Rams FA discounts prove players believe in team in 2024

It's been quite a roller coaster ride to the new 2024 NFL season so far, hasn't it? From the highs of highs when the team extended right guard Kevin Dotson to the lowest of lows then LA Rams legend All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald announced his retirement, this new season has been far too surreal to comprehend.

And yet, the NFL will not hit the pause button while Rams fans get their bearings and shake off the cobwebs.

The LA Rams are 59 players deep on a roster that will swell to 90 players. With 11 projected draft picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, that shrinks the number of open roster spots, even with Aaron Donald's retirement new, down to 20 unknowns. Of course, the team will sign most of those spots after the 2024 NFL Draft, perhaps 10-15 rookie free agents. For all intents and purposes, this team is down to shopping for no more than five veteran free agents.

If you examine the LA Rams' free agency activity, you find that the team has focused on the quality of the offensive line. That was quickly followed by focusing on the quality of the team's secondary. So how are the Rams doing so far in free agency? We've already graded the team's first seven moves and that is something that we will likely revisit just before the 2024 NFL Draft.

But let's step back a moment and compare what the Rams paid vs. what other teams are paying. Are the Rams overspending, underspending, or coming in about the right price for players added to the roster so far? Let's try to examine each of the roster additions, purely from a penny-saver's perspective: