Based off the previous three years, no one would have been surprised to see the Los Angeles Rams make the decision to use the franchise tag on a player for the fourth season in a row.
Right away, the two players that immediately came to mind were Dante Fowler Jr. and Lamarcus Joyner, as both defenders proved to be valuable at times throughout the 2018 season, but also were expected to draw plenty of attention in the free agency market.
While Fowler came over to Los Angeles following a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars before the trade deadline, Joyner actually spent last year playing under the franchise tag since the Rams didn’t seem confident enough investing in the safety for the long run.