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ANALYSIS: After the draft, the Rams' roster looks fuller, more talented and primed to grow stronger
By RICH HAMMOND / STAFF WRITER
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rams ... gned.html#
The starters have yet to be determined, but the returning Rams, the ones who will emerge on Sept. 12 in the season opener against San Francisco, have been assembled.
With a couple notable exceptions – hello, franchise quarterback – it’s largely the same, young group that finished last season with a 7-9 record but with three wins in its final four games.
There’s some hope. The Rams have a talented defense and a young offense that should improve. Coach Jeff Fisher and General Manager Les Snead added six players through this weekend’s draft, then had signed 14 undrafted free agents as of Sunday.
The rookies will participate in a mini-camp this weekend, and the full team will be together over the next several weeks for offseason workouts. Here’s a position-by-position look at how the Rams look after the draft weekend.
QUARTERBACK
Well, it’s done. The Rams have Jared Goff, and while they will do their best to tamp down expectations, they’re certainly hoping Goff will show enough in training camp to win the starting job.
The Rams’ next move likely will be to trade Nick Foles for a draft pick or two. That move didn’t work out, and everyone knows it. Case Keenum will be Goff’s safety net, and then there’s Sean Mannion, whose selection with a third-round pick in 2015 now seems questionable at best.
RUNNING BACK
What else do the Rams need beyond Todd Gurley, last year’s NFL offensive rookie of the year? Maybe nothing, but that depends on backup Tre Mason, who faces misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and marijuana possession in Florida.
Should Mason face any discipline, the Rams would have to turn to Benny Cunningham, who had only 140 rushing yards last season. They signed undrafted free agent Aaron Green from TCU, but Green is an edge runner who almost certainly doesn’t have the ability to be an every-down NFL back.
RECEIVER
Give the Rams credit for identifying a weakness and working to strengthen it. When Goff looks at his group of receivers in training camp, there will be sufficient quantity, but will there be quality?
Tavon Austin is the clear No. 1 threat, but the options behind him – led by Kenny Britt and Brian Quick – are uninspiring. The Rams made two intriguing additions in the draft: a tough, catch-and-run guy in Pharoh Cooper (South Carolina) and a potential possession receiver in Mike Thomas (Southern Miss).
Don’t sleep on the Rams undrafted free agents, either. Marquez North is talented despite a disappointing, injury-plagued career at Tennessee. Paul McRoberts (Southeast Missouri State) is raw but athletic. Nelson Spruce (Colorado, Westlake High) is the Pac-12 Conference’s all-time leader in receptions.
TIGHT END
Other than quarterback, this could be the most intriguing position to watch. The Rams cut starter Jared Cook in February, then sought complements to Lance Kendricks and Cory Harkey.
That’s complements, plural, because the Rams not only took Tyler Higbee (Western Kentucky) in the fourth round but also Temarrick Hemingway (South Carolina State) in the sixth round.
Higbee faces second-degree assault charges and his status remains unknown. Higbee has great potential, which is why the Rams were willing to take a chance on him, but they also hedged their bets by using two of their six draft picks on tight ends. Hemingway, at 6-foot-5, 244 pounds, is a talented receiver.
OFFENSIVE LINE
A year after they loaded up on linemen at the draft, the Rams unsurprisingly were quiet this time. They feel they have the depth and talent they need, and now they’ll sit and hope it develops.
Some pundits believed the Rams would add a center, but they’re apparently content with incumbent starter Tim Barnes, who signed a new two-year contract in March, and backup Demetrius Rhaney.
The Rams signed just two undrafted linemen: Pace Murphy (Northwestern State) and Jordan Swindle (Kentucky), but there’s good depth behind tackles Greg Robinson and Rob Havenstein and guards Rodger Saffold and Jamon Brown.
Isaiah Battle, Andrew Donnal and Cody Wichmann, all added during the 2015 draft, will be part of the rotation.
DEFENSIVE LINE
The Rams did good work here during the early part of the free-agent signing period, when they re-signed William Hayes and Eugene Sims and signed Quinton Coples.
The Rams’ two-deep chart looks good here, with Hayes and Robert Quinn at end and Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers at tackle, and a couple quality backups. Not surprisingly, the Rams were quiet here on draft weekend. They made one undrafted signing: end Morgan Fox of Colorado State.
