The 2026 Free Agency Thread

[HTTR]

Been waiting as I mentioned Keim implied in a podcast a week ago he was going to poke around this week whether the team is interested in Diggs. Well, he talked about it in today's podcast, he said he believes this team is interested in Diggs however there is some competition for him.

Awesome thanks. Confirms what we already have heard. Hopefully they stop being so frugal and just pay the man! He’s already stated he wants to come here, and i’m willing to bet we have way more cap room than any of the other teams pursuing him. Training camp has already begun so this needs to get done pronto and if it doesn’t, it’s gonna be a real bad look for AP.

 

[Always Commander Never Captain]

Awesome thanks. Confirms what we already have heard. Hopefully they stop being so frugal and just pay the man! He’s already stated he wants to come here, and i’m willing to bet we have way more cap room than any of the other teams pursuing him. Training camp has already begun so this needs to get done pronto and if it doesn’t, it’s gonna be a real bad look for AP.

I imagine most teams are still trying to figure out what they have at WR, at QB, how the scheme is looking, etc. Like if the WR group is flashing in what Diggs role would be, then teams might delay further.

The worry is if a team panics, realizes they don't have "IT" yet, and pay Diggs lots of money.

Do we know what Diggs cares about this season? Is it money? Playing time? Production/scheme fit? Quality of team? If a team is panicking enough to sign Diggs now, maybe he wants to wait in case a better spot opens up for him.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Coleman was drafted to be a T who could possibly be moved inside. He proved to be a good tackle in his rookie year. Teams normally take the ball and run with that, allowing him to better develop in year 2. His health concerns have been a bit of an issue in both seasons but only year one mattered at that point.

We desperately needed offensive weapons and a G. Defensively we needed help all around, especially Edge LB and DB's. With all of those holes selecting a T was more a luxury selection and we really were not in a luxury situation. Just one of the many items I saw as a miscue on AP and DQ in their 2nd season. That draft was loaded. There was a wave of talent when we selected and could have selected from a group of weapons, LB's, Edge's and DB's.

We all hope Conerly can prove to be a solid T and Coleman become a solid starting LG. He is up against it though as Tunsil has thrown some love behind Paul at LG. It will be one of the big battles over the summer.

I guess I look at it a different way, which is you draft the best player available on your board in the first round at least. If you let need creep into it too much (it's always a component), you end up skipping better prospects.

They had Conerly rated higher. They drafted him.

Also, I think the best friend of a young QB is not weapons. It's a stout OL. You want to get all QBs, but especially young QBs, as much time as possible. Clearly you want both, but if I had to choose, I would invest in the OL first. Get Daniels the most amount of protection and also improve the run blocking to the best extent possible. And make sure you have a ton of depth. We have seen in years past, a bad OL can just crumple an entire offense.

I understand the angst with weapons, I really do. But I wouldn't diminish the need to build the OL.

And as far as Coleman is concerned, I think there were some thoughts early that Coleman would be a better guard than tackle. The other thing with him, he didn't even prove he could stay healthy in his rookie season. Passing on another, what you think is a higher end tackle (drafted in the 1st vs. 3rd round, so definitely a better initial prospect), is a mistake.

Again, if they had gone the other way, I wouldn't have had a problem with it. However, I'm totally fine with them drafting a tackle in the late first. I also think clearly they would not have done it if they thought Coleman could play at the same level as Conerly at RT.

 

[Boone]

I don't get at ALL the Conerly criticism or questioning of the pick. What, exactly, is the evidence he's not going to be a great OL addition? He was a rookie starter. Rookie OL starters are going to have a learning curve. I'm betting if we went back and looked at Trent Williams rookie season, it was far from perfect.

 

[Chris]

Not only was he a rookie. He was a 21 year old rookie, barely out of diapers and already starting against grown ass men.

 

[burgold]

It's probably a hangover left from the desire to fix our wide receiver room, to get an edge, and because most of us looked at Coleman's season and thought "Pretty good. Did we get one?" So, the criticism isn't actually about Connerly himself, but what might have been if we chose Door Number 2.

Interestingly, possibly only to me, the idea that he was a rookie and deserved a learning curve and a chance to get better is something I think about when talking about Croskey Merritt, too. (The BGO pod discussion on Bill is still playing out in my head )

 

[Boone]

It's probably a hangover left from the desire to fix our wide receiver room, to get an edge, and because most of us looked at Coleman's season and thought "Pretty good. Did we get one?" So, the criticism isn't actually about Connerly himself, but what might have been if we chose Door Number 2.

