Rams 2021 free agency preview: Morgan Fox should be a priority
Free agency will bring some tough waters for the Rams to navigate this offseason, being so far over the cap with a number of key players set to hit the market. Morgan Fox isn’t one of their top pending free agents like Leonard Floyd and John Johnson, but he’s certainly a valuable player who helped the Rams greatly last season.
He’ll be an unrestricted free agent for the first time next month and the Rams could have some competition from other teams when the market opens on March 17. Will they be able to retain him at a reasonable price? Or will they get outbid by a team with more spending money?
2020 stats
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
27 tackles
6 sacks
8 tackles for loss
9 QB hits
1 forced fumble
2 batted passes
PFF grade: 60.3
Analysis
(Keith Birmingham/The Orange County Register via AP)
Fox doesn’t get a lot of recognition, being a role player on the defensive line, but he was a valuable contributor in 2020. Despite only playing 39% of the defensive snaps, he still recorded a career-high six sacks, eight tackles for loss and nine QB hits. For comparison, Michael Brockers played 61% of the snaps and only five sacks with five tackles for loss and 10 QB hits – similar numbers to Fox’s. While Brockers is undoubtedly the better run defender, as evidenced by his 51 tackles, Fox brings more as a pass rusher from the defensive end spot. But that’s not the only position he can play. Fox can line up all over the defensive line and win matchups with everyone from centers to tackles. Here he is in the Rams’ playoff win over the Seahawks beating the left guard with great hand technique, fighting off the blocker for the sack. https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1348080475626033152 A week earlier, Fox lined up over the center against the Cardinals and bagged a sack as the nose tackle. It was an obvious passing situation on third-and-13, so the Rams trotted out their speed group up front, but Fox still made quick work of the center and got to the QB for the sack. https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1345845136438095873 Fox carries underrated value on the Rams defense as a versatile pass rusher who can be a nice complement to Aaron Donald on the interior. Last season was undoubtedly the best of his career, but it’s reasonable to think he’s just getting started and will only get better.
Positional need: Medium
(AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
The Rams are fairly deep on the defensive line, with Donald, Sebastian Joseph-Day, A’Shawn Robinson and Greg Gaines leading that group. None of those players are free agents like Fox, which makes this a non-pressing need. However, if Fox leaves, the Rams will be lacking a true pass-rushing defensive lineman besides Donald. That should at least raise the urgency on the Rams’ part to retain Fox, or find a pass-rushing defensive end who can rotate in with Brockers in obvious passing situations. This isn't as pressing of a need as outside linebacker and inside linebacker, but the defensive line should get some love from the front office this spring.
Prediction: Signs 3-year, $20 million extension with Rams
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The Rams had the benefit of retaining Fox as a restricted free agent last offseason, but he’ll be more challenging to keep this year. As an unrestricted free agent coming off the best season of his career, he’ll certainly garner interest on the open market from other teams seeking an interior rusher. And so the Rams will have to compete with their little cap space, assuming they don’t sign Fox beforehand to prevent him from hitting free agency. Ultimately, I think they’ll get a deal done with the emerging pass rusher to keep him in Los Angeles for a few more years, especially with Robinson and Brockers potentially being cap casualties. It’s not inconceivable that the Rams could cut Brockers after re-signing Fox, if that’s the path they want to go this offseason.
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