With free agency in full swing, the Los Angeles Rams have already been left with some major gaps to fill on defense.
The Rams were hoping to avoid some significant turnover this offseason. Unfortunately, they have since parted ways with a number of key starters already such as linebacker Cory Littleton, defensive tackle Michael Brockers, Dante Fowler Jr. and cornerback Nickell-Robey-Coleman.
It is no secret that Los Angeles has limited resources to work with at this time of year and have most of their salary cap tied to current or future, lucrative deals they must pay out. As a result, it appears they have gotten off to a slow start when it comes to filling the notable voids on their roster.
Perhaps the biggest concern for the Rams at the moment is finding a way to fill out their linebacker corps. The departure of Littleton leaves them without their shot-caller in the middle and Fowler was a key contributor to their pass rush, coming off a career season.
The market for inside linebackers has dried up rather quickly meaning they could look to their in-house options such as Micah Kiser and Troy Reeder to help alleviate the loss of Littleton. Meanwhile, there are still no shortage of edge rushers to bring in since Fowler’s price tag grew too rich for their taste. The Rams wasted no time replacing him by signing former Chicago Bears pass rusher Leonard Floyd.
The Rams still have a slot to fill alongside defensive tackle Aaron Donald after Brockers was picked up by the Baltimore Ravens. Although the team has put an emphasis on securing a veteran to pair with Donald in recent years, it seems they may opt to go with a more youthful approach moving forward after the promise that defensive tackles Sebastian Joseph-Day and Greg Gaines showed during the 2019 NFL season. Of course, there are still some experienced options that they could explore bringing in to potentially serve as a stabilizing factor in the run game such as defensive tackles Linval Joseph or Damon Harrison.
Although Robey-Coleman played an integral role as their primary slot defender, Los Angeles learned the importance of having enough depth on the outside during the 2019 campaign. Unfortunately, it appears he found himself as a cap casualty in the team’s efforts to shore up some more cap space to work with.
If the Rams are looking for a cheaper option to play in the slot New York Jets cornerback Brian Role or Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Daryl Worley would certainly make plenty of sense. Otherwise, they could be looking to bring in more options to potentially start across from cornerback Jalen Ramsey outside of Troy Hill.
