NFL Economics 101: How are Rams building a 2021 NFL Budget?

Positional Spending – Intermediate

So that’s a great basic understanding. Now, the real world creates a few wrinkles that each team must address separately. Like what? Well, dead cap money for starters. Special teams players for another. Versatile players who fit in more than one positional-category for another. Nothing is clean and clearly distinguished in the real world.  So let’s attack these problems one by one.

Dead cap money creates a problem because it is money can is committed without the benefit of a player’s performance to benefit the team. To resolve the matter, the team can apply the dead cap as a reduction to the overall salary cap (all positions are penalized) or directed to a specific position (Gurley dead cap money added to the running back total).

Special teams are not typically broken out with their own category (see Over The Cap.com Positional Spending). To avoid confusion, some teams will factor the placekicker as a member of the offense, and factor the punter into the defense. Any method is correct, as long as the team applies the same method to each year.

Finally, players who can contribute in two distinct areas (such as a hybrid linebacker/safety combination) can be considered in either category or split evenly between two or more positions on the field. Of course, if the cause for using the safety on the field is due to sub-defensive packages, then the team would probably just plan to spend more on the more heavily used positions.  As of today, the LA Rams have 64 players under contract for the 2021 NFL season. The team has $96,024,279 committed to the offense and $90,219,094 committed to the defense.

Right now, the LA Rams are at a salary cap deficit of between ($35 million) and ($39 million), In comparison to other NFL teams, the Rams spend less on the offensive line and running back, and spend more on tight ends and wide receivers than other teams.  The Rams spend less on edge rushers, linebackers, and safeties, spend more on cornerbacks and are the NFL’s top spending team on interior defensive linemen.

Now you have a good basis to form your opinions and expectations for the LA Rams to be active in free agency and the NFL Draft. What can the LA Rams truly afford to spend, and where? Good luck and happy shopping!