Snead: Donald Deal On Home Stretch
The Rams seem to be preparing their fans for a contract coronation soon, continuing to declare they’re near the goal line of the Aaron Donald negotiations. After Sean McVay made comments about the Donald deal being close to completed, Rams GM Les Snead confirmed this two-offseason saga is nearing completion. He added, via Pro Football Talk, nothing’s been agreed to just yet. After Donald reported into the regular season and won defensive player of the year acclaim despite being in a new defense, the fifth-year player’s late arrival probably won’t mean much to the Rams. But the results of this process will be plenty important for Khalil Mack and others seeking to raise a defensive salary ceiling that’s remained stagnant for two years as quarterbacks’ wages have skyrocketed.
Sam Shields To Make Rams' Roster?
- Sam Shields‘ comeback attempt may clear a key barrier. The former Packers starter is on track to make the Rams‘ 53-man roster, Lindsay Thiry of ESPN.com writes. While he stands to be behind Los Angeles’ top three of Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters and Nickell Robey-Coleman, Shields making it back onto a roster would be a significant development considering how concussion issues nearly ended his career. The 30-year-old defender has not played since Week 1 of the 2016 season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/28/18
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: RB Darius Victor
Buffalo Bills
- Released: S L.J. McCray
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: CB Darius Hillary
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: OL Kyle Bosch, OL Matthew Diaz
- Waived: WR Ricky Jeune, OL Dustin Stanton
Houston Texans
- Released: WR Chris Thompson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Released from IR: S Don Carey
Los Angeles Chargers
- Claimed off waivers (Texans): DT Marcus Hardison
- Waived/injured: OL Zachary Crabtree
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: RB Larry Rose
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Anthony Denham
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: RB Ja’Quan Gardner
- Waived: S Chanceller James
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: LB Deontae Skinner
Finish Line In Sight For Rams, Aaron Donald?
Sean McVay seems confident he’ll have his best player available soon, continuing the momentum that’s been building as August’s progressed.
Addressing the Aaron Donald situation, the second-year Rams HC said (via ESPN.com’s Lindsay Thiry, on Twitter), “We are very optimistic. Seriously, we are.” McVay said a lot has changed the past few days on this front and believes the finish line is finally in sight, per Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic (on Twitter).
The Rams are prepared to finalize this deal soon, with the end of this week being a reasonable target date, Bonsignore tweets. He adds the drama no longer centers around the prospect of the Rams refusing to meet Donald’s demands. Instead, the suspense here will be this contract’s numbers and how far in front of other NFL defenders they will be.
As Khalil Mack‘s talks with the Raiders remain at a standstill, Donald steam’s picked up to the point he appears likely to be with the Rams when they face the Raiders in Week 1. He missed the first two games last season because of a holdout but still earned defensive player of the year acclaim. Nothing’s emerged indicating a Mack deal is imminent, but it’s possible the Donald saga concluding will help bridge the gap between the 2016 defensive player of the year and his team.
Latest On Rams, Aaron Donald
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but the Rams and Aaron Donald are still on the verge of completing an extension. Despite the lack of updates in recent days, the two sides are still on course for a deal that will make Donald the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history, a source with knowledge of the situation tells Mike Florio of PFT. 
[RELATED: Texans Sign Ex-Rams CB Kayvon Webster]
There has been talk of a deal coming together soon, but head coach Sean McVay also recently denied that a deal is around the corner. Despite the misdirection, the deal still seems to be something of an inevitability. Even though the Rams gave their defense the Hollywood treatment this offseason, they recognize Donald’s value and will likely find a way to give him a history-making contract.
When all is said and done, it is expected that Donald’s deal will average about $22MM/year with up to $80MM guaranteed overall. Of course, the overall guarantee is different from the fully guaranteed amount at signing, and that will be a key metric in evaluating the deal.
Rams Move Dominique Easley To OLB
- A defensive lineman throughout his career, Dominique Easley is now working as a standup outside linebacker for the Rams. Wade Phillips confirmed the move, one made shortly after the team activated the fifth-year defender off the PUP list Monday. This doesn’t look to be an experiment, either. “I think this gives him a little more freedom to utilize his abilities. We even played Mario Williams at outside ‘backer,” Phillips said, via Rams.com, of his former Houston pupil. “(Easley is) is a real strong player can play that position and, again, not have as much wear and tear.” Easley’s suffered three ACL tears, the most recent shelving him last season. The former first-round pick’s move to outside linebacker also adds a higher-profile player to a Rams position group that doesn’t feature many big names.
