LATEST UPDATE: 3 players that the Rams should avoid in free agency

When NFL Free agency kicks off next week, the Los Angeles Rams plan to make a few headline signings. But there are always guys in free agency who don’t work out and don’t mesh well with their new organizations. That may have even worse consequences than selecting a player in the draft given the sum of money at stake. The Rams might be considering the following three “buyer beware” players next week, but they do carry some risk.

EDGE Huff, Bryce; New York Jets
Here, a few things could be true. Playmaker Bryce Huff had a strong season last year, recording ten sacks. He has undoubtedly outperformed expectations for an undrafted free agent. He has been a useful rotational player for the Jets all of his career. Huff may transform from a reliable rotational player to a superb pass rusher. He has, however, mainly served as a rotational player who succeeds on passing downs as of right now.

To begin with, Huff only participated in 42% of the defensive snaps during the Jets’ 2017 campaign. Only once in his career has he played more than half of the defensive snaps. Huff was excellent in 2023 at getting to the quarterback. He also benefited from the circumstances that a competent defensive coaching staff placed him in. It’s reasonable to question if he can play in the NFL as a three-down starter full-time.

Huff had the second-fewest number of snaps (134) on run plays among edge players with at least 480 snaps. A team should aim to get more than simply a rotational pass rusher if Huff commands $16 million year, as per his estimated contract via Pro Football Focus. This is not to argue that, given his size, Huff cannot play run defense. Having saying that, an edge rusher’s life is considerably simpler when their only goal is to get to the quarterback. Efficiency usually decreases with an increase in snap counts.

In addition, Huff had only 7.5 sacks before this season. How much of Huff’s development from the previous year is projected, and what will he be like moving forward? It’s reasonable to worry that the 10-sack threshold from the previous year was an anomaly. He might have a huge breakout with a large contract.

Once more, there are positive aspects. His remarkable true pressure score of 42.8 (based on Trench Warfare by Brandon Thorn) and 5.6 snaps per pressure are noteworthy. His 28.6 pressure snaps per sack was the sixth-highest, and his 8.25 true sack score placed him in 19th place. Nevertheless, considering that he has only played a rotating role in his career thus far, he is very hard to project. When it comes to a large contract, that is difficult to put a lot of money in.

OT Tyron Smith, Dallas Cowboys
During free agency, the Rams might be looking to add a left tackle. Alaric Jackson is a player who might be more effective on the inside, so it’s feasible they elect to keep him at that position. To get you through this season, then it makes sense to sign a bridge left tackle.

Having said that, Tyron Smith is a player to stay away from even though he meets that description. It’s critical to sign a dependable left tackle while making this decision. When Smith is on the field, you can count on him. The problem is that he doesn’t play a lot of football. Over the last four years, the Cowboys left tackle has only appeared in 30 games. Owing to an injury, he only participated in two and four games in 2020 and 2022.

Again, when he is on the field Smith remains one of the best left tackles in the NFL. Last year, he was peak Tyron Smith. Pro Football Focus graded him as the number one pass-blocking tackle and fourth best tackle overall. According to ESPN metrics, Smith ranked fifth in run-block win-rate.

At 33 years old, it’s simple to view Smith as a stopgap solution, even though the Rams can succeed offensively with him. When they signed Andrew Whitworth in 2017, they had success with that kind of player. There is undoubtedly a parallel. Whitworth had missed eight games overall over the course of the preceding 11 years, albeit, at the age of 36. Smith has missed two of the last four seasons’ worth of games in a row.

With exceptional potential, the former Cowboys left tackle is undoubtedly a temporary solution. It’s reasonable to consider whether Smith may benefit from the Rams’ training staff, who have done a fantastic job of keeping players healthy. Even so, for a 33-year-old player with reliability concerns, that’s a lot to bet on.

Saquon Barkley, running back, NY Giants
To complement Kyren Williams, the Rams require a running back. That does not, however, imply that they must spend $12 million a year on that athlete. There ought to be less expensive running backs available for less than $4 million, such as JK Dobbins, AJ Dillon, or Zack Moss.

The possible outcomes of a guy like Saquon Barkley in the Rams scheme are entertaining to consider. The Rams have not had a runner like Barkley since Steven Jackson was running in horns in the middle of the 2000s. Barkley is a dynamic playmaker. Unfortunately, it is not a wise decision to invest in the running back position given the state of the running back market today.

Barkley is the kind of player who can dominate matches and serve as the focal point of an offensive unit. That kind of guy isn’t always what the Rams need, though. The topic of injuries is also discussed. Barkley has continuously struggled with chronic ailments, sometimes only being able to play at 70 percent of his potential rather than 100%. The rushing back for the Giants also has a propensity to take many negative runs. At 15.2 percent, he was second in the NFL in tackles for loss % the previous season. The Rams are just not a running back away, particularly with Kyren Williams’ rise to prominence. Rather than looking for someone to split the backfield with Williams, Snead will be searching for an RB2A to complement Ronnie Rivers’ RB2B.