It appears to me that unless there the starters are unhealthy or unable to play Fisher & Boudreau will go with the Main Stays starting unit until the end. After what they went through the last two season when the OL was in such a state of total collapse with new starting OL units each & every weak made it impossible to game plan. Those OL nightmares of the past are still in their memory banks!
Rams are paying Joseph nearly 2 mil & Wells nearly 3 1/2 mil for this season, so I would guess they will get their money's worth out of these way past their prime-time OL'ers
who have worked hard to remain fully able to start each of this season games. To me that does say something! Wells & Joseph are really good guys who give much back to their communities. I am sure both of them are fully aware of their failures & overall dismal 2015 performance. It would not surprise me if both retire after this season.
Of the four younger OL'ers that ESPN Rams reporter Nick Wagoner mentioned only one (Barrett Jones) is under contract next season. The other three will enter free agency. I do not see any of those three Ram FA's being on a top 25 OL 2015 free agency list.
Point being if the Rams desire them to return it would not be hard to get them back. In truth the Rams are fully knowledgeable of the abilities of Tim Barnes, Mike Person & Brandon Washington.
Mike Person saw the most snaps & time on field of all the Rams OL'ers in TC & preseason this season. Person has also been in on many offensive snaps in several games this season @ OLT & OLG, along with being in most all the ST's & 4th & goal line units. Person is
UN-breakable & has been active for
every Ram game this season! I do not believe Person is a strong candidate to be the Rams starting ORG or OC next season for Davin Joseph or Scott Wells.
Tim Barnes finished 5 Ram games last season @ center. Barnes has been a Rams since 2011. Like Person, Barnes has been a mainstay on ST's & 4th & goal units. Barnes did sustain an injury to his college surgically repaired shoulder that required him to miss close to 3 games. Once again here,Boudreau knows Barnes as well as possible & what he can do. Barnes might be a contender for a OLG post next season but is still a primarily a center.
Brandon Washington has been a Ram since the end of pre season of 2012. That's three full seasons under Boudreau. Washington has only seen action in
one Ram game & that was @ OLG against Seattle in 2013. Brandon has not been active all season long. I do not think Brandon has starting potential in the NFL @ ORG nor @ OC & I see no reason to put Brandon in this offense.
That bring us to
Barrett Jones, bottom line here is Person & Barnes are ahead of Jones now & both are fully ready to fill in at a moment notice so why would you remove Wells & insert your 8th OL'er who is less experienced into your starting unit if your not forced too? What would that say to Person & Barnes? Its been mentioned here that Jones has been seen playing OT behind the scenes......this does not surprise me at all may be a sign of things to come if Barksdale does not signup.
I believe that Fisher wants to continue to "set in concrete" the fact that his players need to use the off season to place themselves in the best possible playing condition when Training Camp begins. T
his is the time when players will compete for the starting positions. As a Ram be smart & use this off season time wisely. Because once the season begins & that OL starters are set.....His main goal is for those starters to remain the same & on the field to the end of the season barring injury.