Interestingly, possibly only to me, the idea that he was a rookie and deserved a learning curve and a chance to get better is something I think about when talking about Croskey Merritt, too. (The BGO pod discussion on Bill is still playing out in my head )

As for the pod conversation - I don't think you're hearing what I said. I like Bill. He definitely had some moments in his first season. He also showed a lot of areas he needs to improve on. The context of the JCM conversation was writing off our current rookie RB before he's played a down. Kaytron Allen is a similar prospect, not in style, but in being a very talented RB with significant holes in his current game. Neither guy is much of a blocker. Neither guy is much of a receiver. It doesn't mean they can't develop those skills, but neither is a fully developed well-rounded RB currently. That was my point. JCM is absolutely talented. He absolutely can develop. But I don't think he's shown enough yet to be considered even the best RB on this roster.

 

[DWinzit]

The point has already been addressed. We had a roster full of old and slow players with one of our only strengths being two T's, and we drafted another tackle. Again, to me that the selection more a luxury pick when we were full of needs and there were so many good players that had to have graded out extremely close to Conerly if indeed he was the highest on their board or at least Kilffs. It is moot now.

 

[burgold]

As for the pod conversation - I don't think you're hearing what I said. I like Bill. He definitely had some moments in his first season. He also showed a lot of areas he needs to improve on. The context of the JCM conversation was writing off our current rookie RB before he's played a down. Kaytron Allen is a similar prospect, not in style, but in being a very talented RB with significant holes in his current game. Neither guy is much of a blocker. Neither guy is much of a receiver. It doesn't mean they can't develop those skills, but neither is a fully developed well-rounded RB currently. That was my point. JCM is absolutely talented. He absolutely can develop. But I don't think he's shown enough yet to be considered even the best RB on this roster.

I heard ya. I addressed it directly in that thread.

My feeling is that there's been a lot of discussion and excitement about White and Allen so much so that it feels like Bill is often the forgotten man.

 

[Boone]

It's all good burgie. I want all of our RBs to shine. I think Bill has gotten perhaps even more attention than his 7th round selection and production so far really warrants. But I want him to be the next big thing, just like I want Kaytron Allen to be the next big thing. I don't really get the fan phenomenon where someone decides player X is their favorite, and views anything that challenges that as a personal affront. We should all want all of our players to exceed expectations.

 

[KDawg]

Questioning Conerly is the wrong part of the OL to question… *eyes to C and LG*

 

[skinsinparadise]

Questioning Conerly is the wrong part of the OL to question… *eyes to C and LG*

I'll give you this, while you are on an island with some here about the o line -- you are close to the consensus nationally who don't seem that high on this unit. i think it will surprise but its interesting that the love isn't share nationally about this unit.

You are also with the national people, actually am close to you on this too about this RB room -- Sharp has it ranked dead last, I saw another ranking that had it close. Croskey-Merritt ranked 30th among the starting 32 RBs by PFF.

 

[skinsinparadise]

It's all good burgie. I want all of our RBs to shine. I think Bill has gotten perhaps even more attention than his 7th round selection and production so far really warrants. But I want him to be the next big thing, just like I want Kaytron Allen to be the next big thing. I don't really get the fan phenomenon where someone decides player X is their favorite, and views anything that challenges that as a personal affront. We should all want all of our players to exceed expectations.

Quinn has been giving chances to call Croskey as his #1, but not only isn't he doing it but seems to constantly talk about what he needs to improve on -- and then finds ways to segue about Rashaad White. Some reporter mentioned the idea that they have Croskey on kick returns now as a sign that he might not be the starter.

Keim has hinted at it, too. Granted its early, things evolve especially at that spot.

J. Ford is nothing killer as a back -- but if they are looking for a dude who can catch the ball and run -- he's the guy aside from White. I heard that he got some #1 reps yesterday.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Diggs

 

[DWinzit]

Questioning Conerly is the wrong part of the OL to question… *eyes to C and LG*

At this stage of course they are and have been the concern. Especially if there is a real injury with Allegretti.

