Free agency really hurt the Los Angeles Rams last offseason, losing several key players ahead of the 2022 season. Von Miller, Darious Williams, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Austin Corbett and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo all left and the Rams struggled to replace them this past season.
Free agency will feel much different this year with a weaker group of players hitting the market. There are still more than 10 starters whose contracts will expire, but none have the track record that many of the Rams’ free agents had last year.
To put this year’s class into perspective, take a look at Pro Football Focus’ list of the top 100 free agents. The Rams only have two representatives compared to seven last year.
Taylor Rapp and A’Shawn Robinson were the only two players to make PFF’s list, coming in at No. 60 and 91, respectively.
61. S Taylor Rapp
Pro Football Focus projects contracts for each free agent in the top 100 and for Rapp, he’s expected to land a pretty sizable deal. PFF projects his next contract as a three-year deal worth $24 million, paying him $15.5 million guaranteed.
Rapp is a polarizing player for Rams fans, coming under a lot of criticism for his play. But PFF’s numbers tell a different story, suggesting he’s a starting-caliber player heading into free agency.
Rapp was solid if unspectacular over his rookie contract after the Los Angeles Rams selected him in the second round in 2019, and he earned career-high grades against the run (82.3) and in coverage (72.9) in 2022. Los Angeles was comfortable lining him up all over, and he’s one of those players who performs OK in various alignments but is not particularly great at any one thing.
One thing that has been consistent: Rapp is a sure tackler, never missing more than 8.7% of potential tackles in a season. His 148 tackles over the past two seasons rank ninth among safeties.
91. DI A'Shawn Robinson
Robinson’s projected contract from PFF is much smaller than Rapp’s: one year, $2.5 million with $1.5 million guaranteed. That’s a deal the Rams could afford to sign Robinson to, keeping him in Los Angeles for one more season.
He only played 35 games for the Rams since 2020, missing half of his first season and seven games this past year. He’s still a stout run defender who deserves to be a starter, but if the Rams are looking for more pass-rushing ability from their defensive line, they could go in a different direction.
Robinson signed a two-year, $17 million contract with the Los Angeles Rams in 2020 and then had it reworked into a three-year deal during the pandemic, so he once again hits free agency. Despite entering his eighth NFL season, Robinson will be 28 through the entire 2023 campaign.
Robinson’s 73.6 run-defense grade over the last two seasons ranks tied for 12th among interior defenders, with his 46 defensive stops ranking inside the top 20 even though he missed the second half of the 2022 season with a torn meniscus. Fortunately, the standard recovery timeline indicates that he’ll be back in time for 2023 offseason activities.
