Rams To Re-Sign Austin Blythe
The Rams have seen a mass exodus of players on defense in recent days, but they’re keeping a crucial offensive piece around. The team has agreed to terms on a new one-year deal with interior lineman Austin Blythe, they announced in a release.
Blythe provides some nice versatility for the Rams, as he has started at both guard and center over the last couple of seasons. Originally a seventh-round pick of the Colts in 2016, Blythe got the axe after just one year in Indianapolis. The Rams quickly scooped him off waivers, and he’s turned into a nice find for general manager Les Snead. After serving as a reserve in 2017, Blythe started all 16 games the following year.
Jamon Brown was suspended for the first two games of 2018 so Blythe took over his starting spot at right guard, and played well enough to keep the gig even after Brown returned. He missed one game this past season with an ankle injury, but started the other 15. He started last year at guard but moved to center when Brian Allen went down with an injury. Terms of his new deal weren’t immediately available.
Rams Sign OLB Leonard Floyd
The Rams are making their first big splash of free agency. Los Angeles is signing outside linebacker Leonard Floyd to a one-year deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
It’s a $10MM deal that can be worth up to $13MM, Schefter reports. Floyd was cut by the Bears yesterday when Chicago signed fellow outside linebacker Robert Quinn, and it didn’t take him very long to find a new home. We heard word that the Giants were interested in Floyd, so Rams GM Les Snead likely had competition for his services. Floyd would’ve earned $13.2MM in 2020 under his fifth-year option had the Bears kept him, so his release won’t end up hurting him too much financially if at all.
The ninth overall pick back in 2016 Floyd was a bit of a disappointment in Chicago, but he’ll now get the chance to prove himself and re-enter unrestricted free agency at this time next year. The Georgia product became a starter as a rookie and showed plenty of flashes, racking up seven sacks in 12 games in his first year as a pro.
Unfortunately he never really progressed from that point, and his sack totals actually declined in each of the past three years. Still only 27, he has a lot of theoretical talent. He’ll slide in more or less as the replacement for Dante Fowler Jr., who just left the Rams to sign a three-year, $48MM deal with the Falcons less than an hour ago.
When the Rams next take the field looking to put their disappointing 2019 season behind them, their defense is going to look quite a bit different. Not only did they trade away cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib midway through last year, they’ve now seen a string of departures in free agency.
Safety Eric Weddle retired; Cory Littleton, Michael Brockers, and Fowler Jr. have now all departed in free agency, and the team just declined their option on usual slot corner Nickell Robey-Coleman. They’ve also replaced defensive coordinator Wade Phillips with Brandon Staley, so it’s safe to say that side of the ball is getting a complete makeover after Sean McVay’s dissatisfaction with the previous structure became evident.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/17/20
Tuesday’s restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent tender decisions will be posted below. Deals will be updated throughout the day.
RFAs
Tendered at second-round level:
- Chargers: DB Michael Davis
Tendered at original-round level:
- Falcons: RB Brian Hill
- Raiders: OT David Sharpe
- Seahawks: C Joey Hunt, DL Branden Jackson
- Steelers: OT Zach Banner
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Chargers: DL Isaac Rochell, T Trent Scott
- Jaguars: LB Austin Calitro
- Packers: WR Jake Kumerow, WR Allen Lazard
- Panthers: OL Jordan Roos
- Rams: TE Johnny Mundt, C Coleman Shelton
- Seahawks: DT Bryan Mone, DB Ryan Neal, WR Malik Turner
Non-tendered:
Rams Won’t Exercise Option On CB Nickell Robey-Coleman
Another cornerback is hitting the market. The Rams have informed Nickell Robey-Coleman that they won’t pick up his option and he’ll become an unrestricted free agent, according to Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
Robey-Coleman would’ve had a $4.5MM cap hit had the Rams picked up his option. Los Angeles has been shedding defenders left and right in free agency, as starters Michael Brockers and Cory Littleton both just landed big contracts from other teams. Eric Weddle also retired, so the defense is going to look quite a bit different in 2020. The Rams traded away cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib midway through last season, so their current unit is virtually unrecognizable from the one we saw at the beginning of last year.
Robey-Coleman appeared in all 16 games and while he only started three, he played about 64 percent of the defensive snaps, so this is a significant move. The Rams have Jalen Ramsey at corner now, but not a whole lot after him. Troy Hill is still under contract, and last year’s third-round pick David Long will likely be counted on to play a bigger role assuming they don’t make any more moves.
