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It's the offseason, and the Rams need to improve. However, it's hard to improve when you only have around 10 million dollars of cap room for the season, and the Rams have 17 free agents ( one isn't mentioned here because he didn't get a snap),
So I decided to list the free agents and decide if the Rams should re-sign them or let them go. Obviously the Rams can't re-sign all of these players, but the ones they do re-sign will be just as important as any other free agent that they could pay for.
Danny Amendola WR- 4 years, PFF rating 13.0, 524 snaps
Danny Amendola is the biggest name on this list, and will give the team their hardest decision. Is he a great player? Yes, there's a good chance he will be the best slot receiver, and among the top 15 WRs in the future.
Health is his main issue. He suffered a bad injury last year, and a couple of injuries this year. Coming back from his last injury, he wasn't as productive as he was pre-injury. After the 49ers game, he grabbed 20 catches and only 169 yards. and 1 touchdown. In one of those games, he caught 2 balls for 5 yards, and in another he only had 1 catch for 38 yards.
Should the Rams re-sign Danny? Yes, hopefully at a hometown discount.
William Hayes D-Line- 5 years- PFF rating 12.0, 378 snaps
One of the biggest surprises this season was Hayes. Who knew that rotational defensive linemen could make plays? Hayes sacked the opposing quarterbacks seven times and notched up 11 QB hurries on only 378 snaps. It's hard to determine what he would do if he were a starter. As a backup, he's almost as good as Kendall Langford and Michael Brockers, but he sacked the QB more times than either of those players individually.
Should the Rams re-sign William? He might command a pretty good salary, but Hayes is worth it. They should be able to find a contract that will make both parties happy.
Steven Jackson- RB- 9 years- PFF rating 9.3, 733 snaps
Steven Jackson is the heart and soul of the Rams. A man of men, a leader for not just the offense, but for the whole team. He started off the season cold, but then went back to the Steven Jackson of old. Technically, he's not a free agent, but he does have the option to opt out of his deal this season.
The Rams would benefit from having Steven Jackson on the roster to help the young running backs they drafted last season. But... He is getting up there in age, and his salary could be used to help fill the holes on the team.
Will the Rams keep Steven? It's tough one. He's not worth 7 million dollars next season. The Rams will have to do something about that if he comes back. If not, they can call his leaving a mutual decision, and draft a running back late - or add a veteran - and hand the team off to Sam Bradford.
Brandon Gibson- WR- 4 years- PFF rating 6.6, 794 snaps
Gibson is a solid receiver. This season was much better for him than in previous years. The one thing I can say about Gibson is that he stays healthy and has a good attribute. The bad thing is that he doesn't constantly impact games. Granted, he has made some big plays, and even a few clutch catches. But the fact that he went a couple of games without doing anything says something. I think he will be a good complimentary receiver.
Should the Rams keep Brandon? Yes, he will be cheaper than Amendola and can be counted on to stay healthy for 16 games.
Bradley Fletcher- CB- 4 years- PFF rating 3.8, 374 snaps
Once known as one of the best up and comers at corner back, Fletcher will be looking for another job this off-season. Fletcher hasn't played bad this season, well..... besides that awful Patriots game. Basically, Fletcher is a victim of the team having three new corners. There's no doubt that if he can start at least 12 games a season, a team will be vary happy with him.
Should the Rams bring back Fletcher? Yes, but that's not in the cards.
Barry Richardson- RT- 5 years- PFF rating 2.1, 1081 snaps
Barry Richardson isn't the second coming of Orlando Pace. In fact, he was one of the weak links on the offensive line. Granting him the fact that in the last quarter of the season he was a better player, it's hard to forget the other games. I wouldn't say that Barry was a solid player last season. I would rank him 5th out of the 5 starting linemen on the team.
Should the Rams re-sign Barry? As a last resort, and only if the Rams can't find a replacement for him.
Darian Stewart-S- 3 years (RFA)- PFF rating 0.1, 82 snaps
Who didn't think Darian would be the starter heading into this season? He was better then Dahl last season. Instead, he rode the bench for most of the 2012 season, getting only getting 82 snaps. Was it a mistake to bench Darian? It couldn't be, because Jeff Fisher started Craig Dahl all season instead of him.
Should the Rams keep Darian? No, let him play in New Orleans.
Kellen Clemens- QB- 7 years- PFF rating -.8, 8 snaps
He didn't do anything to write home about this season, so I won't write about him at all.
Should the Rams Re-sign Kellen? Yes, backup QB's are cheap. Austin Davis is a good young talent, but if Sam goes down, it might be good to have Kellen back for a year or two.
Robert Turner- OL- 5 years- PFF rating -1.7, 1084 snaps
Turner was the left guard this season, but for the majority of the season he was Scott Wells replacement when he was hurt. In those games he surprised, and was one of the best centers in the league. Sam Bradford was probably surprised also. Then Well's came back and Turner became just another guy at guard.
Turner is a solid pass blocker, but as a run blocker he's not good enough to play guard. Maybe another year will give him enough experience to be a solid player, while the Rams plug holes elsewhere.
Should the Rams re-sign Turner? Yes - most likely, teams won't be interested in him. Give him a fair deal and bring Turner back.
Justin Cole- LB- 3 years (RFA)- PFF rating -2.0, 15 snaps
I really don't remember him playing.
Should the Rams re-sign Cole? Sure why not, give him a cheap contract, maybe he can play special teams
Jermelle Cudjo -DL- 3 years (RFA)- PFF rating -2.9, 351 snaps
There were expectations that Cudjo could develop into a solid rotational guy, he didn't. He was replaced with Hayes and as a depth player, most likely won't bring anything to the 2013 team.
Should the Rams re-sign Cudjo? No.
Steve Smith WR- 6 years- PFF rating -3.2, 182 snaps
Let's make a short story really short - he won't be back. He couldn't even be a role player for an offense when it really needed help.
Should the Rams re-sign S.Smith? NO!!
Chris Williams OL- 5 years- PFF rating -3.4, 88 snaps
Not much to say about Williams, and I won't stretch this out by writing pointless stuff about him.
Should the Rams Re-sign Williams? No
Mario Haggan LB- 10 years PFF rating -3.9, 78 snaps
An old veteran who didn't make an impact here.
Should the Rams re-sign Haggan? No
Craig Dahl S- 6 years PFF rating -6.1, 1061 snaps
Let's talk about Dahl for a second. He wasn't put in the best of situations last season. He's more of an in the box, or close to the line of scrimmage player. However, he played deep, and that's what hurt him. You don't want Dahl to be the last line of defense. He's not very athletic, and he doesn't play the ball that well when it's in the air.
Should the Rams keep Craig? Yes. This decisions won't be popular, but the Rams could bring him in cheap, and have him as a back up safety.
Rocky McIntosh LB- 7 years PFF rating -8.4, 456 snaps
Rocky was a semi-popular name, so I expected more out of him. He made a play or two that I can remember, but I'm sure he's the reason that the Rams went with 2 linebackers a lot.
Should the Rams keep Rocky? Even though he has a cool name, he has to go. No.