The Rams have a lot of holes and in my mind they are at the following positions: WR, OT, OG, C, DT, OLB, and CB. Obviously the draft will address most of these but you can't get these many things fixed in one draft and some positional needs are going to be valued by the coaching staff and front office higher then others, so here are free agents at all positions that I would like that the Rams will have a some what reasonable chance at. So lets start with some help for arguably our best defensive star. Lets look at Outside Linebackers.
Erin Henderson, Minnesota Vikings.
This is probably one of the longer shots since his brother E.J. plays for the Vikings and doesn't seem to be going anywhere soon, but Erin might want to separate himself from his brother and make a name for himself. At only 26 years old he wouldn't be an over the hill line backer like that other one we got from the Vikings.
Manny Lawson. Cincinnati Bengals.
Lawson the former 49er had a pretty good season with the Bengals who only signed him to a one year 3 million dollar contract last season. He isn't any thing groundbreaking but is pretty good strong side backer. Picking him up would be a big improvement for us at OLB but then again that isn't saying much.
Rocky McIntosh. Washington Redskins.
Rocky is better suited in a 4-3 than the 3-4 that the Skins run so it would make sense to sign him. He's 29 years old so he should have quite a bit left in the tank.
Wide Receiver Options
Probably the most talked about of needs. Will we get Blackmon in the draft? Will we resign Lloyd? Is Vincent Jackson a likely option? There are a lot of questions about this and here are the free agents. I am going to talk about a few of the less brought up free agents so don't expect VJ or Colston here.
DeSean Jackson. Philadelphia Eagles.
I can fly!
The DeSean bandwagon seems to have come to a halt as of late. Many say he hasn't been as effective since his second concussion from the Texans game. Some say he's overrated and drops too many passes and that he's also a one trick pony with a bad attitude, but DeSean is also a fast deep threat and one of the most dangerous players in the league. In my opinion he is easily the riskiest free agent wide receiver but great risks can bring great rewards.
Plaxico Burress. New York Jets.
Mo money mo problems.
via blog.ctnews.com
I'm sorry I just couldn't resist. Resident Nostradamus and overall nutcase Jswrib would approve of this move greatly. Plaxico didn't do much with the Jets other than briskly jog into the end zone so he could high point wildly inaccurate passes from a young latino boy who had a 16 year old girl friend and that the Jets hired from a taco stand outside the stadium. At the very least Plaxico can teach the team about proper gun safety.
Steve Johnson. Buffalo Bills.
He has a problem with mental toughness and dropping the ball but his production can not be denied. Not much to say about Steve that hasn't all ready been said.
Defensive Tackle Options
This is a huge hole since our best DT is Justin Bannan. Something is wrong when that is the case. So let's look at what's out there.
Jason Jones. Tennessee Titans.
via www.soraspy.com
The transition to defensive end for Jason Jones has been a rough one. Jones was great as a DT in the Washburn wide 9 and St.Louis is considered a prime landing place for the young talented player.
Brodrick Bunkley. Denver Broncos.
Brodrick Bunkley stares blankly into your soul. He has no opinion.
via trialx.com
Bunkley is currently playing in a 3-4 D but did play in a 4-3 with the Eagles and is a good run stuffer but a good pass rusher he is not. The 4-3 DT market is pretty unimpressive. Mostly rotational guys so this ends the defensive tackle segment a bit short.
Corner Back Options
I have never seen such an amazing amount of injuries at one position for a team. I hope Ron Bartell and Fletcher don't lose a step when they come back but let's look at the options.
Cortland Finnegan. Tennessee Titans.
Sit Rusty Smith back on the bench. I got this shit.
Say what you will about the guy "He's a dirty player, He looks like a chia pet, I had money on Andre." It doesn't matter because he can play and at least he has the skills to back up what he says and does. He may strive to be the dirtiest player in the league but I don't have a problem with it.
Jason Allen. Houston Texans.
via ww3.hdnux.com
Allen probably ins't well known but I need 3 corners damn it! The completion percentage against Allen was 50.6 percent last year.
Tracy Porter. New Orleans Saints.
Normally I wouldn't want anything to do with anybody involved with the Saints' secondary but Porter is young and has done well for himself.
Center Options
Jason Brown is not a center and neither is Wraggle. Time to find one.
Samson Satele. Oakland Raiders.
He missed one game last season with a concussion. The guy's a center. That is all.
There are more centers but they are either on the verge of retirement or aren't going any where. I think the Center for the Falcons has a cool name. Todd McClure. You may remember him from such films as Todd McClure versus the murderous care bears from treasure island. I'm just rambling at this point. Are you still reading this? Next position.
Guard Options
Dahl is going to go back to guard but who is on the opposite side of him? Jacob Bell? No thanks.
Ben Grubbs. Baltimore Ravens.
I see Carl Nicks being retained by the Saints so the next best option is Grubbs. He is considered a better run blocker then a pass blocker.
Evan Mathis. Philadelphia Eagles.
via media.philly.com
Mathis was great with Howard Mudd and the Eagles as he gave up zero sacks. He is known for being often injured but played a full season this year.
Jeremy Zuttah. Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Zuttah is pretty flexible as he can play center and guard. He is also young (26).
Offensive Tackle Options.
Arguably the biggest need for the Rams. Let's see what we can get.
Jared Gaither. San Diego Chargers.
Not a lot of Charger pictures of him. Gaither has bounced around the league a bit due to a lot of injures but did very well after coming in for Marcus McNeil who went on IR late in the season. The cutting of McNeil could be a sign that the Chargers want to commit to Gaither but I think it's more of a sign that they want to resign McNeil but at a cheaper price.
Demetrius Bell. Buffalo Bills.
via rayonsports.com
Karl Malone's son let up only one sack in his six starts last season. He plays on the right side so this could complicate things with Saffold and where he plays.
Jeff Backus. Detroit Lions.
Infamous for false starts and known by Detroit Lions fans as a pro bowler the 34 year old tackle will probably retire a lion but he is a free agent so who knows.
Opinions anyone?
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