Rams meeting with C/G LeCharles Bentley

According to the Post-Dispatch, former Saints center and Cleveland free agent bust C/G LeCharles Bentley will be in St. Louis today for a physical and a meeting with St. Louis Rams team officials.

If he's healthy, as we've mentioned here before, he would give the Rams quality depth in the middle, and may even compete for a starting gig given his resume. He hasn't played in the last two seasons because of major knee surgery.

What if? The Rams aren't exactly deep at center. They've got Romberg and Leckey and further behind them, Donovan Raiola, who's yet to see NFL action. Despite losing Mark Setterstrom, the Rams have better depth at guard, but that depth is primarily rookie John Greco and Roy Schuening. Greco's looked good through early returns in camp at guard. If the Rams did sign Bentley, I wonder if Greco would get some looks at tackle, at least in practice. Schuening has skills, but right now looks headed to the practice squad, where a smart team will grab him.

Putting Bentley in the mix at guard would allow the Rams to use Richie Incognito at OT, where he filled in some, quite admirably, in 2006. If Bentley, 28, can play at the level that got him to the Pro Bowl in 2005, then you'd have to assume he'd be a starter here. The only question is who he might replace on the line, either Leckey/Romberg or Incognito. Given that the Rams have made Incognito a starter on the o-line for this season since early summer (when they said he was the starting center), I'd say Bentley would become the Rams new starting center. He's been to the Pro Bowl as both a guard (2003) and center (2005).