LA Rams: All quiet on the western front as NFL Free Agency opens!

As expected, the LA Rams have yet to strike any deal as NFL Free Agency begins this week

News of NFL free-agent signings has permeated the sports headlines since the tampering period of free agency began today, March 16, 2020. And as expected, the LA Rams have not made news concerning signing or re-signing any free agent. So far, it’s all quiet on the western front.

After the players ratified the new collective bargaining agreement, the 2020 salary cap was set at $198.2 million. LA will have around $14.5 million of salary-cap space, according to overthecap.com. Despite the obvious inaction by the team, do not ignore what is going on at the Rams front office right now.  Rams’ executives and personnel staff are quietly evaluating the roster to determine how to free up cap space and where to spend their remaining cash.

Expect LA Rams general manager Les Snead to make deals to create more cap space. Todd Gurley seems to be the obvious player to get moved first. However, news broke that Gurley could get cut if no trade partner is found.

NFL Network’s Michael Silver, via video at nfl.com, talked about an upcoming split. How would that affect the Rams salary cap numbers? Would it be sooner as opposed to later?

According to overthecap.com, Gurley would account for $20 million dead cap cash if cut before June 1st. If LA waits until after June 1st, that cap number is $11.75 million. A post-June 1st trade would further reduce Gurley’s dead cap number to $4.2 million. With that in mind, the Rams are more likely to move him before the start of training camp. This could also explain the soft market for both Gurley and WR Brandin Cooks, who are both reported to be on the NFL trading block.

As this is being written, Michael Brockers will sign with the Baltimore Ravens. The deal is being reported as a three-year contract worth $30 million. The Rams did not have the money to pay free-agent contracts in that price range.

The Rams will have to trade some expensive players to give them more dollars to spend on future contracts. If not, they will have to fill needs with lesser, inexpensive talent. Is it possible to make the playoffs with a few stars and average to below-average players? Let’s see how it all plays out in the next few weeks.