Random Ramsdom: Cooper Kupp seems like he would welcome Robert Woods back to LA

It looks like Cooper Kupp wants Robert Woods back on the Rams (ramswire)

“The last time Woods was a free agent, he signed with the Rams and spent five years in Los Angeles. Might a reunion be in the cards this year? Cooper Kupp appears to be on board with that idea, unsurprisingly.

Woods asked his followers where he should play next and Kupp responded on Twitter with a hand-raise emoji. Think he wants Woods back in Los Angeles?

Woods is coming off a tough season with the Titans, catching just 53 passes for a career-low 527 yards with just two touchdowns. He also averaged only 9.9 yards per catch, the lowest of his career.

He excelled in the Rams’ offense alongside Kupp, combining to give Los Angeles one of the better wide receiver tandems in the NFL. Unfortunately, they never really hit their ceiling together due to injuries suffered by both players over the course of their five seasons.”

Titans Cut Robert Woods, Should Rams Sign WR? (fannation/ramsdigest)

“Woods was traded to Tennessee last offseason by the Rams in exchange for a sixth-round pick.

This move was made by LA to help make room for the acquisition of former Bears wideout Allen Robinson, who signed a three-year $46.5 million deal.

But what made this trade unique for the Rams, was the team allowing Woods to pick the Titans as his preferred destination for the deal, following five successful seasons, and a great relationship with the franchise.

“They told me I’d have a say in where I’d be traded,” Woods said Wednesday, via ESPN. “I did my research and spoke with past players that were here. And just having a relationship with [offensive coordinator] Todd Downing and [receivers coach] Rob Moore already from being in Buffalo. Then Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill, A.J. Brown ... they’re a top-performing team and the Coach of the Year [Mike Vrabel], so joining this team is beneficial for my career.”

And it is that relationship that could potentially pay dividends for the Rams this offseason.

Why you may ask?

The Rams are looking to add some weapons back into the offense after a dreadful 2022 season, and uniquely, Woods already knows Sean McVay’s system.

McVay is also on the record of being a big fan of Woods, despite the trade.

“(Woods) has really been a foundational piece (for us),” McVay said after the trade last offseason. “It was a really tough decision, but he was such a pro about it. He is such a great dude. I love Robert Woods.”

Not only that, but Woods enjoyed the best stretch of his career with the Rams under McVay, catching 552 passes for 4,636 yards and 23 touchdowns, with 70 carries for 485 yards and five more scores in 68 games.”

Coaching In NFL A ‘Dream’ For New Rams Coach Joe Coniglio (fannation/ramsdigest)

“When you seemingly go from 100 to 0 in a year, changes will be made. The Rams were no exception, as they made sweeping changes to Sean McVay’s coaching staff once their season was over.

One of the coaching changes was the firing of outside linebackers coach Thad Bogardus. On Wednesday, though, the Baltimore Sun reported that the Rams are hiring Navy assistant Joe Coniglio to fill the position.

Coniglio was set to be Navy’s special teams coach this upcoming season but instead will head to Los Angeles and join McVay’s staff.

“It’s been a dream and a goal of mine to coach in the NFL,” Coniglio told the Sun. “I am getting the opportunity to be a position coach when I first get there, which does not happen often.”

“I thought this was an opportunity I could not turn down.”

Jalen Ramsey responds to Amon-Ra St. Brown’s recruitment attempt (prideofdetroit)

“Ramsey obviously is not really allowed to comment on his future, since he remains under contract with the Rams on a deal that extends through the 2025 season. The Rams are currently in need of creating cap space, though, with the team currently projected to be $14 million over the 2023 salary cap. Ramsey is taking up $24.6 million of that cap space, leading some to suggest he’s a candidate to get released or traded. The 28-year-old cornerback has insisted he is not getting cut, so if Detroit wants him, they’ll have to likely give up draft or player resources to get him and his pretty hefty contract.”

LA Rams roster offers few ‘cap casualty’ options to clear cap space (ramblinfan)

“The Tennessee Titans cleared over $37 million in cap space with the release of three players, and are now comfortably under the 2023 ceiling by more than $11 million. One of those players who happened to be released is former LA Rams WR Robert Woods, a player who should draw plenty of interest from NFL teams, including the LA Rams.

Rams salary cap space is simply not that simple

The trouble is, the LA Rams do not have the type of ‘severable’ contracts that allow the team to clear millions just be releasing veteran players. In truth, the most an outright release of any single player will free up in terms of salary cap dollars is if the Rams opt to cut veteran ILB Bobby Wagner, and that would only free up $5 million. In many cases, the release of players before June 1, 2023, acts like a poison pill and actually locks up even more salary cap dollars this year.”

A look back at the Rams’ history of using the franchise tag (yahoo!sports)

“The Los Angeles Rams have the opportunity to use the franchise tag once again this year and the window to tag a player is open until March 7. In recent years, they’ve opted against using the franchise tag, seeing no player deserving of the high-priced, one-year pact.

The last time they used the tag was in 2018, keeping Lamarcus Joyner in Los Angeles for one more season before letting him walk in free agency. Looking at the Rams’ list of pending free agents this year, it seems unlikely that they’ll use the tag in 2023.

Matt Gay is really their only candidate, but kickers can be had for cheaper than the franchise tag’s cost for one season.

Looking back, the Rams haven’t used the franchise tag very often during their history. He’s a list of the players they have tagged, two of which they used the tag on twice.”