3 projected free agent edge rushers the LA Rams must sign

With the imminent departure via free agency of LA Rams outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, who proved to the rest of the NFL last season that he can pressure opposing quarterbacks off the edge, the team will need to find a replacement. He leaves a hole, a void that must be addressed.

Yes, we know. OLB Dante Fowler Jr. was great, as long as he played on the same defense as All-Pro DL Aaron Donald. When he left, the LA Rams found another ‘about to explode’ edge rusher named Leonard Floyd. He was not expected to be as productive by many. Merely a one-year stop-gap filled many descriptions of that signing. Just hold the position in a respectable fashion, help install DC Brandon Staley’s defense, and mentor the younger edge rushers.

The Rams got a huge bargain.

If we plumb the depths of that hole, measure the diameter of that void, we see it measures as follows: played in all 16 games and recorded 10.5 sacks, 31 solo tackles, 19 QB-hits, and one forced fumble.

Signed to a one-year contract for $10 million last year, Floyd put up the kind of numbers that make him a highly-sought after talent on the market and likely commanding upwards of $13 million-plus at the going rate for players with those type of stats. He came to retake his claim as one of the NFL’s finest pass rushers.

A one-year NFL contract to a veteran player is essentially a “prove-it-to-us” kinda deal.

In short, he proved himself. But now, and regrettably so, he’s too pricey for the Rams to re-sign. He has, like many others before him, priced himself right out of Ram’s budget.