The Los Angeles Rams have about $30 million in cap space right now, which is sure to change when players are cut in the coming weeks and months. They have several big decisions to make regarding their own free agents, led by the “big four” of Ndamukong Suh, Rodger Saffold, Dante Fowler Jr. and Lamarcus Joyner.
They aren’t the only pending free agents set to hit the open market, though. There are 21 others, and while we won’t break down what the Rams should do about each, these six should not be re-signed.
Los Angeles should let the following players walk in free agency.
Ndamukong Suh
There was nothing wrong with the one-year experiment, but the Rams should move on from Suh and try to find a better fit for their defense. He’s best in a 4-3 defense playing the position Aaron Donald plays. The Rams run a 3-4 and with Suh not being a true nose tackle, they had to move him to defensive end fairly often, which is where he performed best.
Assuming he gets more than $10 million per year on the open market, the Rams won’t be able to compete with that when it comes to an extension – unless it’s another one-year contract. There will be better options in free agency and the draft for far less money, who will also fit more with what the Rams want in a nose tackle.
Lamarcus Joyner
Instead of signing Joyner to an extension last year, they placed the franchise tag on him. It was costly at nearly $12 million for one season, but it proved to be the right move. Joyner struggled in 2018 and took a huge step backward after a fantastic 2017 campaign. He can still be a starter in the NFL, but the Rams have probably seen enough to know he’s not worth top-tier safety money.
Tre Boston will be a cheaper option and can easily fill the role that Joyner played. This is an extremely deep safety class, too, with Day 1 starters available into the middle rounds. The Rams have never been a team to sign defensive backs to long-term contracts, either, and that should remain the case with Joyner.
Dominique Easley
We all want Easley to succeed so badly. After all of the injuries he’s been through, he deserves to have success in the NFL, be it in L.A. or somewhere else. It’s just hard to see the Rams giving him yet another chance. They brought him back last year after he missed the entire 2017 season, but this past season didn’t go much better. He played three games before suffering a season-ending knee injury, making four tackles in those three starts.
Easley simply can’t stay on the field and it’s difficult to justify the Rams spending another offseason wondering if he can be a starter at outside linebacker like they thought he’d be last year, or if he’ll suffer another knee injury. It’s best if Los Angeles moves on and goes in a different direction. Given Easley’s injury history, it’s unlikely he can hold up inside at defensive tackle, either, which is why Wade Phillips moved him to outside linebacker – albeit, to no avail.
Matt Longacre
After being a restricted free agent last year, Longacre is unrestricted this offseason, meaning he’s free to sign with anyone he’d like. Longacre was a fine role player in 2017, but he fell completely out of favor this past season. A healthy scratch at one point, Longacre played 13 games (seven starts) and had one measly sack with no tackles for loss.
He played a total of 281 defensive snaps but was sent to the bench when Dante Fowler Jr. arrived in Week 9. The Rams’ biggest need is at outside linebacker, but Longacre simply doesn’t win one-on-one matchups enough to deserve a significant role on defense. Los Angeles would probably rather give Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, John Franklin-Myers, Justin Lawler and Trevon Young reps.
Sean Mannion
Mannion found himself in a battle with Brandon Allen and Luis Perez last year to be Jared Goff’s backup. It clearly wasn’t much of a battle, though, because Mannion completed 24 of 46 passes for 168 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in three preseason games … and still “won” the job. He’s done very little up to this point to show he can be a quality backup in the NFL, remaining as a holdover from the Jeff Fisher regime as a former third-round pick.
It’s time for the Rams to find someone who can legitimately win games in the event that Goff gets hurt. Mannion is not that guy and signing him to an extension would be the wrong move for Los Angeles. He’s neither a developmental quarterback nor an immediate solution behind Goff, making his value to the team marginal.
C.J. Anderson
There’s no denying Anderson’s impact on the Rams after he arrived in Week 16. Without him, they may not have made it to the Super Bowl. However, after seeing the way Sean McVay used him and Todd Gurley, it’s clear Gurley is at his best when he’s the unquestioned No. 1 back. That’s not to say he wouldn’t be if Anderson returned in 2019, but he’d certainly eat into Gurley’s carries somewhat, knowing he’d be making more money than someone like Malcolm Brown or John Kelly.
The Rams offense was at its best when Gurley touched the ball 20-plus times per game, not when he was sharing the backfield. Anderson is a quality player who can be a starter for someone else, but he’ll cost more than the Rams’ other options.
Given what Los Angeles is paying Gurley, backup running back shouldn’t be a high priority.
