Los Angeles Rams tender nine players

Welp. As I was writing up the news that the Los Angeles Rams were working on tendering some of their core role players, the news broke about which restricted free agents (RFAs) and exclusive-rights free agents (ERFAs) they ended up putting those tenders on:

• ILB Cory Littleton (RFA): Second-round tender
• RB Malcolm Brown (RFA): Original-round tender
• DB Blake Countess (RFA): Original-round tender
• CB Troy Hill (RFA): Original-round tender
• EDGE Morgan Fox (ERFA): ERFA tender
• CB Kevin Peterson (ERFA): ERFA tender
• WR KhaDarel Hodge (ERFA): ERFA tender
• CB Dominique Hatfield (ERFA): ERFA tender
• KR/PR JoJo Natson (ERFA): ERFA tender

The tender levels for 2019 have a second-round tender at $3.095m with original-round tenders at $2.025m. Because Brown, Countess and Hill were all undrafted free agents as rookies, only Littleton would net a pick in return due to his tender level; should a team make an offer for Littleton and the Rams turn down their opportunity to match, that team would have to send the Rams a second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

The 2019 Rams’ free agency period is about their role players

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

With ERFA tenders paying league minimum, the total cost of these nine would come out to about $12m. With the Rams’ draft class associated costs, that just about fills out the cap for 2019 along with the signing of S Eric Weddle and the one-year deal for EDGE Dante Fowler Jr.

We’ll have to see if any of the other impending free agents from the Rams reach agreement in the next few days or if the Rams seek a deal like the ones they gave to ILB Ramik Wilson, CB Sam Shields or DL Tyrunn Walker in years past.

For now though with free agency approaching, the Rams might already be closed for business.