- Joined
- Jul 31, 2010
- Messages
- 8,874
Re-signing Mark Barron, William Hayes keeps Rams' options open
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/p...-barron-william-hayes-keeps-rams-options-open
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- From the moment the Los Angeles Rams released defensive end Chris Long and linebacker James Laurinaitis and placed the franchise tag on cornerback Trumaine Johnson, their primary free-agent priorities became clear: Do what it takes to retain end William Hayes and linebacker Mark Barron.
While Wednesday's flurry of free-agent activity brought about big losses in cornerback Janoris Jenkins (to the New York Giants) and safety Rodney McLeod (to the Philadelphia Eagles), all was not lost as the Rams were able to strike last-minute deals with Hayes and Barron. In the process, they ensured that they can keep an open mind for the rest of free agency and heading toward the NFL draft.
Arguments can be made that McLeod and/or Jenkins were every bit as important to the Rams as Hayes and Barron, but there's no denying that losing all four would have been devastating for 2016.
William Hayes became the Rams' best run-stopper on the edge, while also chipping in on the pass rush.
Taking stock of the Rams' current roster, there already are plenty of holes that need to be filled, especially on offense. Since Jeff Fisher arrived as head coach in 2012, the defense has been considered the strength of the team. But while the Rams have an in-house option to replace Jenkins (E.J. Gaines) and could find ways to replace McLeod (either with Cody Davis, who signed a new deal Wednesday, or perhaps a move of Lamarcus Joyner), the loss of Barron or Hayes would have created a huge opening (or openings) that would have required big money, key draft picks or both to fill.
In keeping Hayes, the Rams ensured that they don't have to spend a first-round pick on a defensive end. The team released Long in part because of his $14.25 million salary cap number, but also because they believed that Hayes could step into the starting job full time after filling in for an injured Long each of the past two seasons. Hayes played well in that role as the team's best run-stopper on the edge and chipping in on the pass rush as he piled up 95 tackles and 9.5 sacks.
That doesn't mean the Rams can avoid adding help on the defensive line, especially if, as expected, they lose fellow end Eugene Sims and tackle Nick Fairley to free agency. They have youngsters such as Ethan Westbrooks, Matt Longacre and Louis Trinca-Pasat who could help out, but without Hayes, end would have gone from a secondary need to a primary one.
The same is true of outside linebacker with Barron. Upon releasing Laurinaitis, Fisher said that the plan was to slide Alec Ogletree to middle linebacker and keep Barron as weak-side linebacker, the position he played in Ogletree's stead for most of the 2015 season. Barron exceeded any expectations, leading the Rams in tackles with 113 to go with a sack and three forced fumbles.
"We just kind of plugged him in and (defensive coordinator) Gregg (Williams) is good at moving people around and creating opportunities. Then early on in the season, unfortunately we lost Alec and Mark's reps increased and I thought he had a really good year," Fisher said. "If you see, there's a trend in the league for that kind of guy. And we feel he really fits in our defense."
Had the Rams been unable to re-sign Barron -- who had no shortage of interest around the league -- there were even fewer in-house options to replace him than at defensive end. In fact, the team didn't even extend a tender offer to restricted free agent linebacker Daren Bates. So if Barron had departed for greener pastures, linebacker also would have quickly shot to the top of the list of the Rams' needs.
Instead, the Rams are now well-positioned to do the thing they need to do most, which is improve the league's least-productive offense. Of course, they will look for help in the secondary and depth for the front seven, and while they still could spend early draft picks on the defense, at least now they don't have to.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/p...-barron-william-hayes-keeps-rams-options-open
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- From the moment the Los Angeles Rams released defensive end Chris Long and linebacker James Laurinaitis and placed the franchise tag on cornerback Trumaine Johnson, their primary free-agent priorities became clear: Do what it takes to retain end William Hayes and linebacker Mark Barron.
While Wednesday's flurry of free-agent activity brought about big losses in cornerback Janoris Jenkins (to the New York Giants) and safety Rodney McLeod (to the Philadelphia Eagles), all was not lost as the Rams were able to strike last-minute deals with Hayes and Barron. In the process, they ensured that they can keep an open mind for the rest of free agency and heading toward the NFL draft.
Arguments can be made that McLeod and/or Jenkins were every bit as important to the Rams as Hayes and Barron, but there's no denying that losing all four would have been devastating for 2016.
William Hayes became the Rams' best run-stopper on the edge, while also chipping in on the pass rush.
Taking stock of the Rams' current roster, there already are plenty of holes that need to be filled, especially on offense. Since Jeff Fisher arrived as head coach in 2012, the defense has been considered the strength of the team. But while the Rams have an in-house option to replace Jenkins (E.J. Gaines) and could find ways to replace McLeod (either with Cody Davis, who signed a new deal Wednesday, or perhaps a move of Lamarcus Joyner), the loss of Barron or Hayes would have created a huge opening (or openings) that would have required big money, key draft picks or both to fill.
In keeping Hayes, the Rams ensured that they don't have to spend a first-round pick on a defensive end. The team released Long in part because of his $14.25 million salary cap number, but also because they believed that Hayes could step into the starting job full time after filling in for an injured Long each of the past two seasons. Hayes played well in that role as the team's best run-stopper on the edge and chipping in on the pass rush as he piled up 95 tackles and 9.5 sacks.
That doesn't mean the Rams can avoid adding help on the defensive line, especially if, as expected, they lose fellow end Eugene Sims and tackle Nick Fairley to free agency. They have youngsters such as Ethan Westbrooks, Matt Longacre and Louis Trinca-Pasat who could help out, but without Hayes, end would have gone from a secondary need to a primary one.
The same is true of outside linebacker with Barron. Upon releasing Laurinaitis, Fisher said that the plan was to slide Alec Ogletree to middle linebacker and keep Barron as weak-side linebacker, the position he played in Ogletree's stead for most of the 2015 season. Barron exceeded any expectations, leading the Rams in tackles with 113 to go with a sack and three forced fumbles.
"We just kind of plugged him in and (defensive coordinator) Gregg (Williams) is good at moving people around and creating opportunities. Then early on in the season, unfortunately we lost Alec and Mark's reps increased and I thought he had a really good year," Fisher said. "If you see, there's a trend in the league for that kind of guy. And we feel he really fits in our defense."
Had the Rams been unable to re-sign Barron -- who had no shortage of interest around the league -- there were even fewer in-house options to replace him than at defensive end. In fact, the team didn't even extend a tender offer to restricted free agent linebacker Daren Bates. So if Barron had departed for greener pastures, linebacker also would have quickly shot to the top of the list of the Rams' needs.
Instead, the Rams are now well-positioned to do the thing they need to do most, which is improve the league's least-productive offense. Of course, they will look for help in the secondary and depth for the front seven, and while they still could spend early draft picks on the defense, at least now they don't have to.
