5 players who could be surprise salary cap casualties for LA Rams

Rob Havenstein

Trade – The LA Rams have gotten mixed results from their right tackle over the past two seasons.  In 2019, he was very bad. In 2020, he was generally above average. But he may have lost a step, particularly when facing an edge rusher with a quick move to the outside. At least when the Rams struggled on offense, it was not only quarterback Jared Goff who was finding a tough go of it. Quite often, the performance of Goff was linked to that of Havenstein.

Sporadic performance is part of playing a young player on the offensive line. But it’s a bit of a surprise when it’s an NFL veteran.  Now, don’t get me wrong. There is enough good video evidence from Havenstein to attract potential suitors to make worthwhile offers for him in a trade scenario. And he is relatively inexpensive by NFL standards for an offensive right tackle.

But he is a significant cost on the LA Rams ledger. And the Rams do have less expensive options on the roster, players who could step up if given the chance. Les Snead, in his press conference yesterday, named both Chandler Brewer and Tremayne Anchrum as players who could do well as starters for the Rams at offensive line.  Curiously, that did not include mention of Bobby Evans, who played at right tackle in 2019.

Saving money is not as easy as you think. The Rams trim salary costs each year, simply because they must. The Rams waived starting OLB Clay Matthews in 2020 with no clear successor, and the defense ended tops in the NFL.  The clock is ticking. Seven days to save over $33 million is now down to six days, and by the time you’ve read this entire article, more time will have expired. Havenstein may be on the trade block if the rumors are true. Trading him here saves cap space and yields a valuable draft pick.