Why the LA Rams must re-sign RFA Darious Williams

Since the LA Rams‘ 2020 season came to an end in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs at the hands of the Green Bay Packers, Rams GM Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay have turned their focus to the offseason. For now, restocking the team’s roster is not going to be easy.

Facing uncertainty, the team is going swimming into rough waters. The team is estimated to be $30 Million OVER the cap in 2021 (per Over the Cap.com) which leaves them little to no room at all to sign any player. The team has 16 projected free agents when the 2021 NFL season officially begins on March 17th at 1:00 pm PT.

At that time, the NFL Free Agency market officially opens for business. And when that happens, the team will have to find a way to extend some of their key players. Up and coming cornerback Darious Williams is definitely one of those players the Rams will want to bring back.

Williams is 26-years-old and is a former undrafted free agent out of the University of Alabama-Birmingham(UAB) who was signed by the Baltimore Ravens in May of 2018. He was originally signed to their practice squad, but was later was released in October of that year.

On October 8, 2018, the Rams quickly claimed Williams and added him to their 53 man roster. Williams did not play much his first season.  In 2019, he made his presence known in the Rams secondary. He played a significant part of the defense in the last three games of the season, well enough to be considered a candidate for a starting role in the following year.

Suprise starter

in 2020, he became a day one starter as the outside cornerback for the team. in that role, he played a vital role not only on the Rams defense but in the locker room as well.  In 2020, Williams played in all 16 games and started ten of those contests.  He was on the field for 824 defensive snaps, good enough for 81 percent of the defense.

How did he do? Here is a look at the Rams cornerback situation and why the Rams need to re-sign Darious Williams.

The Rams defense in 2020 was the NFL’s number one ranked defense, and their defensive backs were among the finest in the NFL this year.. Led by one of the NFL’s best secondary players in Jalen Ramsey, this unit has playmakers from left to right. Defensive back Troy Hill was the team’s second starting cornerback. The Rams played a significant number of snaps in either a nickel or dime sub-package.

They were supported and backed up by defensive backs David Long Jr, Donte Deayon, and Tyrique McGhee. In 2021, the team’s cornerback room will not be as deep as it was in 2020. Both veteran Troy Hill and Darious Williams are currently projected to test the NFL Free Agency market in 2021. That will be a huge hit to the team’s secondary and will force them to shop for depth in either free agency or in the draft. All-Pro Jalen Ramsey is signed thru 2026, but after that, the team will be thin at the position going forward.

Williams is a restricted free agent this offseason

Restricted Free Agency:

DB Williams is set to become a restricted free agent (RFA) this year. , which is very different than being an unrestricted free agent. An unrestricted free agent is a player who has met the minimum threshold of playing time and is free to negotiate a new contract to play with any team without restrictions

A restricted free agent is a player who has played for three seasons at the end of which his contract has expired, and is then free to negotiate with and eventually sign with any team with certain restrictions. What are those restrictions? Well, to protect the drafting team, the original team can offer the player one of the various qualifying tender offers. Those tender offers are categorized as a first-round tender offer, a second-round tender, and an original-round tender offer. Finally, there is the basic Right of First Refusal tender, which only provides the right to match any offer sheets.

Tender offers must be submitted to the NFL office in order to be recognized as valid. A tender offer is a proposed contract to the player for one year to play at a specified price. Those offers are binding to the team. However, the player’s agent can negotiate contract terms with any team in an attempt to secure a more lucrative deal. When both sides agree to terms, the players then signs an ‘offer sheet’

The tender offer protects the original team in two ways. First, it gives the original team the Right of First Refusal. That means that the LA Rams would have the right to match any and all offer sheets for players to whom they have offered a tender. That means that the Rams could simply match the player’s offer sheet, and resign that player with the compensation and terms negotiated.

If the Rams cannot or elect not to match an offer sheet, then the category of tender comes into play. For a first-round tender, the new team would need to surrender a first-round pick to the Rams. A second-round tender penalizes the news team by forcing the surrender of a second-round pick. Since Darious Williams was undrafted, no draft pick is due if the Rams apply an original-round tender.

Of course, the greater the penalty incurred by the new team, the more expense the tender offer will be to the Rams. So it’s a contest of strategy, where the Rams want to discourage other offers, but not obligate themselves to overpay.

So why keep Williams?

Reason 1: Playmaking ability

There are many reasons to love Darious Williams.  Since being claimed by the Rams in 2018, he has been one of their most consistent and reliable playmakers in the secondary. He is known for his physicality at the line of scrimmage, despite the disadvantages of his height and weight. Furthermore, he has a way of always being around the ball.

In the past two seasons, Williams has averaged three interceptions per year and nine passes defended per year. Not only is he adept at the coverage, but he is quick to reverse the tables and turn a pass into an interception. His ability to cause turnovers at key moments in a game has helped the Rams defense become one of the best in the NFL. The team sees Darious Williams as a reliable asset.

Reason 2: Leverage

One thing that the Rams have in terms of Darious William is leverage. Since he falls into the  Restricted Free Agent category instead of the unrestricted free agent category, the Rams have significant say over when Williams will play in 2021.

As long as the Rams file a qualifying Tender offer, the team has the right to match any offer that Williams may receive from any team. The Rams can also place a first or second-round tender on him which means the team who signs Williams to an offer sheet and the Rams decide not to match, that team will owe either receive a first-round or second-round pick to the Rams.

The Rams cannot afford to pay Williams ridiculous amounts of money, but by the same token, the Rams cannot afford to lose Williams this year.

Reason 3: Troy Hill an Unrestricted Free Agent

The LA Rams also stand to lose starting defensive back Troy Hill, who has also been a big part of the Rams defense for the past four seasons.  His contract expires as well, so he is about to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.  As previously stated, the Rams have no flexibility to spend money as they are currently estimated to be well over the projected 2021 NFL salary cap.

It’s only logical to expect Troy Hill to ask for more money than the Rams will be able or willing to afford. Unless Hill is committed to remaining a Rams defensive back and is willing to sign a team-friendly deal, his time in the blue and gold has come to an end.  That makes re-signing Darious Williams vital to this team’s success moving forward.

All in all, Darious Williams has become a major chess piece for the Rams defense. His consistent play and tremendous coverage skills have made him one of the most underrated cornerbacks.  Not only on the Rams roster but throughout the entire NFL. The Rams would love to have him back and should be willing to commit to do anything and everything to make sure his future is in the City of Angels.

The Rams cannot afford to lose Williams and they know that. So the Rams will likely submit a second-round qualifying offer at a minimum for Williams’ services. After all, both the Detroit Lions and LA Chargers are circling the Rams free agents like buzzards, ready to swoop in a claim any players who the Rams allow to hit the free agency market. Don’t look for Darious Williams to be one of them. And it may take a first-round tender offer to keep him.