The Los Angeles Rams have some money to work with in the offseason with an estimated $44 million salary cap space, per Over The Cap. It’s the ninth-most in the league, but L.A. also needs to figure out its plan for contract extensions for players like Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner, Byron Young and Steve Avila. Matthew Stafford may also want a pay bump after winning MVP and leading the Rams to the NFC. championship game.
So, it may not be a big offseason for free-agent spending for the Rams despite their cap space. However, general manager Les Snead has been good at making smaller moves that have larger impacts, like he did in 2025 with the additions of Poona Ford and Nate Landman on defense. Both were instrumental in the defensive improvements this season, and a similar move could be on the horizon.
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While many have speculated the Rams would look at signing a veteran cornerback, NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal went in a different direction for a “dream” free agent for L.A. in a discussion on ESPN’s The Bill Barnwell Show. Rosenthal named Las Vegas edge rusher Malcolm Koonce as a free agent that the Rams would love to add as a “bounce back” guy.
Koonce, who will be 28 this season, has just 4.5 sacks in 2025 after starting in just three of the 17 games he played in for Vegas. He had signed a one-year, $11 million deal to return to the Raiders after missing the entire 2024 season with a knee injury in early September that year. Koonce had eight sacks and 12 quarterback hits in a breakout 2023 season.
This would be another low-key move that could pay dividends for L.A. Edge rusher is not a big need for the Rams, but Koonce wouldn’t cost much (his estimated market value is a two-year, $19.8 million deal, per Spotrac) and he would provide solid depth behind Jared Verse and Byron Young. The only other edge rusher behind those two is 2025 third-rounder Josaiah Stewart.
Koonce isn’t a household name, but he’s a player who might fly under the radar during free agency.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Raiders DE named ‘dream’ free agent signing for Rams