Los Angeles Rams should look to sign Tre Boston, tag Sammy Watkins

One of the many decisions the Los Angeles Rams must make this off-season is whether to franchise tag receiver Sammy Watkins or safety LaMarcus Joyner.

The Los Angeles Rams are at a fork in the road with only one franchise tag at the disposal. On one hand, there is Sammy Watkins, a very talented receiver that still is yet to hit his ceiling. On the other hand, there is LaMarcus Joyner, a solid safety that fills an area of need for the Rams.

Then, down a deserted pathway that nobody has even considered is Los Angeles Chargers safety Tre Boston. It is time for the Rams to pick up that fork in the road, franchise tag Sammy Watkins and pursue free agent safety Tre Boston.

However, that may not be the Rams’ front office’s first instinct.

According to Kevin Patra of NFL.com, the Los Angeles Rams are more in favor of tagging Joyner over Watkins. On the surface, this makes sense. The Rams have a deep receiving core and probably accepted Watkins as a one-year rental the minute they traded for him. With a thin secondary, Joyner may be more valuable to LA.

I do not think he is as talented, however. Joyner is a solid NFL safety that could end up being a borderline Pro Bowler at his ceiling. I will give him that. However, Joyner has really only given the Rams one solid year and only played in 12 games.

Watkins, on the other hand, still has it in him to be an elite NFL receiver. Due to injuries and playing in Buffalo his entire career, Watkins never really hit his full potential. Although he led the team in touchdown receptions last year, his lack of usage kept him from getting closer to that ceiling.

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And I already know what you are thinking “Why would the Rams franchise tag someone they clearly weren’t using as much as Joyner?” That is a fair question. However, just having Watkins in the passing game opens up options across the board. Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods get better looks. The better the passing game, the better Todd Gurley is going to perform.

Plus, it is going to be harder to replace Watkins than it would be to replace Joyner. The Rams currently do not have anyone ready to fill Watkins role and the receiving free agent class is dead. As for safety, the Rams could simply draft someone or sign a free agent.

One free agent, in particular, the Los Angeles Rams should be considering is Tre Boston. Boston had a breakout season with the Los Angeles Chargers would be an excellent pickup for the Rams.

There is a chance the Rams may not have a chance and Boston may love LA so much he stays with the Chargers. However, if he loves LA so much, maybe a slightly bigger payday from the Rams can convince Boston to jump ship. It is a fair idea and Boston would arguably be an upgrade from Joyner.

Boston had five interceptions last year and 79 combined tackles in route to a Pro-Football-Reference approximate value of seven. To compare, Joyner had an AV of six and Tyrann Mathieu also had an AV of six.

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Thus, by pursuing Boston, the Los Angeles Rams can have the best of both worlds. With roots already established in LA, Boston should become one of the top targets for the Rams this off-season.

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