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The St. Louis Rams have a visit scheduled with New York Jets free agent tight end Matthew Mulligan, according to Jenny Vrentas of the Newark Star Ledger.
After spending big to sign marquee free agents like Cortland Finnegan and Scott Wells, the Rams will now turn their attention to finding the role players needed to round out their roster. Mulligan is a blocking tight end. He would replace Billy Bajema who is an unrestricted free agent this year.
Bajema had a woeful -14.6 grade from Pro Football Focus for run blocking and a -3.2 as a pass blocker. Mulligan graded out as a 1.9 run blocking and -3.4 as a pass blocker. The year before, Mulligan was a plus in the passing game.
Mulligan also has a visit set up with the San Francisco 49ers, who just beat the Rams in the pursuit of free agent wide receiver Mario Manningham. A connection to Brian Schottenheimer from their days together in Jersey might help.
Tight ends will be key for the Rams this year. Getting a giant leap forward from Lance Kendricks might be one of the more important needs for the offense in 2012. Rams nation will watch closely to see if Michael Hoomanawanui can finally stay healthy.