Last offseason, the Los Angeles Rams signed Joe Noteboom to a three-year deal worth $40 million – despite the fact that he had never been a full-time starting left tackle in the NFL. They viewed him as their best option with Andrew Whitworth heading into retirement, but that contract hasn’t worked out.
The Rams now have a big decision to make: continue with Noteboom at left tackle or go in a different direction? If they choose the latter, Taylor Lewan could be an option.
Buy Rams TicketsThe Titans cut the three-time Pro Bowler on Wednesday, freeing up some much-needed cap space. Lewan, who turns 32 in July, sounds open to playing for the Rams. Last month, he mentioned the Rams as a team he’d hypothetically be interested in if he were a free agent.
Well, he’s now on the market and could be a target for Los Angeles.
“I think the L.A. Rams are a team I’d be interested in,” he said on his “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast.
He continued: “I think LA would be cool because (Neal) ElAttrache is their doctor. … I think Sean McVay is a (expletive) stud. And I think it’d be a lot of fun there, too.”
Obviously, the Rams weren’t the only team Lewan mentioned, but it’s certainly worth noting that he did have them on his list of hypothetical landing spots. So we know he’d be interested in the Rams, but we don’t know if the feeling is mutual for Los Angeles.
If the Rams did want to sign Lewan and move on from Noteboom, it’d be possible. Cutting Noteboom before June 1 would save them $2.5 million in 2023. A post-June 1 cut would save them $8.5 million this year, though that method just spreads out the dead money across the next two seasons; it’s not a bigger net savings.
If they can find a trade partner for him, trading Noteboom would save the Rams $7.5 million this year with no added dead money in 2024.
Lewan is no longer in his prime and has played just 20 games in the last three seasons, so he could be a reasonably low-cost signing for the Rams. They could probably even get his cap hit below Noteboom’s $15.5 million cap charge in 2023.
There are injury concerns with both players, so neither is a lock to suit up for all 17 games. Moving on from Noteboom for an older, injury-prone tackle could be a risk, but it might be one worth taking.
