State of Ram's Receivers

The season is over and the offseason is just a few playoff games away.  The Rams have solidified their number one pick.  The Rams should either take Suh or a QB with the number one overall pick.  But that’s not what I’m going to talk about here.  I’m looking at what the Rams have in two important positions for our passing game: Wide Receiver and Tight End. 

Wide Receivers:

First of all, we do not need a receiver in this year’s draft.  There are several reasons for this which I will discuss later. (See Laurent Robinson).   I think a good receiving corps needs a good #1 receiver, a good route running possession receiver, and a good deep threat.  Let’s look at what we have:

Donnie Avery: Donnie Avery has proven to be a deep threat, but he is also very fragile.  If he has a reliable #1 across from him keeping the attention off of him, he could make some big plays for us.  He still had 5 TDs this year without one.  He also had a good season opposite Torry Holt.  Minor injuries have slowed him throughout the seasons too.

Laurent Robinson:  What would have been his first full season as a starter and a Ram was cut very short by injury.  The few weeks he did play he looked pretty good.  He could prove to be a reliable number one target.  6’2’’ 200 lbs. and runs a 4.38 40.  Has shown solid hands and ability to get open.  He could develop into the number 1 we need.   That is a reason why we shouldn’t draft a WR early in this draft, or at all really.  Next year will also be stacked with #1 Receivers in the draft and if Robinson hasn’t proven he can be the guy by then, then we can move on and use a 1st or 2nd rounder on one. 

Brandon Gibson: Brandon Gibson has shown some promise.  He is still pretty much an unknown.  He was Bulger’s favorite target in the few weeks when Bulger was starting to get into a rhythm and showed good hands.  He could develop into the route runner we need, but hasn’t shown much other than a game or two.  That route-runner could also be:

Brooks Foster: Very much an unknown.  Injured and put on IR before the season even began, so was never really seen.  From his scouting report, he is agile and an effective route runner.  I have confidence in this regime’s ability to draft, so I’m hoping he is good.  He could be competing for a 3rd WR spot.  Both Gibson and Foster can improve with a full season under their belt.  Foster didn’t play but he’ll still have the advantage of working with the coaches all offseason once he’s healthy.

Danny Amendola: Amendola has proven to be a very reliable return man and a decent slot receiver.  I think he has earned a roster spot on the team next year.  We all pretty much know exactly what we have in him.

Summary: I think all of the above receivers will be on the roster next year unless we end up with a Brandon Marshall or Vincent Jackson which is very unlikely, especially it is an uncapped year.  And Marshall, Jackson, Edwards, and Austin will all be able to be cheaply tendered and kept on their team.

If it is uncapped a trade might be possible for Marshall but would likely be too hefty a price for us, being so far away from competing, and we likely couldn’t afford the loss of draft picks.  We could already have what we need for next year if we can stay healthy.  Robinson for #1 receiver/possession type, Avery Speed/Deep threat, Gibson/Foster route running/possession type,  andAmendola as a kick returner and slot type receiver.  I think the remaining receivers on the roster will be gone next season.  And they are:

Receivers that most likely don’t factor into next year: Keenan Burton, Ruvell Martin, Jordan Kent.  The only one that might be on the roster is Burton, but I don’t think he fits in with this group.

Tight End:

I’ll throw this in with WR because they are somewhat related and it is short.

Daniel Fells: Fells has been decent this year, and has been somewhat reliable in the passing game, but I don’t think he good enough to be a very reliable pass catcher.  This is why TE is a big need for us.  Fells is okay for a while if we decide to fill other needs first, but I’d rather go after someone like Fred Davis or Jermaine Gresham.  But both may be unrealistic due to other needs or availability.

Billy Bajema: Strictly a blocking tight end for the most part.  He is not going to give us much other than a few catches here and there just like this year.

Randy McMichael: Once was the tight end we need.  That was a while ago when he was in his prime.  Now he is an aging veteran who seems to have lost his hands.  Probably won’t be a Ram next season.

Summary: We have Fells and Bajema but neither are what we need.  Tony Scheffler would be a name to watch as he is in the same boat as Marshall, but would be cheaper.  He is a big, athletic tight end and has had some success in past seasons.  Hopefully we can get one of Davis, Gresham, or Scheffler, I’m thinking Scheffler is the most logical choice.

These are two important positions for the success of our passing game.  QB is the biggest problem, but once that is solved, these need to be figured out.  For now, we need to add a TE, and I’m hoping for Scheffler and see how the current WRs develop.

Thoughts?