EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Free agency in the NFL isn't what it used to be. Where once there was a glut of teams waiting for June 1 to make certain moves for cap purposes, the league and the players association have made some changes to when that business can be done.
In this week's mailbag, ESPN NFL senior writer John Clayton begins the proceedings with a look at six things we learned in this year's free agency.
While Clayton's six takeaways don't have much to do with the St. Louis Rams, there is one nugget in his introduction that might be worth noting for those wondering what will become of guys such as guard Justin Blalock or tackle Joe Barksdale.
From Clayton:
"Starting Tuesday, signings don't count against teams in the computation of compensatory picks."
Now, that doesn't really affect the Rams when it comes to re-signing Barksdale or adding Blalock. Atlanta released Blalock so he wouldn't factor into compensatory picks anyway but it's notable if there are outside teams interested in Barksdale. If another team wanted to add the Rams' 2014 starting right tackle, it would be able to sign him without worrying about it changing their compensatory pick formula for next year.
It stands to reason that since teams have waited this long with the likes of Barksdale on the market, he'll get more attention once he becomes classified as a "street free agent" on Tuesday.
Likewise, if the Rams have designs on signing a veteran anywhere on the team, they wouldn't have to worry about their own compensatory formula for next year, either.
I.C.Y.M.I.
A roundup of the weekend's Rams' stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... On Friday, we previewed the Rams' rookie orientation. ... We then examined how first-round running backs have fared in their rookie season in recent years. ... The Rams finally released their undrafted free-agent rookie list. ... Under Jeff Fisher, the Rams have a different approach the rookie "minicamps" from many teams. ... Fisher said offensive lineman La'el Collins had the Rams in his final four before choosing the Cowboys. ... This week's mailbag hit on a variety of topics.
Elsewhere:
ESPN Insider provides a full look at all 32 teams and how they fared in this year's NFL draft.
Columnist Jeffri Chadiha previews what should be a strong 2016 quarterback class entering the NFL draft.
Giants reporter Dan Graziano catches up with former Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo, who says it will take some time to right the ship in New York.
At 101sports.com, Mike Sando discussed the Rams' chances of overtaking Seattle in the NFC West.
At stltoday.com, Joe Strauss writes that it's going to be awfully difficult for the Rams sales and marketing teams in 2015.