LA Rams: Three former players that will be missed the most in 2018
By Jason Reed
1. Alec Ogletree
Alec Ogletree is a very talented inside linebacker that has the potential to be one of the best in the league if he can piece it all together. The 2013 first-round pick has been one of the few promising beams of hope coming out of the Rams as they struggled to get back into contention up until last season.
Despite all of that and despite the Rams being pretty thin in the linebacker core, the team decided to part ways with Ogletree and traded him to the New York Giants.
It could have been an instance of a talented defensive player simply not fitting the system that defensive coordinator Wade Phillips put in place.
Ogletree did tale a step back production-wise in 2017, which ultimately led to getting traded. However, he still was not bad by any stretch of the imagination and still logged 95 combined tackles in 15 games.
Most importantly, this was a salary move for the Rams to pay their new players as well as open space for an impending Aaron Donald extension. Trading Ogletree freed up just over $5 million in cap space and recovered $10 million from his 2018 salary.
But still, it does hurt to see Ogletree go and it will hurt more when the Rams’ one weak-spot, linebacker, is targeted next season.