LINEBACKER
This is a position where the draft weekend could be impactful for the Rams.
They released veteran James Laurinaitis in February, then decided to move Alec Ogletree from outside linebacker to the middle, where he presumably will be flanked by Akeem Ayers and Mark Barron.
The depth beyond that trio is limited, which is why the Rams used a sixth-round pick on athletic linebacker Josh Forrest from Kentucky. Forrest, listed at 6-foot-3, 249 pounds, didn’t test well at the scouting combine, but that’s in the past, and if he performs well, he has a chance to crack the rotation.
The Rams also will hope to hit on one of their three undrafted free agents. Washington State’s Kache Palacio, from Serra High in Gardena, also worked out at fullback for some NFL teams. Brandon Chubb was a two-year captain at Wake Forest. The Rams also signed Pitt’s Nicholas Grigsby.
DEFENSIVE BACK
Talented cornerback Janoris Jenkins left via free agency, but the Rams have good depth there with Trumaine Johnson, E.J. Gaines, Coty Sensabaugh and Lamarcus Joyner.
Things are thinner at safety, other than with veteran T.J. McDonald, and the Rams are counting on Cody Davis and Mo Alexander to contribute. There’s not much experience there, which could be a problem.
The Rams didn’t draft a safety, which was a bit surprising, but did sign two undrafted safeties: Jordan Lomax from Iowa and Brian Randolph from Tennessee. They also signed cornerback Mike Jordan from Missouri Western, who was a finalist for the small-college defensive player of the year award in 2015.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The job of punter Johnny Hekker seems safe, to no surprise, but the same can’t be said for kicker Greg Zuerlein, who surprisingly struggled last season. The Rams openly have said that there will be competition for Zuerlein in training camp, so perhaps a free-agent signing is still to come.
The Rams made only one post-draft signing, that of Taylor Bertolet of Texas A&M, and it’s a bit of a head-scratcher. Bertolet, once a top high school kicker from Pennsylvania, didn’t win the Aggies job until last season, then he made only 22 of 31 field goals, and even missed four from inside 40 yards.
By RICH HAMMOND / STAFF WRITER
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rams ... gned.html#
The starters have yet to be determined, but the returning Rams, the ones who will emerge on Sept. 12 in the season opener against San Francisco, have been assembled.
With a couple notable exceptions – hello, franchise quarterback – it’s largely the same, young group that finished last season with a 7-9 record but with three wins in its final four games.
There’s some hope. The Rams have a talented defense and a young offense that should improve. Coach Jeff Fisher and General Manager Les Snead added six players through this weekend’s draft, then had signed 14 undrafted free agents as of Sunday.
The rookies will participate in a mini-camp this weekend, and the full team will be together over the next several weeks for offseason workouts. Here’s a position-by-position look at how the Rams look after the draft weekend.
QUARTERBACK
Well, it’s done. The Rams have Jared Goff, and while they will do their best to tamp down expectations, they’re certainly hoping Goff will show enough in training camp to win the starting job.
The Rams’ next move likely will be to trade Nick Foles for a draft pick or two. That move didn’t work out, and everyone knows it. Case Keenum will be Goff’s safety net, and then there’s Sean Mannion, whose selection with a third-round pick in 2015 now seems questionable at best.
RUNNING BACK
What else do the Rams need beyond Todd Gurley, last year’s NFL offensive rookie of the year? Maybe nothing, but that depends on backup Tre Mason, who faces misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and marijuana possession in Florida.
Should Mason face any discipline, the Rams would have to turn to Benny Cunningham, who had only 140 rushing yards last season. They signed undrafted free agent Aaron Green from TCU, but Green is an edge runner who almost certainly doesn’t have the ability to be an every-down NFL back.
RECEIVER
Give the Rams credit for identifying a weakness and working to strengthen it. When Goff looks at his group of receivers in training camp, there will be sufficient quantity, but will there be quality?
Tavon Austin is the clear No. 1 threat, but the options behind him – led by Kenny Britt and Brian Quick – are uninspiring. The Rams made two intriguing additions in the draft: a tough, catch-and-run guy in Pharoh Cooper (South Carolina) and a potential possession receiver in Mike Thomas (Southern Miss).
