5 Rams free agents who could be forced into retirement

The LA Rams have been relatively adept at reforming the roster with enough talent to win games since hiring Sean McVay as the head coach in 2017. But that does not mean that every player signed to the roster has panned out. Some do well enough in a game to pique curiosity over their upside potential, only to fade back onto the bench. Others may have a solid season, but never seem to break through to a meaningful role over time.

Still others never seem to deliver on their potential and promises.

It's not something to be ashamed about. The NFL is a very physical and demanding sport that exacts a heavy toll on players. One mistimed injury can derail the development track of a talented rookie, setting them back months or years. Two serious injuries to even the toughest veteran can simply stop a solid NFL career dead in its tracks.

Out of curiosity, I wanted to find out what the average career length of an NFL Player works out to be. Per Statista.com, they have calculated it to be just 3.3 years. Some positions like quarterback extend beyond four years, while running backs may remain in the league no longer than 2.5 seasons. That is a bit mind-blowing.

Super Bowl center of attention

It baffles the mind to recollect that center Brian Allen was the starting center for the LA Rams in Super Bowl LVI. But that is the track record of Super Bowl centers for the Rams, isn't it? (John Sullivan retired after Super Bowl LIII). Just three years later, he is off the team and the likelihood of his being signed by another team is an uphill battle.

The 2024 NFL Draft class is loaded with young, healthy, talented, and inexpensive centers, probably one of the deepest rookie classes that the NFL has seen for some time. As a result, several teams are releasing talented veterans as cap casualties in the hopes of signing a less expense (and younger) option.

In this environment, the talented but oft-injured Brian Allen may not attract much interest. He may still have some offensive snaps in him, but after his release from the Rams roster, will another team be willing to give him another opportunity to play?

These Rams could be forced into retirement

1. A royal defensive back
2. Second verse, same as the first
3. Thanks, but no thanks
4. Another SB hero who never panned out

A royal defensive back

The LA Rams needed veteran support, and CB Duke Shelley needed a team in 2023. As a result, Shelley signed with the teams for a NFL veteran minimum salary. He arrived to a team that needed veteran leadership in the secondary, a player who has been through a number of seasons, and could carry himself in such a way that younger teammates could follow his example. But two things happened to derail that plan.

The first was the simple fact that Shelley's late arrival (signed Sept. 1, 2023) made it awfully difficult to lead his teammates when he was trying to learn the playbook himself, trying to make introductions to his coaches and teammates, and trying to earn playing time. The second event was an injury to his hamstring that benched Shelley throughout the month of December 2023, just when the team got red hot. That ruined his chances to get back into the secondary rotation.

Shelley is a 5-foot-8, 183-pound veteran defensive back who has played on three separate NFL teams: The Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, and now LA Rams. He tried out with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023, but was cut before the Rams picked him up. With each new team, his role and impact continues to diminish. He plays well enough in pass coverage, allowing just 54.5 percent of passes thrown his way to find their target. But he only saw the field for 79 defensive snaps. A team could take a flyer on him this year. But if the Rams do not bring him back as a depth player, he could be waiting some time for the phone to ring.

Second verse, same as the first

Interior linebacker Troy Reeder has played four seasons for the LA Rams. But he played the 2022 NFL season for the Los Angeles Chargers. So it was a mild surprise when the team signed Reeder to the practice squad at the end of August 2023. While he knows the Rams coaches, players, and most of their plays, there was not enough reason to keep him on the team after winning Super Bowl LVI. But for some reason, there was enough reason to re-sign him to the team in 2023.

One of the problems with Reeder is his inability to secure the ball carrier when tackling them. He missed 14.2 percent of his tackles in 2022, which was incredibly frustrating to fans. He found his way for the Chargers, and did not miss a single tackle for them. But back on the Rams defense in 2023, he again failed to wrap up, missing an alarming 11.5 percent of his tackles once more.

Reeder continues to be a special team specialist, getting the majority of his work via special team snaps. But is that enough to land him another contract? I'm not so sure, particularly with his second attempt to perform well for this team and not getting the job done. It could be a long time before he gets another chance to show what he can do. Perhaps too long.

Thanks, but no thanks

When the team signed veteran running back Royce Freeman, I had hoped that his arrival would translate into a paradigm shift for the offensive strategy. In short, I wanted this to be 'the sign' that the team was willing to emphasize power running, a big bully running back used to crash into and through the line of scrimmage, average 20-25 carries per game, and wear down opposing defenses.

Guess what? It never happened.

Much like the north-south running of veteran RB Sony Mitchell in 2021, the team seems to harbor a love-hate relationship with bigger runners. Royce Freeman is 6-foot-0 and weighs 238 pounds. That is huge in comparison to 194-pound Ronnie Rivers or 195-pound Kyren Williams. And it's not as though Freeman is interchangeable with other runners. His north-south style of smash-mouth football is a perfect complement to the elusive fierce running of Williams.

Freeman only saw action in 207 offensive snaps. But when he was on the field, he worked. He ran 77 times for 319 yards and two touchdowns. That works out to 4.1 yards per carry, a very impressive number for a big back. Even the oft-stingy graders at Pro Football Focus gave Freeman a 74.3 grade for his work on the team. And yet, just like Sony Mitchel, the Rams are content to rent a power runner for a season, and then let them depart.

Sony Mitchell signed with the Los Angeles Chargers for one season after playing for the Rams before retiring. With a new wave of talented runners hitting the NFL from the 2024 NFL Draft, I'm not sure that Royce Freeman will get that chance.

Another SB hero who never panned out

The LA Rams drafted TE Brycen Hopkins with the 136th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. At the time, adding a rookie tight end to play behind veterans Gerald Everett and Tyler Higbee made a lot of sense. After all, Everett was on the last year of his contract, and the team seemed to have solid success by platooning two pass-catching tight ends.

Unfortunately, Brycen Hopkins never elevated his play to a point when he was given steady work in this offense.

After Everett left, the team turned to blocking TE Johhny Mundt. After Mundt left, the team turned to reserve TE Kendall Blanton. In 2023, the team turned to rookie TE Davis Allen. For whatever the reason, Hopkins simply cannot buy a vowel when it comes to playing time.

He did show up for the team in a big way in Super Bowl LVI, when the team lost WR Odell Beckham Jr. to an ACL injury, and the team was running out of targets for QB Matthew Stafford. In that game, he caught four of four passes thrown his was for 47 yards, moving the chains three times for the offense. But in terms of four seasons? He caught 13 of 19 passes for 196 yards and never scored a touchdown.

In hir four year career, he saw action on 330 offensive snaps and 155 snaps on special teams. That does not seem like the kind of numbers that will attract offers from other teams. Perhaps a team will take a chance at rejuvenating his career. But I believe it's more likely that he simply waits for an offer that won't be coming.