Rams Won’t Sign Junior Galette
The Rams will not sign free agent edge rusher Junior Galette, head coach Sean McVay told reporters, including Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic (Twitter link). McVay also clarified th
at Galette’s recent meeting with Los Angeles did not include a workout, only a physical, tweets Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com.
Los Angeles has spent the offseason adding marquee names to its roster, but it still doesn’t have much of a depth chart at outside linebacker. While the Rams should get plenty of pass rush from the interior of its defensive line, but they’re currently projected to start Matt Longacre and Samson Ebukam on the edge.
Galette, of course, was once a double-digit sack force with the Saints from 2013-14, but injuries and off-field issues have turned him into more a rotational player. After suffering those aforementioned torn Achilles tendons in both 2015 and 2016, Galette finally got in a full season with the Redskins in 2017, and played extremely well on 37% of the club’s defensive snaps. While he only posted three sacks, Galette managed 25 pressures and graded as the league’s No. 30 edge defender among 106 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.
Galette has not ruled out re-signing with Washington (although the Redskins may have ruled him out), while the Raiders and — most recently — the Seahawks have auditioned the veteran pass rusher. Retirement is also reportedly an option for Galette if he doesn’t find a suitable offer.
Rams Notes: Donald, McVay, Havenstein
The Rams and Aaron Donald would like to get an extension done before the start of the season, but that’s there’s no deadline in negotiations, according to head coach Sean McVay.
“I don’t think so,” McVay said when asked whether there’s a deadline (via Mike Florio of PFT), “but I think for us ideally you’d like to be able to see a guy get in here a couple weeks before the season starts but in terms of a stern deadline we don’t have that. We’ve been in this situation before. Everybody knows how important Aaron is to us and how much we want to be able to get this thing done. In the meantime we’re appreciative of the guys that are here that are working but to say that there’s a stern deadline I wouldn’t say that but I think there is an ideal time where you’d like to get him in here to get him in football shape and feel confident that he’ll be ready to go and be healthy enough to participate just based on the things we’ve gotten exposed to before that first game.”
There has been talk of a deal coming together soon, but McVay has cautioned that nothing is imminent.
Here’s more out of L.A.:
- The new four-year, $32.5MM extension for right tackle Rob Havenstein includes roughly $16MM guaranteed, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. In addition to becoming the second-highest paid right tackle in the NFL, Havenstein also has a great deal of financial security thanks to the nearly 50% guarantee.
- On Monday, the Rams activated defensive tackle Dominique Easley off of the PUP list.
- Pass rusher Junior Galette visited the Rams on Monday, but he left without signing a deal and auditioned for the Seahawks on Tuesday morning.
Rams Activate Dominique Easley
Defensive tackle Dominique Easley passed his physical and has been removed from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, the Rams announced on Monday. It’s a tremendous development for Easley, who has suffered three torn ACLs since 2011 and has not seen the field since the 2016 season. 
When healthy, Easley has been extremely effective. He earned positive marks from Pro Football Focus in both 2015 and 2016, and was expected to see an uptick in playing time last year. In 2016, his last NFL season, he played in all 16 games and recorded 24 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
Easley figures to serve as one of the first defensive linemen off of the bench behind starters Michael Brockers, Ndamukong Suh, and Aaron Donald. Between those three, Easley, and Ethan Westbrooks, the Rams may boast the league’s most fearsome group at defensive line.
Had Easley remained on the PUP list to start the season, he would have been barred from playing in the first six games of the regular season.
Rams, RT Rob Havenstein Agree To Extension
The Rams and right tackle Rob Havenstein have agreed to a contract extension, a source tells Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a four-year deal worth $32.5MM. 
With an average annual value of just over $8MM per year, Havenstein now becomes one of the highest paid right tackles in the league in terms of new money. Currently, Redskins right tackle Morgan Moses ranks third in the NFL with his $8MM/year deal.
Havenstein, a second-round pick in the 2015 draft, has been the Rams’ starter at right tackle for the last three years. Although he is not a world-beater, he has been a consistent force on the offensive line. Last year, he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 33 ranked tackle in the NFL.
In Week 1, the Rams project to start Havenstein on the right side, opposite of standout Andrew Whitworth. In between, they’ll start Rodger Saffold, John Sullivan, and Austin Blythe at the interior spots. Third-round pick Joseph Noteboom and Cornelius Lucas figure to serve as the main backups for Whitworth and Havenstein.
With Havenstein’s situation squared away, the Rams may look to address the expiring contracts of Jamon Brown and Saffold. They are also working feverishly to take care of Aaron Donald, whose expiring contract is at the forefront of everyone’s mind.