In their first action in the free agency period, the Los Angeles Rams have re-signed Nickel CB Nickell Robey-Coleman to a 3 year deal per Ian Rapoport:
#Rams nickel CB Nickell Robey-Coleman has agreed to terms on a 3-year deal worth more than $15.75M, sources say, with $8M guaranteed. More firepower for a revamped LA secondary.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2018
This is a big get for a Rams secondary who continues to stack pieces. Robey-Coleman was one of the best CB’s in football, but more particularly as a Nickel CB. Pro Football Focus had him at a 84.9 grade, ranking him as the 19th best CB in the league.
That is a significant upgrade in pay for Robey-Coleman who initially signed with the Rams in 2016 for a tiny $855 thousand. The three year deal represents an average of $5.25 million per year.
What does his re-signing mean for the Rams? Well, their CB position is stacked. Newly traded for CB’s Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib will surely be starting outside, with Robey-Coleman starting in his Nickel position. This allows newly signed Sam Shields to operate as the fourth CB, which may be a positive considering his concussion history. Incumbent Kayvon Webster may ultimately be released as he now slides down the depth chart, and is paid over $4 million this year per Spotrac.
Restricted free agent CB Troy Hill was also brought back for the year, ultimately making Webster very expendable.
Let’s see what comes next in free agency.