Rams re-signing DB Donte Deayon in NFL Free Agency solid move

The Rams failed to extend qualifying offers to restricted free agents, but re-signing RFA DB Donte Deayon in NFL Free Agency is a solid move

The LA Rams have done a very good job of developing young talented players from modest beginnings.  Inside linebacker Cory Littleton, now the marquis free agent signed to a multi-year deal by the Las Vegas Raiders, began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent with the LA Rams.
He excelled at special teams, and when the time came, he excelled as a starting inside linebacker.

Now the Rams have an opportunity with another player.  This time, it is an occasionally used defensive back Donte Deayon.  Deayon has not had much action with the LA Rams so far in his short NFL career. In fact, he was a perennial member of the New York Giants practice squad until he was released in November 2018.

The Rams added him to their own practice squad in December 2018, until promoting him to the active roster on November 13, 2019.  Since that time, he has gotten onto the field for  43 defensive plays, and for 44 special teams plays.

Building a roster one role-player at a time

In three games, he’s made three tackles. But that was enough to earn him a respectable 72.9 grade from Pro Football Focus for 2019. The Rams failed to retain the right to match any other team offers by failing to extend the required tender offer. The team also failed to act for LB Josh Carraway and DE Morgan Fox. After the team lost three defensive backs: Nickell Robey -Coleman, Eric Weddle, and Marqui Christian, re-signing Deayon makes sense in several ways.

Deayon moved to the active roster late in 2019 and held his own. While he won’t be left to defend WR 1’s, he will certainly compete for playing time as the slot cornerback. We had analyzed Deayon’s role with the Rams and projected him as an inexpensive option at slot cornerback for the team. While the contract terms have not yet been announced, we expect them to come in at an estimated $800,000 for one-year. Per the latest information from OvertheCap.com, Deayon’s contract comes in at $825,000.

A sound strategy is not always spending large amounts

For most fans, retaining Donte Deayon on the roster will not add much to their impression. But he is a solid contributor and will fill a needed role on the team’s roster. That will allow the team to look elsewhere in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft. With the Rams re-signing Deayon, the team may also move to bring back Morgan Fox and Josh Carraway as well.

Deayon is already NFL ready, and Rams field-tested. He’s worn the jersey in NFL games and has actually held his own. In 43 defensive plays, no passes were completed against him. While that could likely be a fluke of the game situation, it still bears witness to a player who did not surrender touchdowns.

Keep in mind that these results are the most you can expect from a day three defensive back. From round four to round seven, the best performance will be special teams and some plays on either offense or defense. Deayon brings that. And even if he does not win the starting role at slot cornerback from David Long Jr, he will give the team options at that position. Re-signing Donte Deayon may not mean much to many. But it should. The Rams are working on the entire roster now, and that is a very good sign.