A big day is on the horizon for the St. Louis Rams, and this has nothing to do with a stadium. On March 10 at 4 p.m. Eastern time, free agency begins in the NFL.
The Rams have some tough decisions, as some of the players on the roster that have grown with Coach Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead have improved, but not enough to get Rams to the next level – and that starts with getting to and staying above .500 football.
The unrestricted free agents on offense: Mike Person, Davin Joseph, Kenny Britt, Lance Kendricks, Shaun Hill and Joe Barksdale.
Unrestricted free agents on defense: Alex Carrington, a reserve defense end, and linebacker Will Herring.
Restricted free agents: Austin Davis, Rodney McLeod and Tim Barnes.
Exclusive free agents: Corey Harkey, Chase Reynolds and Brandon Washington.
Do the Rams want to keep any of these guys? Which ones?
I hope they keep Rodney McLeod at least one more season.
Tim Barnes wasn’t bad – matter of fact, he was a pleasant surprise when he had to play center and an upgrade from Scott Wells.
At quarterback in free agency it’s slim pickings, so if it were to come down to Austin Davis or Shaun Hill, flip a coin. Both players went 3-5 and flashed some brilliant play – and then flashed out, showing why they’re backups.
There are also rumors that Kenny Britt wants to stay with the Rams. I hope so. Britt was a pleasant surprise as a constant deep threat after Brian Quick went down with a season-ending shoulder injury. Britt was six catches away from having a 1,000-yard season.
Mike Person did a good job on the offensive line. He’s a good, versatile guy to have playing for you. He was kind of an unsung hero, because that offensive line had a few bad Sundays.
Lance Kendricks wasn’t much of a difference-maker. He had his share of blocking miscues, and drive-killing dropped passes and penalties.
Joe Barksdale may have reached his ceiling. The Rams could do better at right tackle. He sometimes looked like he was on a seven-second tape delay. And then when he turned around, the QB was being lifted off the turf with a spatula.
As for free agents the Rams might want to pursue, they don’t have a lot of money to spend at this moment. There is already talk about Sam Bradford returning next season, so there has to be some sort of tentative agreement in place. It’s not just Sam Bradford’s contract. The Rams have several other very generous contracts that have not resulted in wins.
This is no knock on the players who play hard and have never quit and are committed to winning. But all that nice guy talk has not resulted in victories. Could the Rams have done better? Where is Stone Cold Steve Austin when I need him? Hell, yeah! Just review the win and loss totals.
Look at some of these contracts, for example:
- Chris Long – 4 years, $48 million, $23.5 guaranteed
- James Laurinaitis – 5 years, $41 million, $13.6 guaranteed
- Jake Long – 4 years, $34 million, $12 guaranteed
- Jared Cook – 5 years, $35 million, $16 guaranteed.
And they still owe running back Isiah Pead almost $1 million. I’d really be surprised if he’s not cut. He just wasn’t ready for this level. It’s not like the Rams organization didn’t try to give him the best possibility to grab the starting job at running back.
The Rams have got to spend their money wisely during free agency, because that is just as important as nailing the right draft pick in all seven rounds of the NFL draft. The one guy I’d like the Rams to sign is Mike Iupati, who played guard for the San Francisco 49ers and will be highly sought after. Should the Rams make a play for him and land him, it could really give the Rams more freedom on draft day.
If the Rams want to break the cycle of below mediocrity, they need to start winning in the off-season game. Right now, as usual, they’re trailing.
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