Rams Cornerback Cortland Finnegan Could Be A Salary Cap Casualty

'Tis the season where no NFL veteran is truly safe, especially if they carry a hefty price tag. Before the 2012 season, the St. Louis Rams and then-new head coach Jeff Fisher brought a familiar face to the club via free agency in former Titans Cortland Finnegan. Though he signed a rather eye-popping contract, the move was largely viewed as a good one because of the need at the position for the Rams.

The 2012 year ended up being one of Finnegan's best in his career. He logged the second-most interceptions in his career, the most overall tackles in his career and added a sack, forced fumble and touchdown to the resume. Unfortunately, the 2013 season didn't go nearly as well. He was placed on Injured Reserve after just seven games and murmurs began to be created about his future--especially since he just turned 30 years old.

Reports recently surfaced that Finnegan could be a salary cap cut given his 2013 performance and his $10 million cap hit this season. Some believe that he could end up staying with the Rams if he takes a big pay cut, but that might not actually happen. St. Louis could save $9 million in space by designating Finnegan as a June 1st cut. It might be a necessary move for a team that has just $2 million in space, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.

From a Bengals perspective, if Finnegan hits the free agent market, he could be attractive. He's younger than both of last year's starters for much of the season in Terence Newman and Adam Jones, and he definitely brings an intensity to a defensive unit. The Bengals have recently preferred to look at veteran band-aids at the position, so in that regard Finnegan could be had a good price and might bolster a weak position group.

On the other hand, the Bengals should look at getting younger and more athletic at the position this year. They need to solidify the group for the future and 30-year old defensive backs don't necessarily bring long-term plans.