[Elvis]

https://www.therams.com/news/rams-sign- ... -contracts

Rams sign two players to free agent contracts

Myles Simmons
RAMS INSIDER

The Rams have added two more familiar faces to their offseason roster, signing quarterback Brandon Allen and offensive tackle Darrell Williams to free agent contracts.

Both Allen and Williams were a part of Los Angeles’ practice squad to end the 2018 season.

Originally a Jaguars sixth-round pick out of Arkansas in 2016, Allen has been with the Rams since early September of 2017 when L.A. claimed him off waivers after he was cut in Jacksonville’s roster reduction to 53 players. He’s been the Rams’ third quarterback ever since — on the active roster in 2017 and on the practice squad in 2018.

The Rams have now signed six members of their 2018 practice squad to the offseason roster — Allen, Williams, defensive back Donte Deayon, linebacker Travin Howard, offensive tackle Kyle Murphy, and wide receiver Austin Proehl.

[Elvis]

Rams sign center Aaron Neary, defensive back Steven Parker, and defensive back Ramon Richards...

[safer]

They like Neary. He played at Eastern Washington with Kupp and Ebukam. He got a 502 earlier this year and they stuck with him. I think we will move on from Sully as a starter at center, and maybe keep him to groom his starting replacement next year. Anybody know much about the center (Allen) we drafted in '18?

[Elvis]

Mike Clay's FA Cheat sheet:

[Hacksaw]

Rams 2019 free agency preview: Tag, re-sign or let Dante Fowler Jr. walk?

By: Cameron DaSilva

The Los Angeles Rams went into the 2018 season knowing they needed help at outside linebacker. They began the year with Samson Ebukam and Matt Longacre starting, but that tandem simply didn’t get the job done. So they went out and acquired Dante Fowler Jr. at the trade deadline, sending Jacksonville a third-rounder in 2019 and a fifth-round pick in 2020.

It was a risky move for a relatively unproven player in a contract year, and now here they are with a big decision to make. Will they let Fowler walk after putting up 3.5 sacks in 11 games with the Rams? Or do they sign him to an extension, making this trade more than just a rental?

The franchise tag is also on the table, though that’s the costliest short-term option. We lay out all the options in this preview, continuing our daily free agency series.

2018 stats: (LA and JAX) 15 games, 30 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 5 TFL, 6 QB hits, 2 FF, 2 FR
Pro Football Focus grade: 67.3 (No. 53 edge defender)

Analysis

Fowler was only a part-time player in Jacksonville, but with the Rams, he was playing just about every snap by the end of the year. He started six games and was far more impactful with Los Angeles than he was with the Jaguars. Does that mean his 2018 season was a success? Not necessarily.

He only had four sacks in 15 regular-season games, and 5.5 if you count the three additional playoff contests. So in 11 games with the Rams, he had 3.5 sacks. For a player on a defense with Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh, that’s obviously not a high number, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.

He made impactful plays in big moments, like a tone-setting hit on Ezekiel Elliott and getting to Drew Brees in the NFC championship to force an interception. He had four tackles for loss in those three postseason games, which is one more than Donald had.

It just remains to be seen if he can sustain success in the NFL for 16 games. He only has 16 career sacks in three seasons – excluding his missed 2015 campaign due to injury – and has just one year with more than four sacks. Paying a player like that north of $12 million for an extended period of time is a risky proposition.

Positional need: High

Arguably the biggest need for L.A. this offseason is at outside linebacker, and with the pass rush as a whole. If Fowler leaves, they’re looking at Samson Ebukam starting again and possibly Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, depending on what they do in the draft and free agency. For a team that got only eight sacks from its edge rushers, that’s not great news.

There will be options in free agency, but expecting to land a Day 1 starter at outside linebacker at No. 31 in the draft is somewhat unreasonable. That’s not to say it can’t happen, but there’s a reason the best pass rushers go high in the draft with not many rookies putting up double-digit sacks.

The Rams need help at this spot, and badly.

Prediction: Signs three-year, $27 million deal with Rams

There are three ways the Rams can go with Fowler. They can place the franchise tag on him and pay him around $15 million for 2019 alone. They did that with Lamarcus Joyner last year, overpaying him for one season to determine whether he’s worth a big-money extension. That turned out to be a great move because Joyner regressed, and had the Rams extended him, they’d probably be having buyer’s remorse.

