Needs Remain for RamsThursday, March 16, 2006
By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer
It has been less than a week since free agency began and the Rams have nearly completed their free agent shopping already.
With the addition of
Will Witherspoon at middle linebacker, La'Roi Glover at defensive tackle, strong safety
Corey Chavous and cornerback Fakhir Brown, St. Louis filled some important holes.
However, many of those holes were newly dug by the loss of the likes of Adam Archuleta, Damione Lewis and Ryan Pickett. While the Rams were still holding out hope that Pickett would accept their standing contract offer, they still have plenty of other needs that must be addressed. Pickett is expected to choose Green Bay, perhaps by the end of the day.
As it stands, St. Louis probably has enough cap room (believed to be around $8-10 million, part of which needs to be saved for signing the draft class), to make another move or two in free agency. After signing Witherspoon, coach Scott Linehan said the team would look to continue to make a couple more additions to bolster the defense.
Even with the addition of Brown since then, financial restraints would indicate that there has to be some concessions made that some of the players already in place will be ready to play.
"I think we've got to give a little benefit of the doubt to some of the players that are already here," Linehan said. "In no way is this a reflection on guys that have played here before that may or may not be coming back, because for whatever reason the defense didn't have a lot of success last year or the year before, there are some guys here that are going to benefit from the addition of some of these players, not just because of their ability, but we're bringing in some great leadership and knowledge of the game that will help develop some of these players that are already here. So I'm excited to see those guys develop as well."
Had the Rams found a way to bring Pickett back, it would likely have put a halt on free agent spending with the possible exception of a punter and/or backup quarterback. With Pickett not returning, there will be a little more wiggle room to fill some important needs.
Either way, it appears that many of the team's remaining needs will be filled through April's NFL Draft. With that in mind, here's a glance at what needs remain and possibilities for how those needs will be filled.
. Strong side linebacker
- Witherspoon is in place in the middle with leading tackler
Pisa Tinoisamoa holding down the weak side spot. That leaves one more linebacker job open for competition. If training camp started today, that spot would likely come down to Dexter Coakley and
Brandon Chillar for the starting job. Some members of the coaching staff see potential in Chillar, but he was up and down last season. Coakley continues to provide veteran leadership, but is coming off an injury and is a bit small for the strong side position. There are some intriguing names remaining on the free agent market such as LaVar Arrington and Julian Peterson. But it's probably a safe bet that neither will be coming to St. Louis considering the investment it would take to land either and the fact that the Rams need to spend money to fill other holes.
- The draft is loaded with linebackers, some more capable of playing on the strong side than others. Names such as Bobby Carpenter and Manny Lawson are ones to remember as the draft nears. And, should the Rams really want to hit a home run, they could move up for Ohio State's A.J. Hawk, who can play any of the linebacker positions.
. Defensive Line Depth
- After the departure of Lewis and Pickett and the apparent departure of Tyoka Jackson, the Rams are left somewhat thin on the defensive line. It appears that the starting spots are filled with
Leonard Little and Anthony Hargrove at end and Glover and Jimmy Kennedy at tackle. However, there is little depth behind that group with the likes of Brian Howard, Clifford Dukes and Jeremy Calahan behind them. Brandon Green is a solid end for the rotation, but the team wouldn't mind an upgrade in Hargrove's spot and could use a run stuffer such as to fill the void left by Pickett. There isn't much remaining on the free agent market in the way of defensive linemen, with Sam Adams and Grayd Jackson the top available guys. There are some good possibilities as far as rotation guys such as Willie Whitehead and Lional Dalton.
- This is another spot that could be best addressed through the draft. There are plenty of talented prospects at both tackle and end in this draft and it will probably be a position of choice at some point in the draft. Just how early the Rams go in that direction will depend heavily on what happens in the remainder of free agency.
. Third Offensive Tackle
- The Rams finally solved their right tackle issues by taking
Alex Barron in last year's draft. By all accounts, Barron has a bright future and will be a nice bookend to
Orlando Pace for many years. Still, the team is short on depth on the offensive line, particularly at tackle. Right now, the possible candidates as the third tackle include Ben Noll and Blaine Saipaia, two players better suited to guard. It's imperative to find someone to handle the third tackle duties in case anything happens to Barron or Pace.
. Tight End
- Linehan and Co. have made no bones about wanting an upgrade or at least some help at tight end. Someone capable of stretching the field, but serving as an in line blocker is preferable. There are some interesting options available including Jeb Putzier and New Orleans' Zach Hilton.
- This is one position that almost certainly will have to wait until the draft. Hilton is restricted, but would require no compensation and Putzier will probably get a fairly sizable contract. There are lots of talented tight ends in the draft including Maryland's Vernon Davis, Georgia's Leonard Pope, UCLA's Marcedes Lewis and USC's
Dominique Byrd, among others. At some point, this spot will definitely be addressed.
. Punter
- As of now, the Rams have no punter on the roster. Simply because they have to carry a punter, this position will be addressed. Ideally, the Rams will find some stability at the position. They do have interest in Carolina's Jason Baker. St. Louis has been through myriad punters in recent seasons with Bryan Barker and Reggie Hodges handling the duties a year ago. Baker could be even more appealing because of his ability to handle kickoffs. Short of Baker and a few others on the free agent market, there isn't much in the way of punters in the draft.
. Backup Quarterback
- The Rams have three quarterbacks under contract for next season with
Marc Bulger, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jeff Smoker set to return. Still, it seems Jamie Martin is on his way to Cincinnati and the Rams could use a veteran arm to be on stand by should Bulger suffer another injury. There is only one name that has been mentioned heavily in this spot and it's former Miami quarterback Gus Frerotte. Frerotte has been around and is getting up there in years, but he is more than serviceable as a backup and had a renaissance while playing for Linehan in Miami last year. It seems like a good match and a realistic possibility.
There are still other needs for the Rams as the draft nears, including adding some interior offensive line depth, especially in terms of potential starters for the future. A backup running back with speed and the capability to return kicks and some more help for the secondary are also needs.
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