Rams awarded two compensatory draft picks at NFL meeting
March 26th, 2007 | by Kevin Morris |
PHOENIX - Call it an unexpected surprise. The Rams arrived in Arizona for the
NFL’s annual owners meetings fully expecting to receive no compensatory draft
picks for the first time in five years.
But the Rams were awarded two seventh-rounders Monday, Nos. 248 and 249 overall
in the draft April 28-29.
Since the start of the current system of free agency in 1993, compensatory
draft picks have been awarded to teams that lose more free agents than they
sign. The complicated formula is based on salary, playing time and postseason
honors of free agents signed and lost.
Last offseason, safety Adam Archuleta, and defensive tackles Ryan Pickett and
Damione Lewis were among the Rams’ free-agent defections. The Rams were under
the impression that those losses were more than offset (under the league
formula) by signing defensive tackle La’Roi Glover, linebacker Will
Witherspoon, and safety Corey Chavous. “We finished on the ‘plus’ side (of the
formula),” said a Rams official. Which meant the Rams weren’t going to receiver
compensatory picks.
But when the 2007 compensatory picks for all 32 teams were announced early
Monday evening at the owners meetings, the Rams were awarded two
seventh-rounders. Over the previous four offseasons, the Rams had received 14
compensatory picks _ two last season, and four apiece in ’05, ’04, and ’03.
Over the years, the Rams have had a fair amount of success with compensatory
picks. Mark Setterstrom, a seventh-round compensatory pick last year, started
six games at left guard as a rookie in ’06. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick,
fullback Madison Hedgecock, linebacker Brandon Chillar, and tight end Brandon
Manumaleuna (now with San Diego) are past compensatory picks. Fitzpatrick and
Hedgecock were seventh-rounders; Chillar and Manumaleuna were fourth-rounders.
The Faulk cap hit
The Rams plan to spread out the cap hit caused by running back Marshall Faulk’s
retirement over two seasons. (Faulk has two years left on his current
contract.) As a result, there will be $2 million of so-called “dead money” that
counts against the team’s salary cap in 2007. But since that money was already
being counted against the Rams’ 2007 cap, the team actually experiences a cap
savings of $820,000 — which is the base salary Faulk was scheduled to make
this coming season had he played.
The team will experience a $2 million cap hit in 2008, the last year of Faulk’s
contract.
A Rams official also confirmed Monday that the team did pay Faulk a $225,000
roster bonus that was due earlier this month.
By
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
