The Rams cut linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar on Tuesday, a move that was easy to see as the other shoe dropping after coach Jeff Fisher slammed Dunbar as “selfish” in the wake of the announcement of his four-game suspension for violating the league policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
Dunbar’s unavailability for the first four weeks likely played a role, but the door slammed behind Dunbar as he left might be opened again in the future. Fisher said Wednesday that “of course” there was a possibility that Dunbar could return to the team in the future.
“We haven’t said this is it as far as his future is concerned here,” Fisher said, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.
If Dunbar’s suspension wasn’t the sole cause for his suspension, his salary might have played a role. The Rams and all the other teams in the league now have to be in compliance with the cap when counting the base salaries of every player on the roster, not just the top 51 salaries that are used throughout the offseason. Cutting Dunbar, who was expected to be a starter and was a key part of the team’s run defense in 2012, now and bringing him back at a later date could be how the Rams chose to give themselves some breathing room.