Rams Free Agency Losses Are Sad But Won’t Hurt The Team

Wide receiver Josh Reynolds #11 of the Los Angeles Rams can???t reach a pass against the New England Patriots in the first half of a NFL football game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Thursday, December 10, 2020. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Wide receiver Josh Reynolds #11 of the Los Angeles Rams can???t reach a pass against the New England Patriots in the first half of a NFL football game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Thursday, December 10, 2020. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

It’s been a long time coming but the Rams lost a lot of players this off-season. Despite the internet considering them a joke franchise, the rest of the league seems to enjoy poaching them at all levels from the field to the front-office (okay enough homerism). Unfortunately, because of cap issues (take a drink), they couldn’t keep several prominent free agents, and while that usually spells doom for the upcoming season, the Rams did a great job of preparing for this exact scenario for the past year. So yes, while certain losses are tough to stomach it’ll be fine because while they’ll be missed in the heart, their production won’t be entirely missed on the field.

John Johnson And Troy Hill

If there’s one area where the Rams could afford a loss it’s in the secondary as their depth is as solid as can be. Yes, Johnson was the defacto play-caller on defense but Johnson’s departure is something the Rams anticipated when they drafted both Terrell Burgess and Jordan Fuller.

Fuller emerged quickly as a worthy successor to Johnson and should wind up being the play-caller in 2021. Burgess also had a strong rookie year before suffering a season-ending injury but should bounce back fine and will be a starter.

Taylor Rapp had an up and down sophomore season that saw him deal with injuries but with Johnson gone, he’ll move to a full-time safety where he belongs.

Troy Hill might seem like a big loss as the corner position isn’t as robust a spot as safety is, but with Darious Williams back on a one-year tender and of course Jalen Ramsey, he won’t be as sorely missed as some think.

The Rams are rumored to be in the market for another corner be it in the draft or free-agency but David Long Jr. is going to get a lot more reps in camp as he’s someone the Rams are high on.

As tough as it is to see a homegrown talent like Johnson go, the Rams knew this day was coming and prepared accordingly. Both players wound up in Cleveland and should make their secondary streets ahead of where they were a year ago.

Gerald Everett

Mount Everett was another homegrown talent that garnered a lot of affection from fans. The problem is he never fully realized his potential in LA for reasons that remain unclear. He only amassed eight touchdowns, 1,389 yards, and 127 catches in four years which is a disappointment considering his athleticism. The writing on the wall became clearer in 2019 when the Rams extended Higbee and drafted Brycen Hopkins in last year’s draft and brought back the Ballad of Johnny Mundt on a veteran minimum deal. Everett was the odd man out as the season wore on, and while it’s a bummer he went to rival Seattle, this is one of those losses that won’t cause the Rams to fill a tumbler full of regret.

Josh Reynolds

Reynolds is another homegrown talent who despite fans growing to love him was clearly on the way out. The Rams drafted Van Jefferson in round-two last year, both as insurance for Cooper Kupp as he hadn’t signed an extension yet, and also to serve as Josh Reynolds’s eventual replacement.

Reynolds played well in the place of Kupp or Brandin Cooks, and while he never became a star, he was a capable starter. Fun fact, his nine touchdowns are more than former first-round pick John Ross which no one expected at the time or now. Reynolds wasn’t a burner like Cooks, hence the DeSean Jackson signing, so that further nudged him out of LA. He will now be a full-time starter in Tennessee, and at 26, he could very well have a true breakout year.

Samson Ebukam And Derek Rivers

On its face, these losses aren’t that tough because both players never became studs. Ebukam became a starter but became a liability at the worst possible times. The problem is, the Rams are a little thin at linebacker (take a drink) so while they were due for another overhaul, it’s tough losing two players, one of whom was a starter.

That’s why, when push came to shove, they opted to resign Leonard Floyd over John Johnson which wouldn’t have been predicted since Floyd was seemingly on his way to being moved TO A BIGGER HOUSE. The Rams realized that losing Floyd would spell doom more so than losing Johnson would. They will still have to figure out the rotation (take a drink) with Obo Okoronkwo, Troy Reeder, Kenny Young, and Terrell Lewis.

They’ll presumably draft a linebacker or two and with their newfound $10-17 million in cap space, they could sign a Melvin Ingram or Jadeveon Clowney as well. Linebacker will be perpetually a mess in LA because Les Snead has a blindspot in that area. Also, Ebukam on the Niners might seem like a betrayal, but they still paid a lot more for him than anyone would expect for him so…good luck with that…

Malcolm Brown

Another loss that was both inevitable, and in the grand scheme of things, not a big deal. Brown is a fan favorite and was the go-to guy on third-down screens because of Goff. But seriously, he was the power runner the Rams could always lean on and his blocking was invaluable. He could also catch passes when he had to and he will always be the guy who scored the first Rams touchdown in SoFi. Like Will Smith before him, Brown is going to Miami where he’ll be a lot happier and get a nice chunk of the carries given their questions in the backfield. It’d have been nice to keep him but with Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson being the guys, and Xavier Jones also being there, Brown was becoming so expendable he was going on missions with Stallone and Statham.

Michael Brockers And Morgan Fox

To quote Vitamin C “As we go on, we remember, all the times we had together”. Brockers and Fox are the saddest of all the Rams losses. Brockers was Snead’s first draft selection, and since 2012, he became a valuable run-stopper and fan favorite. The Rams tried to rework his contract but naturally, he wasn’t down for that and so he was a salary dump to Detroit. Like Kristoff, the Lions are a bit of a fixer-upper but they are extremely lucky to have him as a veteran presence on that defensive line.

The Rams almost lost him last year to Baltimore but the physical fell through so fans were lucky to have him back. He leaves behind 395 tackles and 28 sacks plus a whole lot of tears since he was one of the few remaining St. Louis Rams.

Morgan Fox was an equally crushing loss as he was finally coming into his own registering a career-high six sacks last year. He became a reliable pass-rusher on a team that was desperate for help in that area, but unfortunately, cap issues (take a drink) prevented him from returning to LA. He will make Carolina very happy and he deserves to collect a nice bag.

For the defensive line, this will sting a bit but the Rams did sign A’Shawn Robinson who will be fully healthy this year after having a major scare early in the year, and he and Brockers being on the line created a redundancy. He’ll obviously get a lot more reps now and Sebastian Joseph-Day will also have a lot more responsibility on his shoulders. He did a great job last year but now he has to provide a lot more pass-rushing in addition to his fine work as a run-stopper.

This also means that the Rams will finally get a good look at Greg Gaines who hasn’t quite broken out the way many thought he would by now. The Rams could also sign a vet and or draft someone for the sake of depth but the defensive line is in a good spot, but still, these losses will be felt.

In the grand scheme of things the Rams free-agency losses, while numerous, are ones the team could afford. They’ve been planning for many of these for years and despite their extension happy ways (take a drink) they’ve done a fantastic job finding blue-chippers in the middle of the draft.

Next year the cap won’t be an issue given both the gigantic TV deal and the Goff/Gurley dead money finally coming off the books. Every player should excel in their new environments and the Rams shouldn’t miss much of a beat. It’s a win-win for all involved but still, fans can pour one out for all the players that won’t be back and also to celebrate the comp-picks coming their way.

Wide receiver Josh Reynolds #11 of the Los Angeles Rams can???t reach a pass against the New England Patriots in the first half of a NFL football game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Thursday, December 10, 2020. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Wide receiver Josh Reynolds #11 of the Los Angeles Rams can???t reach a pass against the New England Patriots in the first half of an NFL football game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Thursday, December 10, 2020. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)