Now that the 2022 season has come to an end for the LA Rams, the focus can shift towards the offseason and getting this team back into playoff contention. Sean McVay is back as head coach, but the team has plenty of needs to fill.
The Rams will have to use free agency to improve their roster, which begs the question: how much cap space does L.A. have this offseason?
As things currently stand, the Rams are currently at $8.4 million in cap space, and it certainly took a lot of moves to get there. The Rams now have more than $50 million in dead cap money for 2023. Here are a few more things they can, or have signaled they intend to do to free up even more space.
Cut Floyd or Noteboom after June 1
Two players the Rams can cut after June 1 and save significant money are Leonard Floyd and Joe Noteboom.
Floyd is coming off a very productive season half of 2022 and considering the Rams need a pass rush, he is likely to stay. But if the Rams cut him after June 1 then they would save $15.5.
For Noteboom, who suffered a torn Achilles and could miss most if not all of 2023, the Rams would save $8.5 million in cap space. This is much more likely than Floyd.
Cut or extend Higbee
Tyler Higbee has a cap hit of a little over $7 million for 2023 that the Rams can save by cutting him. He is still a productive player though and one of the longest-tenured Rams, not to mention that the team does not have a backup capable of replacing him. So I would not be in favor of cutting Higbee.
Instead, I would look to extend him. The Rams can shave some, if not all, of that cap hit by extending Higbee and giving him a nice signing bonus. Higbee is still just 30 years of age so I would imagine he still has 2-3 quality years left in him.
Cut or trade Robinson
A trade is the least likely move of the bunch considering Allen Robinson is coming off the worst season of his career and has an $18 million cap hit in 2023. Robinson has an out in his contract after the 2023 season, so he will likely stick around for one more season in hopes of rebounding.
