Les Snead says Rams plan for Bobby Wagner and Ernest Jones to be on the field together

Les Snead has hit his fair share of home runs in the draft over his 10-years with St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams. One major whiff was expecting Bobby Wagner to drop to the Rams in the late second-round or early third-round of the 2012 NFL draft. Snead discussed that process -- which led to the “Bobby Wagner rule” -- and how the eight-time Pro Bowler will impact Ernest Jones in his sophomore campaign.

Wagner and Ernest Jones will be on the field together

“What we definitely talked through, because we do like Ernest Jones, we sat with Sean and Raheem and the defensive staff and discussed how we could use, let’s call it the defenses and tactics that we could use both of those players on the field.”

Snead added that he’s not a fan of sitting young up-and-coming players for veterans, but this was an obvious situation where the team is better for adding a player of Wagner’s status. Plus, who better to groom Jones than the six-time first team All-Pro?

Wagner’s understanding of angles stood out on tape

“What you can see and feel, he’s a very, let’s call it football smart. We call it ‘geometry instinctive player.’ He has a feel for the angles of the game, the geometry of the game, in run/pass situations, and having the ability to navigate through traffic, chaos, blockers coming at him, and still making a lot of tackles at or near the line of scrimmage.”

It’s all about the angles. Combining that with the film study and experience gives you the active leader in tackles. What an addition to an already talented defense!

Initial reaction following Wagner’s release

“I think it’s ‘oh wow’... Aaron (Donald) and Jalen (Ramsey) reached out to him out to him. I know those players definitely respect Bobby.”

It’s awesome that the Los Angeles’ best players are continuing to recruit other great players that are available. Snead added that the collective benefit of the Rams’ winning culture, living and playing in LA, and SoFi Stadium are attractive aspects in the recruiting process.

The Bobby Wagner rule

“I know we really liked Bobby Wagner. I know coach (Jeff) Fisher really liked Bobby Wagner...I’ve apologized to him a few times over the years for probably, let’s call it ‘mistratigizing’ the Bobby Wagner thing... If you really like a player and you’re going to really, really lose sleep, and toss and turn over losing that player, go ahead and pick that player.”

Snead got to right the wrong of missing out on the future Hall of Famer. I’m glad it worked out the way it did. There’s no better time for Wagner to rock blue and sol than now, especially with Wagner’s cap hit only being $2.5 million in 2022, according to spotrac.com.