Rams will second guess not making these 6 free agent deals in 2024

II: ILB Jordan Hicks

The LA Rams believe in ILB Ernest Jones, and for good reason. Jones has been an outstanding starter for the team, excelling at everything needed for the position. But he is just one man in a position that needs two players. The team did extend both ILB Christian Rozeboom and Troy Reeder. for 2024. But there were other options as well.

One such veteran option is veteran ILB Jordan Hicks, a player entering his 10th NFL season. Hicks signed a two-year $8 million contract to play for the Cleveland Browns. He would have been ideally suited for this defense. Hicks is a high volume tackler, averaging 125 tackles in his past five seasons. He also averaged better than one interception per season over that time frame as well. Best of all, he averaged 2.0 quarterback sacks per season.

Hicks is a veteran who hustles on every play, loves to tackle, and who is a veteran leader who can step up if Ernest Jones is injured. At a price of just $4 million per season, he was affordable as well.

I: OLB Leonard Floyd

Former Rams veteran outside linebacker Leonard Floyd is one of the most dependable pass rushers in the NFL over the past four seasons. Ironically, the LA Rams defense needs to upgrade their pass rush this season. Adding Floyd's average of 10.0 quarterback sacks per season seems like a great step in the right direction of accomplishing that.

Instead, Floyd signed a two-year contract for $20 million to play for the NFC West Division rivals, the San Francisco 49ers. That could be a problem in 2024.

The team released Floyd after the 2022 NFL season because the coffers had run dry. The team opted to bite the bullet, endure the 2023 on a very frugal budget, and reset their roster. That reset required the team to shed some incredibly talented players in the process, and OLB Leonard Floyd may have been the toughest parting.

Floyd was tasked with whatever the team needed, and he was happy to fill that role. When the team needed a pass rusher, he terrorized opposing quarterbacks. But when the team flipped the pass rush role to Von Miller, he was content to be the cover guy, and allow Miller to get the spotlight and the sacks. Floyd has that can-do attitude that is so vital on an NFL team. Unfortunately, he can't do while playing for the 49ers.

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