4 options for LA Rams defensive end: Re-sign, Sign, Draft, or Promote Defensive End?

The LA Rams have quite a few projected roster needs heading into the 2020 season. So let’s review the team options for Defensive End. Re-sign Brockers? Sign a free agent? Draft a prospect? Or Promote a backup player.

LA Rams defensive end Michael Brockers has been a fixture on the defensive end for the LA Rams for quite some time. He’s a bastion of the run defense and has been the senior statesman for the Rams defensive front. His contract is up in 2020, and many hope the Rams will re-sign Brockers.  But the player himself does not seem to harbor much optimism. In fact, he posted what appeared to be his farewell to the LA Rams fan already. So soon for so long. Was is prophetic, or premature?

The LA Rams have one of the marquis defensive linemen in the NFL in the form of All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Donald is a bit of a versatile 3-4 defensive lineman, able to slide across the three-man front to wreak havoc on the offensive line from all angles.  Donald delivers on every defensive play, which astounds that he is the focus of so many double and triple teams on so many plays. Shouldn’t that much attention free up a teammate to have a clear shot at the ball carrier or event the quarterback?

Defensive end Michael Brockers has delivered that, in part. Don’t take my word for it.  Aaron Donald himself, the brunt of double teams, is petitioning for Brockers return. Not only because they are familiar with one another. But Brockers has been one of the better defenders in the NFL against the run.

And so, the LA Rams face the challenge or opportunity to pair up Donald with a more suitable teammate.

Re-sign

Of course, there are many reasons to re-sign defensive end Michael Brockers.  A player who is familiar with the team and with whom the team and fans are familiar.  But to some, Brockers has lost its luster. Does familiarity breed contempt in this instance?

Brockers delivers folks. Yes, he is not racking up huge numbers on the passing downs over quarterback sacks. But there is more to defense than sacking quarterbacks. He’s been a swiss army knife of the defensive front for years. In the saying “jack of all trades, master of none”, players who show the incredible versatility to play multiple positions well, seem to have limits in terms of specializing enough to be the best in the slot at any one position.

So too, Brockers has grown in versatility at the expense of becoming great in one narrow role.  That is not to say that he does nothing incredibly well.  He does.

Run stopping is the direction this Rams defense needs to emphasize in 2020.  So it makes great sense for the Rams to re-sign a veteran who excels at it. In the end, DT Aaron Donald could petition for any one of the half-dozen teammates poised to depart to another NFL team via free agency.  The fact that he has used his podium to petition to the Rams front office to re-sign Brockers speaks deafening volumes.

Based on the 2020 Free Agent market, Brockers may need to accept a discount to sign on with either the Rams or a new NFL team.

Sign

The next option, sign a free agent, makes the most sense if the departure of Brockers creates a huge hole in the new roster.  Perhaps the Rams have already begun talks with the salary expectations for Brockers in his next contract, and feel he has priced himself out of their range. If that’s the case, or perhaps for other reasons, the LA Rams may need to shop the 2020 NFL Free Agency market.

The market for NFL free agents playing the defensive line will be wide open.  Players who hit the free agency market in 2020 include Seattle Seahawks Jadaveon Clowney, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ndamukong Suh, San Francisco 49ers Arik Armstead, New England Patriots Danny Shelton, Atlanta Falcons Vic Beasley, Carolina Panthers Gerald McCoy.

The supply of so many defensive linemen hitting the market simultaneously may appear to make this a buyers’ market. But so many teams losing so many players will create a sellers’ market in the first few weeks.

Some players will be signed to top dollar instantly, and that will create headlines, euphoria for fans of the signing team, and great concern to those fans whose team seems paralyzed and unable to make the “bold moves”.  But the value to the defensive line market is patience. The Rams boast a marquis opportunity for defensive linemen to play alongside DT Aaron Donald. That in itself gives the LA Rams reason to exercise patience and wait for the market to come to them.

If some veteran players like Danny Shelton, Vic Beasley, Denver Broncos Derek Wolf, Ndamukong Suh, New England Patriots Michael Bennett, Dallas Cowboys Robert Quinn, Buffalo Bills Jordan Phillips, or the like are not instantly “scooped up”, then look for savvy front offices to negotiate some great bargain deals.

I personally like the idea of the Rams looking to bring back Ndamukong Suh, Philadelphia Eagles Timmy Jernigan, or Buffalo Bills Shaq Lawson. The key for the Rams to sign an undervalued defensive lineman is patience.

Draft

The LA Rams have limited draft picks to use in the 2020 NFL Draft. Limited, but relatively valuable picks which the Rams have historically been very adept at using to find starters as late as round six.  Truth be told, the Rams find 53-man roster prospects from the ranks from undrafted free agents (UDFAs).

With that being stated upfront, the team will certainly have some confidence in choosing a rookie to play on the defensive front.  Since the Rams have plenty of versatility, the Rams can select either a defensive tackle, nose tackle, or defensive end and make it work.

In Ramblin Fan mock 1.1, the Rams select 6-foot-4, 303-pound defensive tackle Raequan Williams from Michigan State University in round six. in 49 collegiate games in the Big-10 NCAA football conference, Williams recorded 157 tackles and 11.5 quarterback sacks. Of those tackles, 29 were made behind the line-of-scrimmage.  Williams stood out during the week before the East-West Shrine Game, and will no doubt use that to land on the Rams radar in the upcoming draft.

Draft Network Analysis Raequan Williams

In Ramblin Fan mock 2.0, the Rams select 6-foot-3 253-pound defensive end, Jabari Zuniga, from the University of Florida. Zuniga is incredibly strong and agile, He excels at run defense, a huge must for the Rams defense in 2020.  While his pass rush needs work, he will deliver enough oomph defending the run to become a day one starter.  In training camp, the coaching staff will need to quicken Zuniga’s release from the three-point stance and work on improving his ability to shed blockers in pass rushing. But when working alongside Aaron Donald, that will come.

Draft Network Analysis Jabari Zuniga

The Rams will benefit immensely in the 2020 NFL Draft by lowering the priority of finding a new offensive left tackle.  By bringing back left tackle Andrew Whitworth, the Rams have a much better chance of enjoying a strong draft.  Finding a new defensive lineman may benefit the most.

Promote

If the team has sufficient depth and talent at the defensive end position, then promoting a current player is the way to go.  For Rams defensive ends Morgan Fox and Tanzel Smart, they have been putting in the time and effort for that very outcome.

In 2020, defensive end Tanzel Smart faces the last year of his NFL contract.  As we had discussed before, NFL players in their contract year can be surprisingly effective and productive. To date, Smart has been relegated to spot duty on both special teams play and defense.  But the Rams may test Smart in 2020, and should they do so, Smart must show up.  Selected in round six of the 2017 NFL Draft, Smart had a draft grade of round 4-5., suggesting he had the capacity to develop into an NFL starter.  While he had four starts and saw action in all 16 games as a rookie, his sophomore season found him frequently on the inactive list on game day.  That will change in 2020. A new defense, a new coaching staff, a new season, and a new urgency all shape up to give Smart a huge incentive to break out in 2020.  Even if he merely earns more playing time, that helps the Rams fill the Brockers’ roster void. And that gives the team a better rotation going forward.

Restricted free agent (RFA) Morgan Fox has no contract with the LA Rams in 2020. We reviewed what RFA means in our 2020 Free Agency Primer article.  The Rams may designate a tender offer on Fox beginning February 25 and will have until March 10th at 4:00 pm EST to do so.  The Rams must offer Fox a one-year tender offer.  After that, Fox may re-sign with the Rams, or opt to sign with other NFL Teams.  Once another team makes Fox an offer sheet, the Rams will have the right to match that offer and keep Fox, or decline.  Any team signing away Fox will subsequently be required to transfer the appropriate draft pick to Fox.

With so many unrestricted free-agents (UFAs) available in 2020, the Rams will likely have next to no competition for the 6-foot-3 275-pound Fox. Based on the team’s needs in 2020, it makes perfect sense for the team to bring Fox back, with or without Brockers.  Fox made a substantial impact in a very limited role during his 2016 rookie season. Factoring out the lost 2018 season due to an ACL injury, Fox has seen a steady 30-plus percent of all defensive snaps.  In that time, Fox has earned some spot starts and has gradually developed into a steady performer. Is he ready for a full-time starter role? Yes, he is.

No matter how the Rams address the defensive end position soon to be vacated by outgoing free agent Michaels Brockers, the team has many solid options to do so.  Whichever option the team selects, the outcome will have an impact on the team’s success in 2020.