Don’t sleep on the Rams undrafted free agents, either. Marquez North is talented despite a disappointing, injury-plagued career at Tennessee. Paul McRoberts (Southeast Missouri State) is raw but athletic. Nelson Spruce (Colorado, Westlake High) is the Pac-12 Conference’s all-time leader in receptions.
TIGHT END
Other than quarterback, this could be the most intriguing position to watch. The Rams cut starter Jared Cook in February, then sought complements to Lance Kendricks and Cory Harkey.
That’s complements, plural, because the Rams not only took Tyler Higbee (Western Kentucky) in the fourth round but also Temarrick Hemingway (South Carolina State) in the sixth round.
Higbee faces second-degree assault charges and his status remains unknown. Higbee has great potential, which is why the Rams were willing to take a chance on him, but they also hedged their bets by using two of their six draft picks on tight ends. Hemingway, at 6-foot-5, 244 pounds, is a talented receiver.
OFFENSIVE LINE
A year after they loaded up on linemen at the draft, the Rams unsurprisingly were quiet this time. They feel they have the depth and talent they need, and now they’ll sit and hope it develops.
Some pundits believed the Rams would add a center, but they’re apparently content with incumbent starter Tim Barnes, who signed a new two-year contract in March, and backup Demetrius Rhaney.
The Rams signed just two undrafted linemen: Pace Murphy (Northwestern State) and Jordan Swindle (Kentucky), but there’s good depth behind tackles Greg Robinson and Rob Havenstein and guards Rodger Saffold and Jamon Brown.
Isaiah Battle, Andrew Donnal and Cody Wichmann, all added during the 2015 draft, will be part of the rotation.
DEFENSIVE LINE
The Rams did good work here during the early part of the free-agent signing period, when they re-signed William Hayes and Eugene Sims and signed Quinton Coples.
The Rams’ two-deep chart looks good here, with Hayes and Robert Quinn at end and Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers at tackle, and a couple quality backups. Not surprisingly, the Rams were quiet here on draft weekend. They made one undrafted signing: end Morgan Fox of Colorado State.
LINEBACKER
This is a position where the draft weekend could be impactful for the Rams.
They released veteran James Laurinaitis in February, then decided to move Alec Ogletree from outside linebacker to the middle, where he presumably will be flanked by Akeem Ayers and Mark Barron.
The depth beyond that trio is limited, which is why the Rams used a sixth-round pick on athletic linebacker Josh Forrest from Kentucky. Forrest, listed at 6-foot-3, 249 pounds, didn’t test well at the scouting combine, but that’s in the past, and if he performs well, he has a chance to crack the rotation.
The Rams also will hope to hit on one of their three undrafted free agents. Washington State’s Kache Palacio, from Serra High in Gardena, also worked out at fullback for some NFL teams. Brandon Chubb was a two-year captain at Wake Forest. The Rams also signed Pitt’s Nicholas Grigsby.
DEFENSIVE BACK
Talented cornerback Janoris Jenkins left via free agency, but the Rams have good depth there with Trumaine Johnson, E.J. Gaines, Coty Sensabaugh and Lamarcus Joyner.
Things are thinner at safety, other than with veteran T.J. McDonald, and the Rams are counting on Cody Davis and Mo Alexander to contribute. There’s not much experience there, which could be a problem.
The Rams didn’t draft a safety, which was a bit surprising, but did sign two undrafted safeties: Jordan Lomax from Iowa and Brian Randolph from Tennessee. They also signed cornerback Mike Jordan from Missouri Western, who was a finalist for the small-college defensive player of the year award in 2015.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The job of punter Johnny Hekker seems safe, to no surprise, but the same can’t be said for kicker Greg Zuerlein, who surprisingly struggled last season. The Rams openly have said that there will be competition for Zuerlein in training camp, so perhaps a free-agent signing is still to come.
The Rams made only one post-draft signing, that of Taylor Bertolet of Texas A&M, and it’s a bit of a head-scratcher. Bertolet, once a top high school kicker from Pennsylvania, didn’t win the Aggies job until last season, then he made only 22 of 31 field goals, and even missed four from inside 40 yards.
