What can an uncapped year do for you?

[Goldenfleece]

It won't help you get younger. Assuming there is no collective bargaining agreement signed within the next three weeks, this will mean (a) most of the players who would have been unrestricted free agents will likely be retained by their current teams, (b) the free agents who do hit the open market will mostly be 28 or older because they have to have six years in the league, and (c) the youngest talent in the market will be players who were eligible for free agency several years ago and were unable to land long-term deals.

This is bad news for the Rams. If the old CBA was intact the Rams would be sitting pretty $35 million under the salary cap. If the owners successfully negotiated the cap down, this would be even better for the Rams because it would put the squeeze on teams that had been playing it close. With no cap, the Rams are just a mid-market team in the middle of a transition in ownership.

The free agent market will likely be smaller than usual and more expensive. Because there will be so few starters available in free agency, I would predict competition would be more fierce. This has less to do with the lack of a cap and more to do with simple supply and demand. Effectively, the 26-year-old crowd who would normally be up for their second contract will be removed from free agency, but there will still be a market for the 31-year-old third contract group and to a lesser extent the 35+ "I'm not dead yet" market.

There will still be a few positions we might improve. The quarterback market is likely to be almost non-existent. Even guys like Tarvaris Jackson and Jason Campbell could be retained if their teams so choose, but there will be a few options at back-up runningback including Leon Washington, Willie Parker, Chester Taylor, and Chris Brown. It is unlikely that a true #1 receiver will hit the market, and only a small number of solid #2's. L.J. Smith, formerly of the Eagles, might be an option at tight end, and Ben Watson will be one of the top names in free agency if he is available. The best starter prospects are probably at defensive end: Julius Peppers, Aaron Kampman, and Kyle Vanden Bosch are all possibilities provided they are not tagged. There may be a few options at linebacker including Gary Brackett, Scott Fujita, Angelo Crowell, Cato June, and Tully Banta-Cain.

[thermobee]

I think in the case that there arent many decent free agents the smart thing to do is to stand pat for another year and not push it by overpaying marginal talent. We can focus on drafting well and look for impact free agents next year.

[BarronWade]

Well then we will have to improve the team in the draft!

Also there isnt many FA that stand out for us like Jason Brown did last year

[molar_pistol]

i think there would have been plenty of guys available that could seriously improve our team in a normal year, it's unfortunate that we might end up stalling our team's development an extra season due to cba negotiations.

[RebelYell]

i think there would have been plenty of guys available that could seriously improve our team in a normal year, it's unfortunate that we might end up stalling our team's development an extra season due to cba negotiations.

I agree 100%. The Rams could have signed 4 guys similar to James Butler. They are never going to be pro-bowlers but they can be solid NFL players.

I still think with all the horrible rumors, Tavaris Jackson, Jason Campbell, Michael Vick and Kyle Orton will likely be free agents. Well, 2 of them will likely be.

[Goldenfleece]

I agree 100%. The Rams could have signed 4 guys similar to James Butler. They are never going to be pro-bowlers but they can be solid NFL players.

I still think with all the horrible rumors, Tavaris Jackson, Jason Campbell, Michael Vick and Kyle Orton will likely be free agents. Well, 2 of them will likely be.

I don't think there's much chance the Broncos would let Orton go. Who would start in his place? Chris Simms?

Vick completed only 46% of his passes last season and can't run like he used to. The Eagles have a team option on his contract, which means in effect they have to cut him for him to hit the market. Tarvaris Jackson was only moderately successful on a team with a great offensive line, running game, and defense. Campbell was a poor fit for Zorn's West Coast Offense because he does not have great field vision and holds on to the ball too long, which doesn't bode well for what he might do in our version of the West Coast Offense. I can't say that I'm particularly enthused about any of those options.