Rams set to make big Leonard Floyd roster decision amid retooling

There may be plenty more departures to come for the Rams, with Leonard Floyd perhaps the next to leave following Bobby Wagner out the door.

A lot can change in the span of a year. Around 13 months after winning Super Bowl LVI on the eve of Valentine's Day, the Los Angeles Rams are on the precipice of a total fire sale. In fact, the first Rams domino has already fallen in late February, when they decided to part ways with All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner. And it looks like there may be plenty more departures to come for the Rams as they set their sights towards their future.

Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Rams are looking to part ways with outside linebacker Leonard Floyd as well. The Rams reportedly would look to trade away the 30-year old OLB first, with a potential release of the veteran being a last resort. Floyd has shown his extensive worth as a pass-rusher, having tallied a total of 29 sacks over the past three seasons.

It's not too difficult to understand the rationale behind the Rams' decision to cut bait on a few of their veterans, as beloved as some of them might be. They finished the 2022 season with just five wins – simply an unacceptable return for a team that returned the core members of their championship-winning team. Thus, acknowledging the need to retool may be the shrewd move, especially with other crucial pieces such as Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp on the mend.

Of course, the most prominent factor driving the Rams' need to trade or relinquish some of their veteran players, such as Leonard Floyd, is that they need to get under the $224.8 million salary cap by 4 PM ET of March 15. Releasing Bobby Wagner, which was a tough pill to swallow given his stellar 2022 season, was a means to that end, as they Rams managed to shed $5 million off their books by letting him go. (They could save up to $8 million by designating him as a post-June 1 cut.)

Rams fans should be very prepared to root for a different-looking team next season; after all, Floyd is not the only one on the chopping block. Other key pieces such as Jalen Ramsey and Allen Robinson could soon join Bobby Wagner on the way out of Los Angeles as well given the Rams' current salary cap predicament.