations regarding the Rams' 2024 Salary Cap space.

Some of us see it as them being in good cap shape, with the ability to (and likelihood of) creating some additional space (releasing Brian Allen for instance). That would allow the Rams to be active in Free Agency, and make some good additions. Maybe even one major addition.

Last off-season, the Rams were the only team in the entire NFL not to sign another team's free agent prior to the Draft. That's unlikely to be the case this year.

Other posters seem to expect the Rams to Go-All-In, and open-up closer to the maximum cap space possible via restructuring; and become major players in Free Agency. However, that could result in some more Noteboom-type future-cap-results.

Personally, I'm in the first group but I don't know anything. We will just have to wait and see but not too long. The 2024 League Year, and Free Agency is only five weeks from tomorrow; and, with the 48-hour window for negotiations, this time in five weeks, we will already know where a bunch of top free agents are going to play.

 

[Memento]

The Mack thing is something I’ve brought up.. worth monitoring.

Huff is definitely interesting… but I’ve read he’s truly bad against the run.
Not mediocre… bad.
Is that off.

That's why I'd go after Uche. He's not going to be a huge sack guy, and he's had injury concerns, but he's just a solid young player who will only be twenty-six next year.

 

[WestCoastRam]

That's why I'd go after Uche. He's not going to be a huge sack guy, and he's had injury concerns, but he's just a solid young player who will only be twenty-six next year.

Wait... isn't that the issue with Uche too, pretty bad against run?

 

[Memento]

Wait... isn't that the issue with Uche too, pretty bad against run?

He's much better than Huff. That's why I'm hesitant to sign Huff; he's just absolutely atrocious against the run. The issue with Uche is that he hasn't really played a whole season, but when he did, he had twelve sacks.