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The St. Louis Rams added a veteran safety to the mix on Friday afternoon. Matt Giodano signed a free agent deal with the club, according to Jim Thomas.
Giordano played in 16 games with the Raiders last season, staring 13. He had two interceptions, five pass breakups and 36 total tackles. Unfortunately, he also missed nine tackles, according to Pro Football Focus, which was the third most on the team. He took his snaps at free safety, and works better in coverage.
A fourth-round pick by the Colts in 2005, Jeff Fisher and Chuck Cecil no doubt have some memories of playing against him from their time in the AFC South. He was mostly a special teams guy and a backup prior to joining the Raiders, because Raiders.
The question now is whether or not Giordano will start with the Rams. Darian Stewart and Rodney McLeod were vying for the other starting safety job, opposite rookie T.J. McDonald. It's quite possible that Giordano could win out in camp. That won't sound very reassuring given the concerns the team has at the position headed into the season.
Undrafted free agent safety Don Unamba was released to make room for Giordano on the roster.
The Rams kicked the tires on several veteran safeties recently. They did the same with a group of linebackers, including former Ram, Will Witherspoon.