Rams and Atogwe still talking...don't hold your breath

Midnight came and went last night and another member of the St. Louis Rams predating the Devaney-Spagnuolo regime was gone, sort of. The team failed to reach a deal with FS Oshiomogho Atogwe by yesterday's deadline and refused to extend him a one-year offer that would have paid him nearly $7 million, making him one of the highest paid safeties in the league. It was a tough decision for a team in need of all the talent it can get. Good move or not, we'll be debating that throughout the season. 

The PD is reporting that both sides will continue talking about a deal. I'm not optimistic. The Rams don't have much wiggle room, and it stands to reason that they've made their best offer. If that's the case, it means Atogwe's coming back to the team depends entirely on what kind of offers he gets as a free agent. Top safety money might not be available, but a better deal than what he might have had here and a shot at a Super Bowl is sure to be available to him. 

An improved secondary featuring Ron Bartell and a healthy Bradley Fletcher; depth guys like Kevin Dockery, two promising draft picks and a safety trio of James Butler, Craig Dahl and Kevin Payne will hopefully reduce the impact of Atogwe's departure.