Originally an undrafted free agent out of USC in 2013, Robey-Coleman signed a three-year, $15.75MM deal with the Rams back in 2018 that included an option for the 2020 season. Primarily a slot corner, Robey-Coleman is perhaps most well known for being the defender on the infamous pass interference non-call in the Rams’ NFC Championship Game win over the Saints two seasons ago. He should generate significant interest from teams looking for someone to man the slot.
Raiders, Packers Interested In Cory Littleton
The Raiders and Packers “are going to be all over” Cory Littleton this week, Vic Tafur of The Athletic (on Twitter) hears. The legal tampering window opens today and both teams will find even more company if they make an aggressive play for the Rams linebacker. 
[RELATED: Raiders Eyeing Early-Round QBs?]
Littleton, 27 in November, is coming off of a solid season in which he registered 3.5 sacks and 134 total stops. In 2018, he turned in a similarly strong year en route to his first ever Pro Bowl selection.
It’s not clear whether the Packers’ recent addition of Christian Kirksey will impact their pursuit of Littleton. On Monday morning, the Packers agreed to sign the former Browns standout to a two-year, $16MM deal.
The Raiders, meanwhile, are armed with lots of cap room and they should have the ability to outbid the Rams, Packers, or any other club if they want him badly enough. The former UDFA is a proven playmaker and would be a significant upgrade for the Raiders’ D – especially since he offers quality coverage ability for a linebacker.
NFL Announces Compensatory Picks For 2020 Draft
The NFL has awarded compensatory draft picks for teams in the 2020 draft.
These picks are awarded to the teams that suffered the most significant free agent losses during the 2019 offseason. This year, the Patriots top the list (shared below) with a league-high four picks.
The comp pick formula assigns picks who suffered the largest net losses, so teams that signed multiple free agents have a lesser chance of receiving picks. The Ravens collected two this year and remain in the all-time lead (from 1994-2020) with 52. No other franchise has accumulated more than 43 compensatory picks.
Here’s the full breakdown, by round and by team:
By Round:
Round 3: Texans (No. 97 overall), Patriots (98), Giants (99), Patriots (100), Seahawks (101), Steelers (102), Eagles (103), Rams (104), Vikings (105), Ravens (106)
Round 4: Buccaneers (No. 139), Bears (140), Dolphins (141), Redskins (142), Ravens (143), Seahawks (144), Eagles (145), Eagles (146)
Round 5: Broncos (No. 178), Cowboys (179)
Round 6: Patriots (No. 212), Patriots (213), Seahawks (214)
Round 7: Giants (No. 247), Texans (248), Vikings (249), Texans (250), Dolphins (251), Broncos (252), Vikings (253), Broncos (254), Giants (255)
By Team:
- New England Patriots (4)
- Denver Broncos (3)
- Houston Texans (3)
- Minnesota Vikings (3)
- New York Giants (3)
- Philadelphia Eagles (3)
- Baltimore Ravens (2)
- Miami Dolphins (2)
- Chicago Bears (1)
- Dallas Cowboys (1)
- Los Angeles Rams (1)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (1)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1)
- Washington Redskins (1)
The compensatory free agents lost and gained in 2019 by the clubs that will receive compensatory picks in the 2020 draft:
- Baltimore Ravens
- Lost: John Brown, C.J. Mosley, Za’Darius Smith, Terrell Suggs
- Gained: Mark Ingram, Earl Thomas
- Chicago Bears
- Lost: Adrian Amos, Josh Bellamy, Bryce Callahan, Eric Kush
- Gained: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Cordarrelle Patterson, Buster Skrine
- Dallas Cowboys
- Lost: Cole Beasley, Geoff Swaim, Damien Wilson
- Gained: Randall Cobb, Christian Covington
- Denver Broncos
- Lost: Shaquil Barrett, Tramaine Brock, Max Garcia, Matt Paradis, Bradley Roby, Billy Turner
- Gained: Bryce Callahan, Kareem Jackson, Ja’Wuan James
- Houston Texans
- Lost: Christian Covington, Kareem Jackson, Kendall Lamm, Tyrann Mathieu
- Gained: Bradley Roby
- Los Angeles Rams
- Lost: Lamarcus Joyner, Rodger Saffold
- Gained: Clay Matthews
- Miami Dolphins
- Lost: Brandon Bolden, Frank Gore, Ja’Wuan James, Cameron Wake
- Gained: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Eric Rowe
- Minnesota Vikings
- Lost: Tom Compton, Nick Easton, Sheldon Richardson, Trevor Siemian
- Gained: Shamar Stephen
- New England Patriots
- Lost: Malcom Brown, Trent Brown, Trey Flowers, Chris Hogan, Cordarrelle Patterson, Eric Rowe, LaAdrian Waddle
- Gained: Brandon Bolden
- New York Giants
- Lost: Jamon Brown, Landon Collins, Mario Edwards, Josh Mauro, B.W. Webb, Kerry Wynn
- Gained: Markus Golden, Golden Tate
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Lost: Nick Foles, Jordan Hicks, Golden Tate
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Lost: Le’Veon Bell, Jesse James
- Gained: Steven Nelson
- Seattle Seahawks
- Lost: Justin Coleman, Brett Hundley, Shamar Stephen, J.R. Sweezy, Earl Thomas
- Gained: Mike Iupati, Jason Myers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Washington Redskins
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/10/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: WR/KR JoJo Natson
Rams Not Expected To Use Franchise Tag
Multiple key Rams will be free agents March 18, and unless extension agreements commence by the start of the tampering period (March 16), they will hit the market. The Rams are not expected to use their franchise tag, GM Les Snead said (via Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com, on Twitter).
