THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Rams had what general manager Les Snead described as "productive talks" with Aaron Donald's CAA-based representatives at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, specifically because they were able to agree on a timeline for a potential extension.

"Obviously, they represent other players, and coming into this weekend, they're juggling a lot of things too," Snead said from Rams headquarters on Wednesday, the first day of the new league year, shortly after introducing Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters as the team's new starting cornerbacks. "We came up with a nice timeline that we're going to work with, and we'll get to work and try to hammer this thing out. The theme will always be that we want Aaron to be a Ram a long time."

Donald, who held out so long last summer that he missed the regular-season opener, is heading into the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, set to pay him $6.89 million. The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year instead seeks an extension that would make him the game's highest-paid defensive player and potentially put him among the top earners at any position, including quarterbacks.

But the Rams have other business to take care of first. They previously made four significant trades -- adding Talib and Peters, parting with Alec Ogletree and Robert Quinn -- but didn't add anybody on the first day of free agency. The Rams are still in desperate need of players who can rush the quarterback and stop the run, and Snead said he is "definitely" confident that he can find fits on the free-agent market, even though most of the best available assets are off the board.

The Rams are expected to cut ties with receiver Tavon Austin by end of day on Thursday, either via trade or release. That would give the Rams roughly $30 million in cap space, though a significant portion of that would have to be set aside in anticipation for Donald's extension.

Snead said he is in talks with the agents for center John Sullivan, 32, and outside linebacker Connor Barwin, 31, both of whom the Rams are interested in retaining. Barwin could rotate with Samson Ebukam at one of the outside linebacker spots, but the Rams still have to replace Quinn on the other side and Ogletree inside. They're weighing what's still available in free agency with what could be available in the draft, while cognizant that waiting on the draft can be a risky proposition.

"I think the best way to do it is to not have a need screaming at you in the draft," Snead said, "because unless you’re very disciplined, that can cause you to to reach and maybe pick a player [who isn't good enough] or pass on a really good player."

The Rams lost a really good player early on Tuesday, when wide receiver Sammy Watkins signed a three-year, $48 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs that guaranteed him $30 million. Rams head coach and offensive playcaller Sean McVay admitted that it's "going to be hard" to replicate what Watkins' explosiveness and athleticism brought to his offense, even though his 593 receiving yards didn't jump off the page.

"That’s something that we’re trying to figure out now," McVay said. "I don’t necessarily think you do that with one player; I think it’ll be kind of by committee."

Barring an outside move, the Rams are expected to rely heavily on Josh Reynolds, a fourth-round pick last spring out of Texas A&M, to replicate the vertical presence Watkins brought last season. The same can be said about filling the Ogletree void with Cory Littleton, an undrafted free agent who shined on special teams in 2017.

The Rams eventually want to lock up safety Lamarcus Joyner, who said Wednesday that he is "at a good place" with the franchise tag and is hoping to sign a long-term deal. They also might look to extend an offensive lineman or two, with right tackle Rob Havenstein, right guard Jamon Brown and left guard Rodger Saffold scheduled to be unrestricted free agents next offseason.

But Donald's presence once again looms over all of them.

Soon, the Rams will begin their offseason program, and Donald might not show up if his contract is still up in the air. The hope is that his absence doesn't extend into another training camp.

"Until the issue is fully resolved, you never know exactly how it’s going to play out," McVay said. "What I do feel better about is the personal relationship that Aaron and I have now established, having been together over a year. I think one of the things that was unique to that is when he holds out [last year], when he’s not taking part in the offseason programs or in training camp, there’s no personal rapport that prior to that even existed. So, it was a lot easier for him to ignore my texts. Now, I think it’ll be a little bit more difficult. I can be more persistent.”