Lamarcus Joyner leaving Rams for Raiders seems best for both parties

As expected, the Los Angeles Rams have seen the last of Lamarcus Joyner after reports indicate the safety plans to join the Oakland Raiders.

After using the franchise tag on Lamarcus Joyner one year ago, early signs pointed to the Los Angeles Rams moving on from the safety this offseason since as bad as it sounds, he simply didn’t seem worth the kind of money he would be looking for.

One of the main reasons why the Rams were hesitant towards giving Joyner a hefty contract last year was due to the fact they weren’t sold on him being the answer at safety in the long run, which is why the tag seemed like the best idea at the time.

Even after this past season, there were times in which Los Angeles was impressed with Joyner’s level of play, but unfortunately from an overall perspective, the defender didn’t impress enough to convince the team he was worth keeping around for the long run.

Once the Rams announced last week that Eric Weddle was coming on board after agreeing to a two-year deal, it seemed like only a matter of time before Joyner found himself a new home for the 2019 season, especially with all of the teams in need of help at the position.

While the deal can’t become official until Wednesday, it looks like Joyner has at least found himself a new team to play for in the Oakland Raiders, who have already been one of the busiest teams so far with all of the key additions.

Without question, this is one of those moves in which it seems to work out perfect for both parties since the Rams seemed to upgrade at the position with Weddle while Joyner can join a team that views him more than just a short-term answer.

As mentioned before, there were plenty of times over the last two seasons in which Joyner flourished by playing in Wade Phillips’ system, and it will be interesting to see how this all plays out for the Florida State product now that he seems to be heading to Oakland.

Most importantly, the Rams didn’t give in by overpaying Joyner since this was one of the concerns heading into the offseason, and while the team will always appreciate the work he’s put in over the years, this seemed to work out perfect for everyone.