Another option is signing Fowler to a multi-year deal. This is the ideal scenario, but it’s also the most difficult to make happen. Teams overpay free agent pass rushers and that could very well be the case with Fowler if he hits the open market. A team could easily offer him $11 million per year, putting him on par with Cameron Jordan – which is crazy to think about.

The last option – aside from a tag-and-trade, which won’t happen – is letting him walk. The Rams did this with Sammy Watkins after acquiring him in 2017, likely netting a third-round compensatory pick in the 2019 draft. If the Rams let Fowler sign elsewhere, they could be looking at another third- or fourth-round compensatory selection in 2020.

Ultimately, I think the Rams will get a deal done with Fowler, possibly before he gets to free agency. A deal around $9 million per year makes sense for both sides, which should fall somewhere between the deals Preston Brown and Shaquil Barrett get this year.

It wouldn’t be the least bit surprising to see Fowler leave after a half-year rental, especially given the pass rushers available in free agency, and possible cap casualties like Justin Houston, Olivier Vernon and Jabaal Sheard.

[PAC12]

I wish we could move on from Troy Aikman and Joe Buck. They are like nails on a chalkboard to me. If we Rams fans have to have an ex cowboy announcer, please let it be Tony Romo.

[dieterbrock]

Mike Clay's FA Cheat sheet:

Mike Clay’s #1 LB is Ryan Shazier?
Ummm.... is he paying attention?

[R4L]

Hard to say where the rams spend the money. They have a slew of free agents. To me, the need a proven edge rusher. They got 6 sacks from their starting OLBs last year and that's terrible for a 3-4.

[dieterbrock]

They got 6 sacks from their starting OLBs last year and that's terrible for a 3-4.

Great point.

[Hacksaw]

By: Cameron DaSilva

The start of free agency and the new league year are less than a month away with March 13 rapidly approaching. The Los Angeles Rams have several needs to address with four starters set to become free agents, while also filling holes with draft picks and outside free agents.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell laid out a five-step plan for the Rams this offseason and it’s hard to argue with any of the moves. Here’s how Barnwell believes Los Angeles should approach the next few months of the offseason.

1. Convince Andrew Whitworth to come back

2. Bring back Rodger Saffold and C.J. Anderson.

3. Trade down from the 31st pick.

4. Sign Clay Matthews and wait out the market on veterans.

5. Don’t extend Jared Goff this offseason.

Getting Whitworth back is paramount. He’s still one of the best left tackles in the NFL despite being 37 years old, and while it’s reasonable for him to consider retirement, he continues to play at a very high level. If he calls it a career, the Rams will be left with a gaping hole on the left side of the line.

Speaking of the offensive line, re-signing Saffold should be a top priority. He’ll have a big market in free agency, but the Rams must make a concerted effort to keep him in Los Angeles. Re-signing Anderson is a big more debatable. Barnwell argues that he’s a good insurance policy, but with Todd Gurley expected to be fine, the Rams could be sinking a lot of money into a backup running back position that may not get much use.

With no second- or third-round pick as of now – compensatory picks will change that – the Rams are lacking top-100 selections. By moving down, they can pick up a few more picks to fill potential holes at outside linebacker and nose tackle, if Dante Fowler Jr. and Ndamukong Suh walk.

Matthews has obvious ties to Southern California and would probably love to play for the Rams, but he’s past his prime. If the Rams can’t keep Fowler, Matthews wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize, but only at the right price on a one-year deal. He hasn’t had more than 7.5 sacks in any of the last four seasons, including just 3.5 in 2018.

Lastly, the Rams have time to extend Goff. They have him under contract for two more years and after seeing him struggle in the second half of the season, it’s reasonable for them to take their time.

They might be able to save some money by extending him now before the cap increases and other quarterbacks like Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz sign extensions, but it’s not worth the risk. Next year would be the best time to start discussing a contract extension, assuming he doesn’t fall apart and struggle in 2019.

Overall, it’s not a bad plan from Barnwell. The Rams need help at outside linebacker, which Matthews helps with, and keeping both Whitworth and Saffold would be a huge plus.