Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus joined Ari Meirov on the 33rd Team podcast to discuss landing spots for free-agent edge rusher Danielle Hunter. Monson said the perfect team for Hunter is the Los Angeles Rams.
“The Rams are not trading away their picks anymore, But I’d love to see them take one swing in free agency Still go for the big name still go for the impact playmaker,” Monson said, “Danielle Hunter joining forces with Aaron Donald on a defensive line would be fireworks that I would pay good money to see.”
Rumors of the Ram’s interest in Hunter have swirled since last year when the Minnesota Vikings started shopping the 29-year-old as a trade. He finished last season with 16.5 sacks, a career-high. Many speculate that he will fetch a pretty penny in free agency. He will likely cost an average yearly cap hit of between $20-$25 million. The Rams, as of the time of the publication have $29 million in cap space.
What Makes Hunter An Ideal Candidate for the Los Angeles Rams?
Monson went on to describe what makes Hunter so special as a pass rusher,
“Hunter’s an incredibly good pass rusher. He’s been durable the last couple of seasons after injuries really knocked his career sideways, and he’s been the type of edge rusher that has always skewed towards sack. Not many of those guys are actually proven consistent finishers. TJ. Watt is obviously one of them. Steelers fans will tell you all about that. But Danelle Hunter is another one of those guys that tends to finish more plays more than most other guys so perfect combination for Aaron Donald in my eyes.”
Of Hunter’s injury history mentioned by Monson, he missed all of the 2020 season with a neck injury and in 2021 he suffered a torn pec injury in Minnesota’s loss to Dallas in Week 9 and missed the remainder of the season.