Now that the Los Angeles Rams‘ 2022 season has come to an end, the organization has a lot of questions to answer going into the offseason. Here, we are breaking down some Rams free agent targets.
Chief among the questions is head coach Sean McVay and if he will stick around for one more year or call it quits to take a break from coaching.
If McVay returns though then the Rams front office and coaching staff can shift their focus to building a better roster for 2023.
Coming off a 5-12 season, the Rams obviously have a number of needs, even if getting players healthy can fix some of them.
As far as I’m concerned, the Rams need help at offensive line, pass rush, secondary and running back behind Cam Akers. Some of these needs will be addressed in the draft, but L.A. will also have to go into free agency looking for bargains.
There’s a lot to sort out between now and free agency, but the Rams likely won’t have a ton of cap space at their disposal. So here are some potential free agents they could look at and maybe get for cheaper than expected.
Offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum
Offensive line is far and away the Rams’ biggest need and Beachum could be a solid veteran to add to the mix.
Despite being 33 years of age, Beachum played all 17 games for the Arizona Cardinals in 2022 and showed no signs of slowing down. He still is a really good pass blocker and is coming off a two-year, $4 million contract so likely won’t be too expensive.
Edge rusher Melvin Ingram
Ingram is also 33 years old so is essentially a rotational player at this stage of his career that can play about 50% of the snaps.
He played in all 17 games for the Miami Dolphins in 2022 though and was still productive with 6.0 sacks and 7.0 tackles for loss. Veteran edge rushers have proven to do well in L.A. playing next to Aaron Donald, so if Ingram is looking to prolong his career and put up numbers for a year then the Rams would be the perfect place to do that.
Cornerback Marcus Peters
The Rams have some young corners they like such as Cobie Durant, but they still could use another veteran to add to the mix opposite Jalen Ramsey and why not bring back a familiar face in Peters?
One area the Rams’ defense struggled in for much of 2022 was taking away the ball and that is exactly what Peters is known for with 32 career interceptions in seven seasons.
Peters has had his fair share of injuries, which could make him affordable for the Rams. But he is still just 30 years of age and has some quality years left.
Running back Jeff Wilson Jr.
Akers has emerged as the Rams’ starting running back moving forward thanks to three straight 100-yard games to close out the season. L.A. can still use a veteran backup though and Wilson could fit the billing.
Wilson is coming off his best NFL season with the San Francisco 49ers and Dolphins, rushing for 860 yards and five touchdowns with 22 receptions for 185 yards and another touchdown.
This year’s running back free agent class is stacked with big names like Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Miles Sanders, David Montgomery, Tony Pollard and a number of others, which means someone in the next tier like Wilson may struggle to find a lucrative deal.
The Rams may not be able to offer a ton of money, but they can offer someone like Wilson an established role in what should be a much better offense than it was in 2022.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
The Rams don’t have a huge need at receiver but I would love to see them kick the tires on a reunion with Beckham after he opted to sit out the entire 2022 season recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in last year’s Super Bowl.
Beckham definitely enjoyed his experience in L.A. with McVay, and we know he has chemistry with Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and the rest of the offense. If the Rams want to get back to being a high-powered offense in 2023, then adding another weapon like Beckham would go a long way in accomplishing that.
