The St. Louis Rams signed their new starting strongside linebacker today, making Brady Poppinga their latest free agent addition. Poppinga comes from Green Bay, where he was a fourth-round pick in 2005. So what does Poppinga bring to the Rams roster?
A big, physical run defender. Poppinga was a popular player in Green Bay, but miscast in their 3-4 defense. He really didn't play much during his last two years in Green Bay, and spent most of last year on IR with a knee injury. (Have the Rams discovered some sort of alien technology for fixing human knees?) He's a guy coaches love, for better or worse, because of his leadership and tenacious mentality as a player, even if that doesn't alway match his ability level.
Poppinga won't be guaranteed a starting job. He'll have competition from David Vobora and Na'il Diggs for the role on the strongside. This move either signals the end of Diggs or Vobora on the roster. Vobora is a holdover from the previous regime; Diggs is another older player coming off a serious injury. Flip a coin. Man, what does David Vobora have to do get a starting job? Or is Vobora one of those guys, a la John Greco, that fans value more than he's worth? Either way, we'll see what happens.