Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead has to put together a complicated puzzle this offseason.
And he still isn’t sure whether All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald’s contract extension will be the first or last piece to fall into place for the surprising NFC West champions.
Negotiating with Donald is the highest-profile task awaiting Snead Marquise Brown Jersey , who will also have to address uncertainty in the secondary, if he will use the franchise tag on wide receiver Sammy Watkins, and whether to cut players such as linebacker Mark Barron and wide receiver Tavon Austin.
”That’s the biggest piece of the puzzle is, all right, how do we stay in this window where we expect to compete for a division, expect to win the division. And we do have a young team so it is sustainable, but it’s solving that riddle,” Snead said Wednesday.
The Rams spent much of their efforts last offseason trying to address their struggling offense, hiring Sean McVay as head coach and bringing in established veterans including left tackle Andrew Whitworth, center John Sullivan and wide receivers Robert Woods and Watkins to assist quarterback Jared Goff.
Those efforts were more successful than Snead could have imagined, finishing as the top scoring offense in the league this season after ranking last the previous season.
Los Angeles went 11-5, with the franchise earning its first division title since 2003, before losing to the Atlanta Falcons 26-13 in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday.
Snead said the emphasis in the upcoming months will now be on defense, including trying to finalize a new contract with Donald. Donald held out of training camp in hopes of getting that deal and didn’t report to the team until one day before the regular season started.
Snead and Donald’s representatives both agreed to stop negotiating during the season. There is no timetable for an agreement, but even a basic framework of what will likely be the richest contract for a defender in NFL history would give Snead the ability to respond accordingly in other areas.
”Like I’ve always said with Aaron, hey, we want him to be a Ram a long time,” Snead said. ”So when we ink that deal, or not, I can’t put a timeline on it, but it is a major priority, as it always will be until we get it done. And for Aaron’s sake, and for doing business, with our other players as well because that contract obviously will affect basically your salary cap.”
While Donald will almost certainly remain the anchor up front for a long time, there are fewer guarantees at defensive back. Cornerback Trumaine Johnson has played the past two seasons under the franchise tag, and starting safety Lamarcus Joyner and slot corner Nickell Robey-Coleman are unrestricted free agents.
Cornerback Kayvon Webster, one of the few significant signings on defense last offseason, is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon.
Snead held off on committing to Johnson on a long-term basis before seeing how he would fit in defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ system.
Snead said making sure a player can thrive in a specific scheme is a must before committing big money. Johnson played well with 57 solo tackles Miles Boykin Jersey , 14 passes defended and two interceptions.
”They definitely have to be ideal scheme fits, or I always call it you’re putting a rectangle in a square and I think that’s how things get a little off-kilter when you’re building a team,” Snead said.
There could also be turnover at linebacker, where Barron and edge rusher Robert Quinn could be cut to avoid significant salary-cap hits.
The same might be true for Austin, who had 13 receptions for 47 yards and ran for 270 yards and one touchdown. Austin fell behind Woods, Watkins and rookie Cooper Kupp in the rotation after being limited by a hamstring injury in training camp.
If the 2013 first-round pick were to go, it could increase the likelihood Watkins remains with Los Angeles.
Watkins led the Rams with eight touchdown receptions in the final season of his rookie contract after being acquired in a trade from Buffalo in August.
Watkins could be one of the top options in a relatively weak group of free-agent receivers, making him a potential option for the franchise tag.
”The goal is to make sure we can fit everybody into the budget,” Snead said. ”Because sometimes saving money, that kind of means we’re attacking an individual player just to save money.
”But it’s really looking at the budget, the cap situation for this year, and the cap situation for next year, and the next. Then we go `18, how do we improve and then keep the core together? So, it’s not necessarily looking at just salaries.”
NOTES: Defensive tackle Michael Brockers is not expected to require surgery for the knee injury he sustained against the Falcons Deandre Baker Jersey , Snead said.
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FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — It was just another routine throw in practice, a rookie quarterback tossing the ball to a rookie receiver.When the two failed to connect, Julio Jones stepped in.Do it again, he ordered.“What a pure example of what we stand for as a group,” said Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn, clearly pleased that one of the NFL’s top players would even take the time to notice. “It doesn’t matter who the quarterback is. It doesn’t matter who the receiver is. What matters is getting it right.”Jones’ leadership qualities could take on special importance this season.Calvin Ridley was the Falcons’ first-round pick .Like Jones, he went to Alabama. Like Jones, he plays receiver.The Falcons are counting on the rookie to quickly carve out a role in an offense that has plenty of weapons but needs to find ways to lure coverages away from Matt Ryan’s favorite target.Jones is certainly doing his part of help Ridley — and, by extension, his own pass-catching prospects.“Everybody knows Julio is really, really good,” Ridley said. “But people don’t really know how good he is. He’s so detailed in the plays. He knows everything. He’s like a coach. He coaches me on everything.”Early in Tuesday’s practice, undrafted quarterback Kurt Benkert — a longshot to make the team — was working with Ridley on a particular route.They haven’t gotten a lot of time together in practice, so it wasn’t all that surprising when the two were out of sync.That wasn’t acceptable to Jones.“Julio was like http://www.giantsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-oshane-ximines-jersey , ‘Do that one again,'” Quinn marveled. “That might’ve gone unnoticed to some people.”Even when Ridley makes a catch in practice, he usually has Jones in his ear.“He says, ‘You can do it better, you can lean on him, whatever it is,'” the rookie said. “It’s like having another coach on the field. He’s watching everything that all of us do.”While Jones took some heat from fans and the media for skipping offseason workouts and a mandatory minicamp in a bid to land a new contract — he agreed to report to training camp only after the team adjusted his deal for this season and promised to renegotiate in 2019 — there is no question about the commitment to his teammates.He shows it with his willingness to work with anyone who has a desire to get better, whether it’s a first-round pick such as Ridley or a fringe player such as Benkert.Jones is impressed with Ridley’s work ethic and potential.“I knew he was going to come in and be a hard worker,” said Jones, a two-time All-Pro who has gone four straight seasons with at least 80 receptions and more than 1,400 yards receiving. “He definitely has all the tools to be a great wide receiver. The game just has to come to him. Just seeing things on the move and not thinking, that’s the only thing. He’s a rookie. He’s going to have to think. He’s going to see unscouted looks, things like that. You can’t make that transition on the run.”While Jones has enormous physical skills, he knows his success as a receiver goes beyond his speed, size and hands. He keeps telling the rookie to pay attention to what’s going on around him.The eyes might be the most important attribute of all.“Watching safeties Julian Love Jersey ,” Jones said. “Watching what people are trying to take away. Different concepts. Knowing what he can and cannot do on a route to help his teammates.”To give all the rookies an idea of what they’re up against in Friday’s first preseason game against the New York Jets, Jones showed a tape of his very first exhibition contest against the Miami Dolphins in 2011.“We have a great group of young receivers on our team,” he said. “But it’s going to get blurry out there. You’re out there at full speed, and you don’t know what to expect. I told ’em, ‘Just do what you do. Do what got you here. You don’t have to go out there and make up things. The game will come to you.'”Someone asked Jones for a critique of that younger version of himself.“I was flying around,” he said, breaking into a big grin. Just as quickly, he turned it into another teaching moment. “If you’re a young guy, you don’t want to bust a play and start looking around. If you bust it, go full speed. You’ll get the next one.”Notes: Longtime Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed attended practice Tuesday at Quinn’s invitation. In particular, the Falcons coach wanted Reed to stress the importance to creating turnovers. “One the best ball hawks of all time,” Quinn said. “It was important for him to spend some time with the DBs.”
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