Coming off a Super Bowl winning season, this offseason has been very fast-paced for the Los Angeles Rams with a number of roster changes already in place.
The big moves the Rams have made are bringing in wide receiver Allen Robinson and linebacker Bobby Wagner, who should help replace the losses of Robert Woods and Von Miller.
While a bulk of the Rams’ offseason work leading up to the draft seems to be complete, they may not be fully done making big moves yet.
The Rams still have the ability to free up some cap space for one or two more signings, and one player they have been linked to is safety Tyrann Mathieu.
Mathieu is not expected to head back to the Kansas City Chiefs after they moved on by signing Justin Reed. Not many teams have cap space left, so it’s hard to predict what Mathieu’s market is, but Dan Graziano of ESPN recently reported on SportsCenter that there is mutual interest with the Rams:
“He’s had some contact with the Saints, some contact with the Eagles. I’m told to watch the Los Angeles Rams here. There’s some mutual interest there. Obviously Tyrann Mathieu is a player that would fit with what the Rams like to do in terms of veterans in the locker room, in terms of a player who’s won a Super Bowl before. It could take a little bit to try and work this out financially, and maybe after the draft. But Tyrann Mathieu still a player of interest for a number of contending teams, including the defending Super Bowl champions.”
The Rams have needed to get creative with structuring contracts this offseason, so perhaps they are doing the same to see if they can make it work with Mathieu.
As it currently stands, the Rams will be returning both of their starting safeties in Jordan Fuller and Taylor Rapp, as well as Nick Scott, who emerged in the postseason.
While the Rams don’t have a big need at safety, Mathieu is a special player that can play anywhere on the field. So as they have with so many talented players before, the Rams would make it work if they are able to lure him to L.A.
The Rams are a little short at cornerback right now, especially in the slot, so that is perhaps a role that Mathieu could excel in if he were to sign with the team.
