Chris Long and James Laurinaitis are big parts of the Rams’ defense. However, both are now heading into their contract year and for a Rams team already devoid of talent defensively, they can’t afford to lose arguably their two best defensive players. As can be expected, the Rams will begin extension talks with the pair in the near future.

Chris Long was the 2^nd overall pick in 2008 and has emerged as one of the best pass rushers in the league. Over the past 2 years, he has 115 combined quarterback pressures, most of anyone in the league over that stretch. He also has 21 sacks and 25 quarterback hits over that stretch. He’s graded out 5^th and 4^th respectively in 2010 and 2011 as a pass rusher among 4-3 defensive ends on ProFootballFocus. Though he has graded out as below average against the run, he’s still managed to rank 15^th and 14^th respectively over those two years.

Laurinaitis, a 2009 2^nd round pick, has graded out positively overall over the past 3 years as a starter and ranked 14^th overall among middle linebackers in 2010. He’s managed 100+ tackles in each of his first 3 years in the league, good for a combined 376 tackles, a whopping 310 of which were solo. The Rams will want to lock up one of these two guys to free up the franchise tag for the other.

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According to CBSSports’ Jason La Canfora, the Cowboys are not interested in Chad Ochocinco, who was released by the Patriots earlier this week. The Cowboys seemed like a potential destination as they need a 3^rd receiver and because they’ve taken chances on frustrating players like Ochocinco in the past. The Cowboys reportedly did their homework on both Chad Ochocinco and, believe it or not, Terrell Owens, but have decided against both.

The Cowboys are not the only team to rule out Ochocinco. The Jets ruled him out earlier this week according to a report from ESPN New York. Also in La Canfora’s report, it said the Rams, Panthers, Ravens, Raiders, and Jaguars ruled out Ochocinco. That knocks out a good bunch of Ochocinco’s potential suitors. Jacksonville ruling him out is interesting because their offensive coordinator, Bob Bratkowski, was the offensive coordinator in Cincinnati when Ochocinco was there. Ochocinco does have one visit lined up, however. He’ll work out for the incredibly receiver needy Miami Dolphins next week.

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According to Devin Hester himself, he will be only returning kicks “every now and then” this season and that it’ll all depend on “how the game is going.” Hester makes it sound like he’ll be focusing more on being a receiver than a returner this season and, given that the Bears signed Devin Thomas and Eric Weems, who are able to return kicks at a high level, this offseason, it makes sense. However, the Bears have seemingly had high expectations for Hester offensively over the past few offseasons and Hester has always ended up focusing more on being the record breaking return man he is rather than the marginal receiver he is.

There was also a contrasting report earlier this offseason that Hester’s offensive snaps would be limited this season. We’ll have to see how this all plays out in Training Camp and in the preseason. Hester has to compete with Earl Bennett and Alshon Jeffery for snaps opposite Brandon Marshall. The Bears would be best off starting Jeffery, a 2^nd round pick, opposite Brandon Marshall, lining Bennett up in the slot where he’s best and making Hester the 4^th receiver who comes in for special packages and allowing him to focus on the thing he does better than arguably anyone who has ever played the game. I don’t understand why they don’t just let him do that.

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Matt Forte is one of the few still unsigned franchise players out there. Today he made it clear that is he “definitely” not looking to be the league’s highest paid running back, just to “be given a contract” where he is paid “among some of the top running backs.” That might be a shot at Ray Rice, another unsigned franchise player who reportedly wants Adrian Peterson money, which would make him the league’s highest paid back.

Forte definitely deserves to be paid among the league’s best running backs, which is what he is. LeSean McCoy, Arian Foster, DeAngelo Williams, Chris Johnson, and Marshawn Lynch all have gotten deals worth about 7-9 million per year over 4-5 years over the last calendar year and Forte likely wants to join that club.

However, the Bears are playing major hardball with him, signing Michael Bush to a 4 year deal to potentially replace him if necessary and saying they are concerned about Forte’s knees holding up. There is some contact between the two sides, but unlike Rice and the Ravens, a deal does not appear imminent.

For what it’s worth, Jay Cutler expects Matt Forte to sign his tender by Training Camp and be there regardless of whether or not he’s gotten his deal. He might have to play out the season on the 7.7 million dollar franchise tender and put the pressure on the Bears next offseason with another good year. He’d be a free agent again next offseason and would be owed 9-10 million if franchised again thanks to league rules. He probably doesn’t want to have to prove himself again this season though.

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According to the Kansas City Star, the Chiefs’ medical staff will examine Jamaal Charles, Tony Moeaki, and Eric Berry on June 18^th. That trio all tore their ACLs early last season and the Chiefs want to be cautious. Charles and Berry will probably be cleared fully for Training Camp on that date, though Moeaki is not so sure of a thing. He has a detailed injury history. Having that trio healthy for week 1 would go a long way towards helping the Chiefs get back to the playoff after missing it last season.

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Andre Carter was a one year signing for the Patriots last offseason and he worked out very well, managing 10 sacks, despite tearing his quad in December and landing on IR. That torn quad injury, as well as his age, 33, has left Carter still on the open market without a suitor. Even though he is still not 100%, Carter has been working out for the Patriots and with team doctors as they try to evaluate whether or not he has anything left.

