Finding a veteran OLB will prove easier said than done for Rams

Why Rams will have a tough timing finding a star edge rusher

Les Snead and the Los Angeles Rams have known for the better part of three years that they need more talent at outside linebacker. This is a position that requires some of the best athletes in the world, and even then raw athletes often lack the technical skills required to be productive pass rushers at the NFL level. The Rams are looking for an asset where only ten currently exist, and 31 other franchises around the NFL are also in the market.

That’s why the need at OLB has largely gone unsolved for Los Angeles. They temporarily found a fix when they paired Leonard Floyd with Von Miller after acquiring Miller mid-season in 2021 from the Denver Broncos. The pair played an important role in helping the Rams win Super Bowl LVI, but ultimately the Buffalo Bills were able to lure Miller away in free agency that subsequent offseason.

LA went into the 2022 season expecting Justin Hollins and Terrell Lewis to hold their own and then maybe make a trade at the league’s deadline if the team was competitive. Hollins and Lewis were disasters and neither survived the entirety of the regular season in Los Angeles. The Rams ( at least reportedly) attempted to trade two first round picks to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for Brian Burns. The Panthers declined that offer and Burns’ contract has expired, making him a free agent at the start of the new league year next month.

While Byron Young was a promising find in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft and he’s outplayed his draft position, he hasn’t yet proven that he can be relied on to produce pressure at a consistent level. He’d be a fine number two option on the edge of the defense if the Rams are able to find a bonafide, elite-level player on the other side.

But just as it’s been proven over the last three years, finding such a player will be much easier said then done. There are a few key reasons why the Rams will find it difficult to find a veteran outside linebacker in 2024.

Teams will find a way to keep the best players

Josh Allen is one of the best free agents eligible to hit the open market in March. It’s unlikely he’ll ever get there because the Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to franchise tag him.

Same goes with Burns and the Panthers, as Carolina would look silly and fans would be irate if the team let Burns walk in free agency after the front office declined the Rams’ trade offer that would have brought two first round picks back. Sure, compensatory picks are nice but these are nowhere in the same conversation.

It’s also unlikely that the Houston Texans let Jonathan Greenard leave, as DeMeco Ryans’ background suggests the more are merrier when it comes to edge rushers and Greenard and Will Anderson proved to be a formidable duo in their first year together. With CJ Stroud on his rookie deal the Texans should have plenty of cash to spare.

That means the players that will actually hit the open market are the older veterans or ones that come with some warts. Teams just find ways to keep the best players. Then the rest of the NFL hands out risky contracts to the second tier at the position in free agency. Sometimes it work, but most of the time it blows up in your face.

Would these players solve LA’s pass rushing woes?

The players likely to make it to the free agent market are Danielle Hunter of the Minnesota Vikings (age 29), Bryce Huff from the new York Jets (somewhat of a one-year wonder), Chase Young who just played in the Super Bowl for the San Francisco 49ers (and has never really put it all together), Jadeveon Clowney of the Baltimore Ravens (a one-year rental at this point in his career), Za’Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns (age 31), and Josh Uche (who has mainly been a situational pass rusher for the New England Patriots).

These individuals don’t seem like straight forward answers for the Rams, but that’s what you’re getting for the most part in free agency. Someone like Huff or Young seem like the more attractive options, though it requires hope that they’ll take a step forward in their career that we haven’t seen from them yet.

The other option is a trade, which has its own downside

Trading for a premier edge rusher would still require a sizeable salary cap investment and would also cost significant draft capital—maybe even LA’s first round pick. Do we really expect Snead to make his first selection in the first round since 2016?

The positive side of making a trade is that LA can expand their candidate pool in order to find a long-term solution at the position. Who would be the names on the short list?

Maybe the Las Vegas Raiders’ Maxx Crosby, who would bring an unmatched tenacity to the defense? The Los Angeles Chargers have notable salary cap constraints and may need to trade either Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, or both. There have been rumors that Haason Reddick could be available via trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, though he’s more of a pass rush specialist than every-down star.