While the ninth-year GM did not eliminate the tag as a possibility, the Rams’ major salary commitments always pointed to the team proceeding without applying tags. That makes for a less complicated offseason, factoring in the CBA’s impact on the tag process, but opens the door to multiple key defenders departing in free agency.
Dante Fowler, Michael Brockers and Cory Littleton are UFAs-to-be. Andrew Whitworth is as well, but Sean McVay expects the Pro Bowl left tackle to re-sign. It’s looking like all will be available when the new league year begins. The Rams are set to hold less than $15MM in cap space.
Los Angeles lost key role players last year, with Rodger Saffold, Lamarcus Joyner and Ndamukong Suh among those that departed after Super Bowl LIII. Another exodus may well take place.
Fowler, in particular, stands to receive major interest. The Ravens, Jaguars and Steelers are set to tag Matt Judon, Yannick Ngakoue and Bud Dupree, respectively, thus thinning out the edge rusher market. This will benefit the pass rushers that do make it to free agency. Fowler re-signed with the Rams on a one-year, $12MM contract just before 2019’s free agency period. He can expect a 2020 raise — likely from another team.
Rams HC, GM Discuss Offseason
It’s been a busy 24 months for the Rams, and it’ll all culminate with a crucial 2020 offseason.
They’ve handed out a number of high-priced extensions to quarterback Jared Goff, defensive lineman Aaron Donald, and others, leading to only $21MM in cap space this year. The organization also traded their 2020 and 2012 first-rounders for Jalen Ramsey, leaving the team with reduced draft capital.
Plus, the organization is staring at a long list of impending unrestricted free agents. In other words, the Rams could look a bit different next season.
Head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead spoke to ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry about some of their critical offseason decisions. The entire article is worth a read, but we snagged some of the notable soundbites below:
On if the front office has engaged in any trade talks:
McVay: “Usually, Aaron Donald is off the table. I think, to answer your question, I think you kind of know who are the guys that there’s not something that would be worth it, but those are ongoing conversations and I think we’re always open to being able to explore things that can upgrade us as a team.
“What we have done a nice job of is identifying those foundational pieces to try to build around.”
Snead: “This time of year, it is interesting. You get calls on a lot of players. There’s a new era, in that somebody may call and ask about your best player, which in the past, I don’t know that phone call would be made. … But usually the answer is ‘No.'”
On free agent left tackle Andrew Whitworth‘s potential return:
McVay: “We’re pretty confident. He still played a really high level last year. His impact isn’t exclusive to just playing the left tackle position.”
On free agent kicker Greg Zuerlein:
McVay: “He’s done so many things and he’s a great kicker and I think those established veterans are so important, especially when every time he takes the field, there’s points at stake, unless he’s kicking off. But we want to make sure we’re evaluating the guys in the draft and then we’re going to have free agency.”
On potential extensions for receiver Cooper Kupp and safety John Johnson:
Snead: “The goal would be, let’s say guys like those two, if we do want them to get back, it would be great to have that box checked. What we have to do now is, because we have, I call it more urgent guys whose contracts actually expire, get through that process first and then move on to — I don’t want to call them less urgent — but less urgent than the players whose contracts are expiring.”
On potentially franchising free agent linebackers Dante Fowler or Cory Littleton:
Snead: “All options are on the table.”
Two Rams OL Out Until Training Camp
- The Rams will be without offensive guard Joseph Noteboom and center Brian Allen until the start of training camp, according to Rich Hammond of The Athletic. The fact that the team won’t have a pair of starters for much of the offseason program could influence the front office’s decision to retain impending free agent Austin Blythe and potential trade candidate Rob Havenstein.