And Burks has a history of being dinged up. Part of reason he hasn't been able to prove himself a consistent starter

 

[HTTR]

The point has already been addressed. We had a roster full of old and slow players with one of our only strengths being two T's, and we drafted another tackle. Again, to me that the selection more a luxury pick when we were full of needs and there were so many good players that had to have graded out extremely close to Conerly if indeed he was the highest on their board or at least Kilffs. It is moot now.

I like the BPA strategy better so I loved the pick. It’s the likeliest way to land a stud. Then you spend in free agency to fill your holes… that’s the part where we’ve come up short. Granted there certainly were a lot of holes to fill, but we have/had the cap space to do it.

 

[Commander Wraith]

In my view, Bill last year had 3 main issues - a problem, a weakness, and a disadvantage (along with some other factors) that combined to affect his playing time and the perception of him going into this year.
Disadvantage:
Not playing in 2024.
Honorable mention - the injuries around him and defenses being able to adjust because of them.

Weakness:
Pass protection, but really just issues regarding the passing game in general.
Honorable mention - the fumbles.

Problem:
There were other factors as well, but we saw his play style change after the early part in the season. It was odd to see him suddenly reminding me of Leveon Bell - hanging out behind blockers waiting for blocks to develop when he had been hitting the hole so quickly early on. Briefly, I thought it was him growing as a runner, but then production dipped and he lost snaps. I believe the hype got to his head and he started looking for the home run instead of taking what was blocked for him. Rodriguez, who has always hit the hole quickly and violently, took the starting reps and the rest is history.

I think there’s still a role for him here - no other back on the roster has the high end explosion he has - but he’s got a lot to improve on for it to be more than a bit role. With the importance of explosive plays to OCs (and teams in general), while it’s certainly possible, I’d be very surprised if he were cut. I think it’s likely that they keep 4 backs, use a RBBC and the real battle is between Ford and McKissick with one of them going to the PS... presuming Allen looks like he belongs. Feel like McKissick’s ST play and versatility keep him around, but Ford’s kind of a younger version of JD, so who knows.



Voice_of_Reason - I don’t disagree with your issues with the corner position, but thought I’d share this quote below about Witherspoon that I came across. Doesn’t alleviate concerns with Amos’ health or whether Sainristil can work as a starter outside, but combined with the addition of Douglas, it does make me feel a little bit better about our depth. Still might have to rely on an elevated 6th corner at some point, so hopefully someone in that battle between Hamilton/Vigers/Rush/Davis/Hawkins steps up.

From “Rams expert” Bret Suter:
“Ahkello] Witherspoon established himself in the Rams' secondary as a plug-and-play contributor. He was a godsend in both 2023 and 2024 when he was virtually impossible to get off the field once he earned playing time.

"But injuries made him unreliable in 2025, and combined with other injuries, depleted the defense at the worst part of the season. When healthy, you can expect solid coverage. But good luck keeping him healthy. He is a solid addition to any team. But he will break fans' hearts if he is promoted to a starting role, only to be benched when injuries hit."

 

[Conn]

The point has already been addressed. We had a roster full of old and slow players with one of our only strengths being two T's, and we drafted another tackle. Again, to me that the selection more a luxury pick when we were full of needs and there were so many good players that had to have graded out extremely close to Conerly if indeed he was the highest on their board or at least Kilffs. It is moot now.

At the time I 60% wanted Luther Burden, now I really wish we’d done that

 

[Conn]

I like the BPA strategy better so I loved the pick. It’s the likeliest way to land a stud. Then you spend in free agency to fill your holes… that’s the part where we’ve come up short. Granted there certainly were a lot of holes to fill, but we have/had the cap space to do it.

I’ll feel this way when I gain the confidence that this FO is correctly identifying the BPA some of the time. Haven’t seen it much yet, but they start hitting bigger on some of these picks and I’ll start believing

I agree they identified Conerly as their BPA at that spot

 

[HTTR]

I’ll feel this way when I gain the confidence that this FO is correctly identifying the BPA some of the time. Haven’t seen it much yet, but they start hitting bigger on some of these picks and I’ll start believing

I agree they identified Conerly as their BPA at that spot

Getting it right is a different story. It’s rarely going to be the case even for the best GM’s. And I don’t think we have enough of a track record to say they are good or bad at it at this point. Time will tell but for now I’m happy with the process.