NFL free agency is about to get underway. Teams will be allowed to negotiate starting tomorrow, with contracts becoming official on Friday. Already, rumors are heating up and players haven't even voted on the settlement. To get you up to speed, the TST public service division has asked me to offer a recap of the St. Louis Rams free agent interests, rumors and possibilities thus far.
Unrestricted free agents
Several names have consistently been connected to the Rams, most notable among them are Giants DT Barry Cofield, Eagles S Quintin Mikell, Chargers RB Darren Sproles and Vikings LB Ben Leber. A few other names are popping into the conversation now, including Saints RB Reggie Bush, who was asked by Mark Clayon on Twitter about the possibility of playing here. Texans RB Steve Slaton is another possibility at the position atop the front office's priority list. Look for Vikings WR Sidney Rice to be in the conversation as well.
Undrafted free agents and the free agents currently on the roster after the jump.
In-house free agents
WR Mark Clayton figures to be the first free agent move the Rams make, in terms of bringing their own players back. They were close to a deal before the lockout, so Clayton should be signed pretty quick once business resumes. Other potential keepers include DT Gary Gibson and OL Adam Goldberg. Here's our list of free agents to hang onto and here's the list to let walk.
Undrafted free agents
Every year the Rams sign a handful of players not picked in the NFL draft. This year won't be any different, except they may sign some more than usual since training camp rosters balloon to 90 players this year. Several running backs available might be able to help the Rams, ranging in playing style between scat back Derrick Locke to power guys like Mario Fannin. Here's Brick Top's short list of UDFAs and here are a couple more.
Salary Cap
Devaney and COO Kevin Demoff have more than $35 million in cap space at their disposal, and will have to spend a fair portion of that to meet the new 90 percent floor requirement in the next CBA. For those of you keeping score at home, no, the Rams don't typically spend wads of cash foolishly chasing headline free agents. They are, however, willing to spend money to fill important roster needs.