LA Rams DE Michael Brockers first FA loss, heading to Ravens

LA Rams DE Michael Brockers is 1st UFA to commit to a new NFL team, reportedly projected to sign a 3-year $30 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens

The LA Rams first news from the 2020 NFL Free Agency was not signing, but rather was news of an unrestricted free agent defensive end Michael Brockers. He is reportedly committing to signing with the Baltimore Ravens, with reported terms of three years and $30 million.  As of this moment, the more crucial factor of guaranteed dollars is not yet known.

The LA Rams had to see this coming.  On January 31, 2020, Michael Brockers and his wife Faith posted a thank you to the fans of the LA Rams.  Even that early into the NFL offseason, the message had a haunting undertone of farewell to it.  Haunting to those who wanted Brockers to return. Relief to those who did not.

Whichever side of the issue you stand is now a moot point. The situation is now virtually a certainty that the Rams will not have Brockers to mentor younger defensive linemen in 2020. And while Brockers may not have cleared frequent quarterback sacks, he was a stalwart defender of the running game on a defense where too many defenders focused upon pass-first priority to the defense.

The Rams simply have too many players all deserving of big-pay contracts in 2020. Whether deserving or not, the team had already filled the 2020 quota for big contracts by committing to QB Jared Goff, RB Todd Gurley, and WR Brandin Cooks.   So where did that leave DE Michael Brockers?

Brockers gets new zip

Well, unfortunately, it means a change of zip code. The Baltimore Ravens were eager to get younger and tougher on the defensive line.  Brockers does both for them and does so at a very reasonable price. The Ravens will acquire a solid defender, a great locker room presence, at a slightly below market price.  That’s not bad.

We had anticipated the Rams losing Brockers to another NFL team and projected the Raves as one of the three NFL teams likely to land him.  We even estimated his market value as a three-year contract worth an estimated $33 million dollars.  The Ravens have agreed to terms with Brockers at three-years and $30 million.

One of the seldom mentioned aspects of Brockers’ value is his versatility on a defensive line. He has the length to play the defensive end, the strength to play at defensive tackle, and the run-stopping ability to line up as a nose tackle. That type of versatility gives an NFL team’s front office flexibility in both free agency and the NFL Draft to choose the best value for additions to the roster going forward.

Farewell old friend

We know that the news would hit his teammates hard.  Michael Brockers is an exceptional teammate – upbeat, dependable, and a wise NFL veteran always willing to coach up younger teammates. Even as he recognized his time with Los Angeles was likely coming to an end, he made it a point to thank the fans and the organization.  That’s class and is a Michael Brockers’ trademark.

Rams players reacted with disappointment to watch such a great teammate on-the-field, and a class act off-the-field, leaving for another team. DT Aaron Donald, who publicly pleaded with the Rams to re-sign Brockers, shared that he would “miss you like hell man” on social media today.

Defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day was even more adamant of his support of his teammate, claiming he was “one of the best leaders he’s ever encountered”.  No doubt second-year player Greg Gaines will miss Brockers as well.

So all that is left to discuss is what can the Rams do to fill his spot in the line?

Sign, Draft, or Promote?

Where does this leave the Rams at the defensive line? We had that one covered as well, discussing potential options for the Rams.  Since the Rams do not have a “re-sign” option, let’s touch a bit on the remaining three options?

The Rams can do their own free agency shopping. But the price of defensive ends is at a premium this early in the NFL Free Agency market.  That’s due to teams, desperate to be seen as improving the roster, to make overvalued offers to the existing free agents available, to ensure that they sign “their guy”.

After the smoke clears, I really like the fit of Ndamukong Suh, Timmy Jernigan, or Shaq Lawson on the Rams roster.  Of course, other players would be a nice fit, but will likely not fall to the Rams projected price range.

For the NFL Draft, we had a couple of solid options:  in our mock draft 1.1, Michigan State defensive tackle Raequan Williams showed up on the Rams board in day three.  Despite a defensive tackle past, he has the right size and muscular-build to project as an NFL defensive end as well.

In mock draft 2.0, the LA Rams use a fourth-round pick to select Florida defensive end, Jabari Zuniga. A smaller defensive end, he would likely need to bulk up by adding an additional 10-20 pounds, he has tremendous strength and presence from day one.

Promoters

Finally, for the promote option, the Rams have DE Morgan Fox, who is himself a restricted free agent who has not yet received a qualifying tender off from the Rams.  While that does not prohibit the team from re-signing him, it allows another NFL team to outbid the Rams for his services and negate the Rams’ right to match any offers.

Fox would be a nice option for the Rams, both in terms of familiarity and price. He would also add a sense of depth to the team regardless of when or how they address the position in the 2020 NFL Draft.

In a more recent article, we discussed how the LA Rams could line up DE Aaron Donald, NT Greg Gaines, and DE Sebastian Joseph Day and be set to go for the 2020 NFL Season. This strategy allows the team to be set at the starting positions, and allow the 2020 NFL Draft to provide depth wherever the value occurs.

The LA Rams defense will be new for 2020. With the departure of Brockers to the Ravens already, and little chance the Rams re-sign many if any, players back to their defense.  As of today, the LA Rams starting defensive line will be Donald, Gaines, and Joseph-Day.