The Los Angeles Rams are pinching every penny this offseason to stay within the salary cap. They did approach backup S Blake Countess to restructure his $2 million tender. Unfortunately, both sides could not come to an agreement, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
The Rams technically didn’t draft Countess, that honor went to the Philadelphia Eagles. He went in the sixth round, 196th overall of the 2016 NFL Draft. After being cut, the Rams brought him to the practice squad. He’s been on the team ever since and did provide sufficient depth. Countess did some work on special teams too.
Countess’s verstility is also desirable, he is capable of playing CB but did better at FS. The Rams would likely want to keep Countess, but the cap issues are what contributes to this decision. Les Snead did prepare for this too by drafting two safeties in the 2019 NFL Draft. Countess did manage to earn 44 tackles, 2 interceptions, 3 pass deflections and a sack in three seasons with the Rams.
Meanwhile, the Rams brought in OLB Josh Carraway. Carraway initially came from the Tennessee Titans. The Titans selected him in the seventh round (227th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft. He mainly found himself transferring from the active roster to the practice squad. The Titans eventually cut him and the Washington Redskins brought him to their practice squad last season.
Coming from TCU, the major appeal for Carraway is his athleticism. He lacks power, which is what teams want in an EDGE rusher. Still, with the spot available, the Rams brought him to compete for a spot on the roster.
Source: Pro-sports-reference.com, Twitter.com
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