The deadline to place the franchise tag on Tuesday afternoon is about to hit. In all the time leading up to that point, the Los Angeles Rams had yet to make an official decision on which player they plan to use this unique designation on this offseason.
The sense around the organization was that the front office narrowed it down to either safety Lamarcus Joyner or wide receiver Sammy Watkins. According to Ian Rapoport of The NFL Network, the Rams have chosen to use it on Joyner.
The #Rams are franchise tagging S Lamarcus Joyner. A top safety is kept in the fold. LA will try to keep WR Sammy Watkins, as well.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 6, 2018
The franchise tag number for #Rams S Lamarcus Joyner is $11.29M. The team would like to keep both Joyner and WR Sammy Watkins & will be aggressive in trying to do it. But, of course, Watkins now becomes a top WR with a ton of expected interest.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 6, 2018
There had been a growing notion over the last several days that Los Angeles was nearing the decision to use the franchise tag on Joyner. The fifth-year defensive back has developed into one of the rising stars in the league at his position that would have been one of the top defensive players on the open market.
Joyner is a versatile safety has become an effective full-time safety after bouncing around the secondary between safety and a nickel cornerback. He is coming off a strong 2017 season where he was the third-highest graded player at his position by Pro Football Focus only behind the Chicago Bears’ Adrian Amos (92.0) and the Minnesota Vikings’ Harrison Smith (97.0). Despite playing in only 12 games, he made 49 tackles, forced a fumble, and recorded his first three career interceptions.
This heightened the internal push to keep him under contract given that he had become an integral piece to secondary for the long haul. The Rams now have until July 16 to work out a long-term extension with Joyner, which should be a quick process once the team sorts through the rest of their free agents.
Meanwhile, this also signals that the Rams will let Watkins hit the open market, which is something that the wideout hinted at on Tuesday morning.
Can’t wait 🤐
— King me (@sammywatkins) March 6, 2018
Los Angeles still has an opportunity to work out a new deal with the 24-year-old during the free agency period. However, they could have a tough time keeping Watkins, who will likely command plenty of attention as one of the top available players at his position. He is coming off his first season with the Rams where he recorded in 39 catches for 593 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
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