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With initial surge over, Rams still can find free-agent bargains
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...-over-rams-can-still-find-free-agent-bargains
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Before the NFL added the early negotiating window a few years ago in an effort to minimize illegal tampering with free agents, the waves of free agency took much longer to develop.
Under the new system, most of the top players go off the board in the opening hours of free agency and many actually agree to deals before they are even allowed to put pen to paper.
We are now two days into the new league year and the majority of the big ticket items have been cleared from the shelves. Here's a look at Bill Polian's free-agent tracker and what's left on the market.
Among the big names still available are Green Bay cornerback Casey Hayward, New England defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, San Diego safety Eric Weddle, Cincinnati safety Reggie Nelson, Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and Oakland offensive tackle Donald Penn.
In most cases, the top players still available have some warts, often a combination of price and age. Teams are hesitant to pay big money for players 30 or older and prefer to wait for their prices to drop. Likewise, older players often are more concerned with finding the right fit and a chance to win rather than just getting the top dollar.
From a Los Angeles Rams perspective, there's still business to be done. According to the NFLPA, the Rams have about $25 million in cap space left. If you account for about $8 million-$10 million in money that must be set aside for a draft class and injury contingencies, the Rams have roughly $15 million-$17 million in functional cap space.
That's enough to get some business done. One area the Rams must continue to investigate is finding a kicker. Greg Zuerlein is a free agent and could be back, but the Rams also would like to bring in competition for him. They also need depth at pretty much every position on the defense and a starter at free safety. And, of course, that doesn't account for the obvious needs at quarterback, wide receiver and tight end.
So far, the Rams haven't expressed serious interest in any top quarterbacks or wide receiver, though that is always subject to change as the market evolves. For now, it's probably best to expect the Rams to continue to monitor the market to see if they can find players who fit their scheme and could be possible bargains.
Last year, that's how they found defensive tackle Nick Fairley and signed him on a one-year prove-it deal.
We also can't rule out the possibility that some of that money will go to young players the Rams want to keep -- such as defensive tackle Michael Brockers and linebacker Alec Ogletree -- so they don't find themselves scrambling to sign them at this time next year.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...-over-rams-can-still-find-free-agent-bargains
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Before the NFL added the early negotiating window a few years ago in an effort to minimize illegal tampering with free agents, the waves of free agency took much longer to develop.
Under the new system, most of the top players go off the board in the opening hours of free agency and many actually agree to deals before they are even allowed to put pen to paper.
We are now two days into the new league year and the majority of the big ticket items have been cleared from the shelves. Here's a look at Bill Polian's free-agent tracker and what's left on the market.
Among the big names still available are Green Bay cornerback Casey Hayward, New England defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, San Diego safety Eric Weddle, Cincinnati safety Reggie Nelson, Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and Oakland offensive tackle Donald Penn.
In most cases, the top players still available have some warts, often a combination of price and age. Teams are hesitant to pay big money for players 30 or older and prefer to wait for their prices to drop. Likewise, older players often are more concerned with finding the right fit and a chance to win rather than just getting the top dollar.
From a Los Angeles Rams perspective, there's still business to be done. According to the NFLPA, the Rams have about $25 million in cap space left. If you account for about $8 million-$10 million in money that must be set aside for a draft class and injury contingencies, the Rams have roughly $15 million-$17 million in functional cap space.
That's enough to get some business done. One area the Rams must continue to investigate is finding a kicker. Greg Zuerlein is a free agent and could be back, but the Rams also would like to bring in competition for him. They also need depth at pretty much every position on the defense and a starter at free safety. And, of course, that doesn't account for the obvious needs at quarterback, wide receiver and tight end.
So far, the Rams haven't expressed serious interest in any top quarterbacks or wide receiver, though that is always subject to change as the market evolves. For now, it's probably best to expect the Rams to continue to monitor the market to see if they can find players who fit their scheme and could be possible bargains.
Last year, that's how they found defensive tackle Nick Fairley and signed him on a one-year prove-it deal.
We also can't rule out the possibility that some of that money will go to young players the Rams want to keep -- such as defensive tackle Michael Brockers and linebacker Alec Ogletree -- so they don't find themselves scrambling to sign them at this time next year.
