The Los Angeles Rams have made a habit of building through trades in recent years. This offseason, however, they will have a chance to improve in a more traditional way: through free agency and the draft.
General manager Les Snead and the Rams front office have nearly $40 million in cap space to work with after the NFL announced an unprecedented cap spike. That’s more than enough to chase a top free agent or two this spring while aiming to retain some of their contributors from 2023.
They will also be equipped with something they haven’t had since 2016: a first-round draft pick. After shelling out their last eight first-rounders in trades that netted the team Jared Goff, Brandin Cooks, Matthew Stafford and Jalen Ramsey – and, in turn, a Super Bowl title – the Rams will pick 19th at the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit on April 25.
Who can Snead and the Rams look to add before they’re on the clock? Here are five potential free agent fits:
Get Southern California news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC LA newsletters.
Brian Burns, EDGE, Carolina Panthers
Part of the reason the Rams have a first-round pick this year is that a reported trade proposal to the Carolina Panthers for edge rusher Brian Burns was rejected in 2022. L.A. reportedly offered two first-rounders and a second-rounder, but Carolina opted to hold onto their two-time Pro Bowler.
Now, the Rams can potentially reel in Burns without using any draft capital. They will have to pay a premium price, though, after Burns picked up eight sacks in 2023 and is entering what should be the prime of his career at 25 years old.
Darnell Mooney, WR, Chicago Bears
Darnell Mooney may not be the top wide receiver in this year’s free agency class, but he may be the best fit for what the Rams need on the outside.
With Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua drawing a majority of Matthew Stafford’s targets, the Rams could use a wideout to take the top off the defense. Mooney is two years removed from a 1,000-yard season with the Chicago Bears and could step in as L.A.’s top vertical threat.
Michael Onwenu, G, New England Patriots
Among players from the 2023 roster that are set to hit free agency, some of the most important decisions for the Rams’ front office will come on the offensive line. Guard Kevin Dotson could leave after proving himself once he landed in L.A. late last offseason. Head coach Sean McVay has also said he hopes to keep center Coleman Shelton, who can void the final year of his contract and become a free agent.
Should Dotson or Shelton walk, the Rams could turn to Michael Onwenu to fill the void. He’s a free agent after spending his first four NFL seasons with the New England Patriots, and he reportedly informed teams that he has fired his agents. Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf called Onwenu a “core player” in New England and said the franchise will attempt to keep him.
Kyle Dugger, S, New England Patriots
The Rams should be keeping tabs on another key Patriots free agent.
There are plenty of available safeties that could upgrade the Rams’ secondary. Darnell Savage of the Green Bay Packers, Xavier McKinney of the New York Giants and Dugger of the Patriots are among those options, with Dugger being a hard-hitting hybrid player at the second and third levels.
The Rams’ interest in Dugger – or Savage or McKinney – will come down to how much they are willing to spend on a safety.
Gerald Everett, TE, Los Angeles Chargers
The Rams already have Tyler Higbee under contract through 2025, but the team has very little else at the tight end position. Higbee caught 47 passes in 2023 compared to 15 between the rest of the team’s tight ends.
This is where a reunion with Gerald Everett could make sense. Everett started his career with the Rams and spent the last two seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, so he wouldn’t have to move far to become a second TE option with the Rams coming off consecutive 50-plus-catch seasons.
