The Rams just lost one of their leading defensive playmakers, as safety O.J. Atogwe is now set to become a free agent. The team neglected to upgrade his tender offer to $6.976 million and now he’s free to sign with any team he wants.

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

In a surprise move just before the start of free agency in March, the Rams tendered Atogwe, then a restricted free agent, at the lowest possible level — $1,226,000. At that level, they would have had the right of first refusal had Atogwe received an offer from another club but would not have received draft-pick compensation if the Rams chose to not match that offer.

The deadline for outside offers was April 15, and Atogwe received none. After that date, the Rams were obligated to pay Atogwe the higher tender amount to retain him for another season or work out a new contract, presumably a long-team deal.

Negotiations on such an agreement continued Tuesday until the deadline arrived. Landphere did not return phone messages Tuesday, and Atogwe could not be reached to comment.

Coming off surgery for a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the last four games of the 2009 season, Atogwe did not participate in the team’s offseason conditioning program. He also has not been present during the organized team activities under way at Rams Park.

The Lions, Vikings, Dolphins, Jaguars and even Cowboys might show interest in Atogwe now that he’s a free agent. The Bears were once rumored to be interested, but after drafting Major Wright in the third round and trading for Chris Harris (Panthers), Chicago is no longer in the market for a safety.

Atogwe could still return to the Rams, but it’s clear they didn’t want to pay him close to $7 million and why would they? He’s coming off a major injury and was an average player when he was healthy. That’s not to say he’s a bad player, but teams have to weigh the risk versus the reward when signing a free agent. That’s just common practice.

It’ll be interesting to see where he winds up because more than likely, he’ll upgrade whatever secondary he goes to.

Mike Tanier of the New York Times must have been hitting the sauce the past couple days, because he’s suggesting that the Rams will be one of the NFL’s surprise teams in 2009.

It turns out that Spagnuolo isn’t the only reason for optimism in St. Louis. Many statistical indicators suggest that the Rams are close to rising again. One is their fumble recovery percentage: the Rams forced 17 fumbles last year but recovered just 5, a sign that with better luck and a dose of Spagnuolo’s coaching, their defense will create a few more turnovers.

The Rams were one of the worst teams in the league in red zone running, and it takes only a slight improvement in that area to make a big difference on the scoreboard. The Rams lost many of their starters to injuries in 2008 and can get better just by getting healthier.

One other major factor works in the Rams’ favor: their division. The Seahawks are rebuilding. The 49ers haven’t had a winning season since 2002. The Cardinals won the conference, but they are no powerhouse. With a few slight improvements, the Rams could easily go 4-2 or 5-1 against the N.F.C. West. Those wins alone would give them their best record in three years!

I like the direction of this team under Spagnuolo more than I do Scott Linehan, but this is still a bad football team, even in a weak division.

Steven Jackson is a beast, but the Rams’ offensive line is brutal (remember that Jason Smith hasn’t taken a snap in the NFL yet) and Marc Bulger checked out years ago. He plays with zero passion and even if he were into the games, the offensive line will get him stomped anyway. The defense has some nice young pieces to build around in Chris Long, Ron Bartell, Adam Carriker and James Laurinaitis, but there are still a ton of holes on that side of the ball, too.

Will the Rams be improved in ’09? Maybe. Will they be a sleeper? Pass me whatever Tainer is drinking and I’ll let you know.

The St. Louis Rams might be willing to part with long-time veterans Orlando Pace and Torry Holt this offseason.

That bring us to Holt and Pace. The Rams would free up $8 million of cap space by cutting or trading Holt by June 1. They’d save $6 million by cutting or trading Pace by June 1.

So in essence, the Rams would double their cap room — from $14 million to $28 million — by dispatching Pace and Holt. These would not be easy decisions. Pace and Holt have been to seven Pro Bowls a piece. They were mainstays of the Greatest Show on Turf squads. They have conducted themselves in exemplary fashion on and off the field in St. Louis.

But with the arrival of Spagnuolo, the franchise is two coaching tenures removed from the “glory days” of Rams football. Will the wave of change sweeping over Rams Park extend to Pace and Holt — a pair of Hall of Fame candidates?

League sources told the Post-Dispatch that an NFL club — believed to be Tennessee — was offering a first-round pick for Holt before the trading deadline last fall. The Rams decided against making the trade, the source said.

It must be tough for a team to part with franchise-type players, but all good things must come to an end. The Rams need to turn a new leaf and what better way then to hire a new head coach and part with some of the aging veterans? These guys can’t play forever and as sad as it would be for some St. Louis fans not to see Pace and Holt in Ram uniforms next year, it’s an inevitable process. This team needs a new core group of players.