The Los Angeles Rams have placed their franchise tag on safety LaMarcus Joyner. Adam Schefter and the Rams shared the news about the franchise tag on Twitter.
And with the Rams placing their franchise tag on S Lamarcus Joyner, that means that WR Sammy Watkins now is a true free agent.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 6, 2018
#LARams have placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on Lamarcus Joyner. pic.twitter.com/kjhxt4Tsqe
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) March 6, 2018
The tag will be worth around $11 million for the season. Sides have until July 16 to hammer out a potential multi-year deal.
Tagging Joyner was a wise decision for the Rams. Joyner is a key part of their secondary. Once the trade clears, Joyner will be joined by Marcus Peters and the two should be able to make harass opposing receivers and make quarterbacks think twice about trying to make a play deep.
Unfortunately for the Rams, they only get one franchise tag. This means wide receiver Sammy Watkins, whom the Rams traded for just before the start of the 2017 season, will become a free agent. The Rams hoped to have gotten a long-term deal done with one player so they could tag the other.
Tagging Joyner over Watkins was the right call. Though Watkins is a talented receiver, who is sure to have many suitors come free agency, Joyner is a cornerstone of the Rams secondary. Watkins was not the no.1 target for quarterback Jared Goff, who completed 39 passes to Watkins for 593 yards and 8 touchdowns.
It would still be smart for the Rams to pursue Watkins because if he is used correctly, he can put up massive numbers and can be a huge draw to a team that, even though they made the playoffs, struggles to fill stadiums. The numbers were still good for Watkins, just nothing close to his rookie and sophomore years in the league.
The new league year starts March 14. It will be fun to see where exactly who Watkins will be playing for come the regular season.
