Aaron Neary suspended 4 games

[12intheBox]

Looking for a place at the table.

 

[BonifayRam]

Not only are Demby, Evans & Edwards superior, IMO, guys like Vitas Hrynkiewicz & Brandon Hitner have far more upside!

View attachment 29304

From my position I was under the impression that Kromer saw Neary primarily as a center & secondarily as a LG. with a possibility as an RG as an emergency. Neary like I have said before has been lurky around as a Ram OL'er since the 2017 season. Neary having several TC's & preseason's along with 2 regular & posts season periods as a Practice Squad player should serve him well in the teams practices with the five "just out of the box" first time in the NFL cadre {Hitner/ Evans/ Edwards/ Brewer & Vitas Hrynkiewicz}

If Neary is trending downward in Kromer's mind as a possible roster propect or even a PS member then the two OL'ers who should benefit would be LC/OC Jeremiah Kolone (now involved in his 2nd off season with the Rams) & rookie center Hrynkiewicz. I just do not see Kolone as a real good fit in Kromer's ZBS.

Last week I posted this on Kolone:Jeremiah Kolone has played primarily LEFT OG in college as a 4 yr starter with some center starts. He did end up play landing a starting OC post all season for Martz for the SD fleet in 2018 after he was cut by late before regular season by the Rams. JK does have some nice size to him being 6-3/316lbs. That size is something I am looking for after the SB event @ center took place. Kolone is known for being a very good pass blocker as an LG for San Jose. Naturally being able to play all three interior posts will help his cause along with that size. But his main issue will be his feet & lateral movement in the Kromer scheme.


Rookie Brandon Hitner has a real good chance to bust out of the group & making an impact in this Kromer heavy zone blocking scheme ...zeroing in @ those two OG posts with some OC added on later. Hitners 6-6 305 lb frame with 34 inch arms who is ultra-athletic unlike Kolone. You're right Hitner is a sleeper. Does Vitas Hrynkiewicz have the ability to play all 3 interior positions?

 

[den-the-coach]

Rookie Brandon Hitner has a real good chance to bust out of the group & making an impact in this Kromer heavy zone blocking scheme ...zeroing in @ those two OG posts with some OC added on later. Hitners 6-6 305 lb frame with 34 inch arms who is ultra-athletic unlike Kolone. You're right Hitner is a sleeper. Does Vitas Hrynkiewicz have the ability to play all 3 interior positions?

FWIW I was never an Aaron Neary fan, I believe he was added because of the lack of depth the Rams had on the offensive line and his start at Center against the San Francisco 49eres two years ago was a disaster IMO. In fact, the only lineman that played well of the group was Austin Blythe as two years ago the starting group was Darrell Williams at LT (the one from South Florida not the one they just cut), Blythe, Neary at Center and then Brown and Havenstein played most of the game at their regular positions and Neary gave up sacks right up the gut, he was weak and with this baggage and because the Rams have better alternatives with either Brandon Hitner or Vitas Hrynkiewicz, it's time to say goodbye to Neary IMHO.

Hitner is athletic, but lacks length, however, bumping him inside and IMO, has the ability to play both Guard & Center and could be kept on the practice squad unless he forces to the Rams to keep 9 Offensive Linemen, which is unlikely.

Vitas Hrynkiewicz is a natural center and might look very comfortable playing that position in preseason, but like you not sure about his versatility. NFL Scouting Analyst Lance Zierlein has this about Hitner:

By Lance Zierlein
NFL Analyst
Draft Projection
Rounds 6-7

Overview
Athletic, short-armed offensive lineman with the potential to offer roster flexibility at a number of positions. Hitner lacks power and struggles to find the length and hand strength to sustain his blocks, but he's ultra-athletic and has a chance at getting to the most challenging angles. He will likely bump inside to guard or center with a chance to compete for a zone-scheme heavy team.
Strengths

• Outstanding intelligence with smart to make move to center
• Charges out of stance and rips into his second level blocks
• Initial quickness and acceleration to track down MIKE
• Basketball feet for smooth directional change in pass mirror
• Above-average pull blocker
• Has athletic ability and body control to keep blocks centered

Weaknesses

• Short arms allow defenders to get into his frame and lock him out
• Not much pop behind his punch in pass pro
• Tendency to lunge when patience wanes
• Could use better explosion into initial contact
• Needs to drop pad level for improved leverage as drive blocker
• More wall-off worker than body mover

Sources Tell Us

"His intelligence test was off the charts. He had the physical profile to move inside to center and now we know he has the mental profile as well." -- AFC personnel executive

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/brandon-hitner?id=32194849-5441-8288-46a0-2ecce0aa2f5f

 

[BonifayRam]

What are the cap effects of cutting him after his suspension, as opposed to the final cutdown before the season? If the money is the same (i.e. zero) then presumably they would keep him, just in case there are injuries or suckage.

But yeah, there was going to be a roster crunch on the OL most likely. This probably simplifies things a little.

https://overthecap.com/player/aaron-neary/5123/

 

[Akrasian]

https://overthecap.com/player/aaron-neary/5123/

What I'm not sure about is at what point that gets guaranteed. Is it when he actually is active, or does it become guaranteed if he's still on the team at the beginning of the season, even though he's suspended? Oh, and take 4/17 off that figure - he won't get paid during the suspension.