Turf Show Times
Have Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell proven to Rams that they should be re-signed?
The Rams have 18 players who are going to be free agents next year and none of them are a guarantee to come back because none of them have seized that opportunity. These 18 unrestricted free agents have 10 more games to prove themselves as being anything other than replaceable and that’s usually an issue for a Rams team that prefers splashy moves for NFL stars.
Atwell leads the team in targets, catches, and yards but the Rams have to decide how far away they are from having another trio like Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and Odell Beckham, Jr. or Brandin Cooks. Atwell and Robinson are good, but to this point neither of them have been as good as McVay’s typical WR3.
The only player sure to have a starting role next season is Puka Nacua and even if Kupp returns, he’ll be 32 and he’s usually hurt, so the Rams can’t exactly count on that.
Les Snead should pick between Atwell and Robinson, not keep both, because L.A. needs to go find their next Cooks, Woods, or OBJ, plus Jordan Whittington deserves more attention.
There’s no telling if McVay is happy with his Garoppolo purchase or not. Given recent success by former starting quarterbacks like Joe Flacco, Russell Wilson, and Sam Darnold, teams may actually show interest in Jimmy G in free agency as a starter next year.
Alaric Jackson gets the most respect of all the outgoing free agents and the biggest hurdle to get over could be his price tag.
As good as it is for players to be good, the hype is still based on five games. Anything can happen in five football games. The Rams made a mistake with Joe Noteboom’s deal based on barely more games than that.
If Jackson gets an offer from another team to pay him $20 million per year, the Rams have to know, not assume, that he will be their left tackle for a long time if they match it.
Hoecht has become a cult hero in L.A. but his role has diminished with Jared Verse on the team. The defense is bad, so the Rams need to choose the best possible third edge rusher, not the most liked.
Brown starts but plays fewer snaps than Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske. He’s only 24, so Brown could be a player that Snead wants to re-sign and further develop as long as he is not too expensive.
This look at next year’s free agents (I did not cover all the free agents, only the most notable) does not mean that they are bad players if the Rams are on the fence about re-signing them. It is only means...
