Laurinaitis, Cook, Long Released

I wrote recently that TE Jared Cook was a no-brainer to get cut, and that DE Chris Long was also not long (see what I did there?) for the roster in 2016.  Indeed, both players were cut today, but the mild surprise is the release of MLB James Laurinaitis.  I spoke of how Laurinaitis was going to turn 30 in December and that, perhaps, his salary for 2017 would be too prohibitive, and that it wouldn't be out of the question for the team to use the #15 overall pick on a linebacker, with an eye on replacing him.  But the Rams decided that the Ohio State product was expendable even for 2016, and so the man who played 99.7% of the Rams' defensive snaps in his career will be playing elsewhere. 

ESPN NFL Nation reporter Nick Wagoner believes that the Rams will now move Alec Ogletree to MLB (that's middle linebacker; Ogletree is not getting moved to major league baseball), and attempt to re-sign Mark Barron to play weak-side linebacker.  Barron, of course, was drafted by Tampa Bay at safety, but never quite lived up to expectations there.  He fared better with the Rams, who used him in more of a linebacker/safety hybrid role.  The Rams, I'm sure, are hoping that moving Ogletree inside will result in something similar to the positive effect that moving Clay Matthews inside had on the Green Bay defense.  In looking at my last article, on the subject of potential linebackers in the draft, perhaps the chances of drafting a guy like Alabama's Reggie Ragland at #15 just went up ever-so-slightly, although I still view that as unlikely.

The moves by the Rams today cleared about $24MM in cap room, and the team is well-positioned heading into free agency, with more than $50MM in total cap space now.  It will be interesting to see how the team attacks free agency.  There's a vacancy for a starting safety; could the Rams ask Eric Weddle, late of the Chargers, to move just a little bit north?  The interior of the offensive line could use improving, and the top free agent guard available is Kelechi Osemele of the Ravens, who is still just 26 years old.  The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiek notes that the Ravens will have a hard time re-signing Osemele at the price he will command, and that if they do pony up for him, it will likely come at the expense of releasing LT Eugene Monroe.  It's also worth noting that NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted today "there's a chance" that the Bears don't apply the franchise tag to WR Alshon Jeffery.  I still have a hard time imagining this, but if this does indeed happen, and Jeffery hits the open market, the Rams should run, not walk, to his agent with an offer.