LA Rams: Will this be Sebastian Joseph Day’s curtain call?

The LA Rams have a lot of important decisions to make, and 2022 is a huge year for what to do about expiring contracts. We know that the Rams must be a bit tight-fisted now, as the salary cap ceiling dropped precipitously rather than continue its steady climb as the team had hoped. Salary cap dollars suddenly became quite scarce for the team in 2020, and then again for 2021. Now, the team must decide who, if any, will be offered a contract extension to play for the team in 2022. One such player whose fate hangs in the balance is Sebastian Joseph Day.

Sebastian Joseph Day is a young and promising player for the LA Rams. He plays the nose tackle position but is versatile enough to play anywhere along either a 3-4 or 4-3 defensive front. His performance has improved steadily each season, to the point where he is likely expected to put up a career-high season for the Rams this year.

He, like all defensive linemen for the Rams, gets the Aaron-Donald effect. So one of the first questions that the LA Rams must answer in planning their 2022 roster strategy is to determine how much of SJD’s performance is SJD, and how much is Aaron Donald? Of course, some of his steady climb to NFL performance must be attributable to Bash (his high school nickname), as he has become entrenched in the nose tackle position, his off-season training has focused exclusively upon that role.

That’s critical to know because the Rams must commit to either defensive back Darious Williams, interior offensive lineman Austin Corbett, reserve offensive lineman Joseph Noteboom (who is the primary backup to the expected-to-retire offensive left tackle Andrew Whitworth), or any number of players whose contracts expire at the end of this season. Who is the team’s priority?