Carter was incredibly productive in New England’s system last year. They could still sign him, even though they have solid depth at defensive end with Trevor Scott coming in as a free agent, as well as two rookies, Chandler Jones and Jake Bequette, an incumbent Brandon Deaderick, who can play defensive end and defensive tackle, as well as two linebackers, Dont’a Hightower and Rob Ninkovich who can play there.

His age and his injury history are major red flags, but there’s really no hurt for the Patriots to bring him into camp and have him compete for a roster spot. They love using many different front 7 players and Carter was good enough last season to suggest he could still have something to offer this season. If the Patriots don’t offer him a contract, it’s unclear who will. There’s a slight chance Carter could be done at age 33.

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The Steelers aren’t close to a new deal with restricted free agent Mike Wallace and he is not expected to attend mandatory minicamp later this month. However, the Steelers are committed to doing a long term deal with him and are reportedly highly unlikely to decrease Mike Wallace’s tender, something they can do on June 15^th. They have the right to decrease his tender from 2.742 million to 577 thousand, but they won’t do that, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, because they feel that would be damaging to long term talks and don’t want to slap their #1 receiver in the face like that.

Mike Wallace said earlier this offseason that he was looking for Larry Fitzgerald money. Fitzgerald got 120 million over 8 years last offseason and in the time since Wallace asked for that type of money, Calvin Johnson got 132 million over 7 years. However, the Steelers probably don’t have the cap to do that type of deal even if they wanted to.

If he wants a long term deal, he’ll probably have to settle for Vincent Jackson type money (5 years, 55.5 million) or wait until next offseason when he can hit the open market, unless the Steelers franchise him at what would probably be around 9.5-10 million. Wallace doesn’t have a lot of leverage, but it’s good news for him that the Steelers are very interested in doing a long term deal with him and that they will not slash his salary.

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When the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Aaron Kampman in the 2010 offseason for 24 million over 4 years with 11 million dollars guaranteed, it looked like they were getting a steal. Kampman was just one year removed from being one of the league’s most feared pass rushers, with 37 sacks from 2006-2008. The only reason he was so cheap on the open market was because he was coming off a down year in Green Bay’s 3-4 (Jacksonville runs a 4-3, which Kampman had all of his production in from 2006-2008) and because he was coming off a torn ACL.

However, even though that ACL tear was the first major knee injury of Kampman’s career, he just couldn’t shake his leg injuries as a Jaguar. Injuries limited him to 4 sacks in 8 games in 2010 and caused him to miss the entirety of the 2011 season. The Jaguars cut him today, essentially admitting that he was 11 million dollars down the drain.

This move has been predicted for months as Kampman was owed 5 million in 2012. When the Jaguars used a 2^nd round pick on Andre Branch to play opposite Jeremy Mincey, who broke out last season, it sealed Kampman’s fate. At 33 years old in November, Kampman might not find a suitor on the open market and he certainly won’t unless he can prove his knee has anything left.

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Adrian Peterson, who tore his ACL last December, has remained very optimistic throughout his recovery and is insisting he’ll be fine for week 1, a recovery that would not be unprecedented since Wes Welker did it in less time. However, the Vikings’ coaching staff is not so certain. Head Coach Leslie Frazier says that backup Toby Gerhart has a “very good chance” to carry the load early on.

As much as Peterson wants to be out there week 1, it would probably be in the Vikings’ best interest to wait a bit on him. They probably won’t contend this year anyway and they don’t want to rush Peterson back. In Welker’s first season back from his ACL tear, he had his worst season as a Patriot. Besides, Gerhart is no slouch himself.

He is a former 2^nd round pick who rushed for 413 yards and a touchdown on 85 carries in his last 6 games last year. He has legitimate fantasy upside because it sounds like Adrian Peterson could easily start the season on the PUP. As for Peterson, he’ll be overdrafted. Even if he’s out there week 1, he won’t be his normal self and could lose carries to Gerhart anyway.

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There’s been talk of them doing so since the draft, but the Chargers signed a veteran running back today, signing Ronnie Brown, 31 in December, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles. This signing is hardly an indictment against Ryan Mathews, who the coaching staff has been talking up as a feature back all offseason. Brown carried the ball just 42 times last season behind another elite feature back, LeSean McCoy, and he wasn’t very successful in that role anyway, managing just 136 yards and a touchdown on 3.2 YPC.

This is more of an indictment on their confidence in someone like Curtis Brinkley, Edwin Baker, or Le’Ron McClain carrying the load if Mathews gets hurt. As long as Mathews is healthy, Brown figures to see no more than 3-5 touches per game, at best. At the same time, if he shows nothing in camp, Brown might not make the final 53.

Mathews still figures to get 300+ carries should he play all 16 games. He’s also projected to catch a lot of passes and score a lot of touchdowns in San Diego’s explosive offense with Mike Tolbert signing in Carolina. In fact, the fact that the Chargers signed a back like Ronnie Brown, not someone who had an impact somewhere last year like Cedric Benson or Ryan Grant.

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