Snead used the example of wide receiver Sammy Watkins from last year to illustrate how this period can clarify things for both the club and player.

“We let Sammy Watkins go test the market, and really, that’s the best thing about the 72-hour window,” Snead said. “Last year with Sammy, hey, his asking price became too steep for us, so we decided to let him move on. So with that, how do we react after that? OK, we lost Trumaine and Sammy. If we’re disciplined in free agency, we could probably recoup two third-rounders. Oh by the way, though, we did lose a nice offensive weapon, so how are we going to solve that? Then, here’s what might be available in the draft. Then you go, OK, we’ve got a really good offense, so do we want to add a young guy in there or do we want to get a proven guy? But we’d still like a young guy, so then you start looking at who might be available. I think when you do this, you’ve got to have contingency plans. You’ve got to walk through the scenarios and then execute those scenarios.”

The Rams were able to do that by adding wide receiver Brandin Cooks via trade, and then extending him on a long-term deal — effectively making things work out for all parties involved.

So as the Rams continue to sort out free agency, look for early next week to be a significant checkpoint in Los Angeles’ endeavors to both sign its own players, and possibly start to go after new ones.