Remaining free agents that Rams could sign to one-year prove it deals

Mar 28, 2023 - 2:01 PM

The Los Angeles Rams are making no secret that they are remodeling this offseason, having spent no money on external free agents this March. The only signings that the team has made is retaining Michael Hoecht, Shaun Jolly, and Christian Rozeboom on tender offers.

The Rams have successfully cleared cap space by releasing Bobby Wagner and Leonard Floyd, and through a trade of Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins. In addition, the Rams have restructured the contracts of offensive linemen, Joe Noteboom and Brian Allen. Through the course of the roster moves, the Rams now have $11.5 million in cap space this year.

Even though the Rams are unlikely to pull the trigger before the 2023 NFL Draft, there are intriguing names for Los Angeles to consider signing. LA will avoid signing players, so they do not interfere with their projected 2024 compensatory picks. But who are the names that may intrigue Los Angeles?

Here are five names that L.A. should continue monitoring:

1. John Johnson III, S

Johnson III could return to LA to rebuild his value. At just 27 years old, Johnson is still in his prime. In 2020, Johnson oversaw the Rams number one ranked defense. Even though Brandon Staley was the defensive coordinator, Johnson has familiarity with the system. Pairing Johnson with Jordan Fuller again would give LA security in the secondary as Russ Yeast and Quentin Lake prepare to take the next step in their development.

2. Taylor Lewan, LT

I like the idea of this signing purely because Lewan has mentioned the idea himself of playing for Sean McVay. Lewan also gives the Rams blindside insurance if Joe Noteboom were to get injured (again…). Even better, Lewan could compete with Noteboom for the starting job. If Noteboom does not take the next step, given that it is Year Six, the Rams can just release him. Lewan would not cost the Rams in the compensatory formula for 2024 because he was released by the Tennessee Titans.

3. Dalton Risner, OG

When the offensive line has struggled, it is usually because of the interior offensive line. LA goes into this year with the same underwhelming unit (Coleman Shelton, Brian Allen, and Logan Bruss). Considering Logan Bruss tore his ACL in August 2022, he may still be behind in his development. Risner buys Los Angeles time and protects Matthew Stafford.

4. Yannick Ngakoue, EDGE

The Rams have been able to resurrect the careers of edge rushers before. They did it with Dante Fowler and Leonard Floyd. Yannick Ngakoue could be the next to reap the benefit of playing with Aaron Donald. At just 27 years old, he has averaged 8.1 sacks/season. Why not give him a one-year deal to build his value so that LA can recoup a compensatory pick for 2025 Draft.

5. A’Shawn Robinson, iDL

LA can pull the trigger whenever they want with A’Shawn Robinson since he is one of their own free agents. It won’t affect their compensatory formula for 2024. The reason for signing A’Shawn is simple: he defends the run very well and has played alongside AD99 for two plus seasons. Teams are probably balking at the idea of signing him because of his meniscus injury. If LA feels comfortable about his recovery, why not let him rebuild his value on a one-year deal as well? You can never have enough defensive linemen…