LA Rams offseason status summary – April 4, 2021

The LA Rams never had a chance of re-signing more than one or two key players for the 2021 NFL Season. So it falls to reason that some players who meant a great deal to the team’s success in 2020 would find themselves playing for new teams in 2021. But I don’t believe that anyone could have anticipated the speed at which Rams players were signed away from the 2021 NFL Free Agency market.

Even more surprising, the biggest buyers of Rams players were not the teams that had added Rams executives or coaches to their organizations. The biggest purchaser of Rams talent was the Cleveland Browns, who signed both safety John Johnson III and defensive back Troy Hill in the offseason.

But all in all, the LA Rams lost all free agents save quarterback Blake Bortles and the players re-signed. The Rams managed to keep OLB Leonard Floyd, DB Darious Williams, IOL Coleman Shelton, TE Johnny Mundt, and ILB Travin Howard.

Free Agency takes a toll

The Rams lost ten players to free agency. so far. They are safety John Johnson III, cornerback Troy Hill, WR Josh Reynolds, TE Gerald Everett, RB Malcolm Brown, DE Morgan Fox, OLBs Samson Ebukam and Derek Rivers, LS Jake McQuaide, and OG Austin Blythe.  As a result, the LA Rams will likely be awarded a maximum of four compensatory picks for the 2022 NFL Draft.

While most of the Rams activity was re-signing talented players, the team did manage to squeeze enough cap space to add one wide receiver, DeSean Jackson. Jackson, while a veteran, can still threaten defenses with deep routes which force the defensive coordinator to commit a safety to cover over the top.

While the team has the 2021 NFL Draft, the team could theoretically start the season as is. Of course, the caliber of play at the shallow offensive center, cornerback, and outside linebacker positions is not ideal. The team will likely try to add rookie talent to those and other positions in days two and three of this draft.

The Rams will be better than many expect this year, simply because the NFL loves to try to rewrite the script. But the Rams will be a highly motivated and competitive team this year. As long as the team remains healthy, an appearance in Super Bowl LVI is within the grasp.