Rodney McLeod to Be in Demand?

[den-the-coach]

McLeod is a solid safety but he's not great. If a team wants to overpay, go for it.

I concur right now the Rams secondary is trending and another team will want to add anyone one of them to their ailing defense.

 

[JoeBo21]

can we please just retain our awesome young defense and focus on the other side of the ball????

 

[Corbin]

McLeod is not a critical re-sign. Rams have the safety depth to let him go if he wants bank. It is time for TJM to range in the deep middle, and move Alexander in for more defensive snaps.

Critical re-signs: one CB (with tag), Barron, and Hayes.

This was the mentality in the Linehan era.... Worked like shit. Keep those you groom.

 

[tavian]

I think some people are underrating rod.

Agree

PFF Safety rankings

1. MIN Harrison Smith
2. PHI Malcolm Jenkins
3. SEA Earl Thomas
4. GB Morgan Burnett
5. NE Patrick Chung
6. KC Eric Berry
7. NE Devin McCourty
8. GB Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
9. CIN Reggie Nelson
10. LA Rodney McLeod

 

[Psycho_X]

Winning teams draft well/sign good UDFAs, develop that talent, and retain that talent beyond their first contract. At the very least this organization has done the first two things on the defensive side of the ball. Can it do the third?

 

[Mojo Ram]

I don't think folks are overrating McLeod, i think we've got confidence in the developmental program defensively. It's not realistic to think a team can re-sign all their good players once it becomes time for the big payday. Teams must draft well, and keep the cupboard full so that when it comes time to make tough decisions you have talented guys on small money contacts ready to step in. This allows you to spend on your key FA's when their big payday arrives(TruJ, JJ, Barron, Donald, TJMac, Gurley etc...

It would be great to retain Rodney McLeod, but the Rams have to be smart and trust in the program they've built.

 

[BonifayRam]

I need to say this here on Rod...I have never underestimated him period I have been & continue to be a very big fan since his arrival. I have let it be known since early 2013 know that very well. Like many others here we also recall the Original Fisher/Snead program on where they will spend large chunks of their salary cap $$$ .Up to now they have not broke from that either. They let it be known that they will not spend & invest large $$$ in safeties unless they are very special.

I know of only really special safety on our roster at the moment is TJ McDonald. I welcome that debate discussion too. Did anyone else notice that this past week Snead brought up needs of retaining the 2017 UFA's that includes that one special safety TJ McDonald.

Snead has worked hard to bring talented safeties prospects to this roster since his arrival. Of those 6 to 7 safety type DB's Rod McLeod is the 1st safety starter to move into UFA'cy after two back to back RFA events! Snead & Fisher have been preparing for this event for several seasons. Gregg got a chance to get Mo Alexander 5 starts & finish 2 other games for TJ @ SS last season. Mo now has 33 NFL games under his belt. In those appearances Mo had 2 sacks 1 FR & 1 PDEF.

So presently Rams already have 2 experienced young large hard hitting safeties with starting experience in TJ & Mo signed ready to go. If they sign as expected Mark Barron they would have THREE experienced starting safeties if needed.

Rod's back up for the last 3 seasons is RFA Cody Davis who just happens to have played in 43 NFL games. Cody has been a mainstay on all of the Rams Special teams for many seasons. Cody is very far from being a GREENE WIENER. Due to Rod's complete health Cody has never had to start. But has had opportunities to showcase his skills in many pre season games & does possess the best hands of all the safeties. He is a athletic freak whereas Cody is the fastest, has the best vertical jump, best 3 cone & best 20 yd shuttle by far of all our talented safeties. We have no ideal how well Cody will play in place of Rod because he has never been given the opportunity. Here the real biggy ...cost to resign Cody will be small in comparison to what Rod will cost & easy. Rod will be hard & costly!
http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/0ap1...ye-cody-davis-shine-at-super-regional-combine

Rams have already signed FS Christian Bryant back in January of this yr. Another DB who has played safety @ FSU is back up CB Lamarcus Joyner who started 27 games as free Safety. One thing that stuck out big on Joyner when playing FS @ FSU was his instinctive & anticipatory advanced understanding from his play @ the back end of the secondary.

So someone please tell me here with TJ McDonald, Mo Alexander, probable Mark Barron, Lamarcus Joyner, CB Bryant & Cody Davis on the roster where is this big need to throw big chunks of salary cap $$$ @ another safety?

 

[StealYoGurley]

Snead has worked hard to bring talented safeties prospects to this roster since his arrival. Of those 6 to 7 safety type DB's Rod McLeod is the 1st safety starter to move into UFA'cy after two back to back RFA events! Snead & Fisher have been preparing for this event for several seasons. Gregg got a chance to get Mo Alexander 5 starts & finish 2 other games for TJ @ SS last season. Mo now has 33 NFL games under his belt. In those appearances Mo had 2 sacks 1 FR & 1 PDEF.

So presently Rams already have 2 experienced young large hard hitting safeties with starting experience in TJ & Mo signed ready to go. If they sign as expected Mark Barron they would have THREE experienced starting safeties if needed.

Rod's back up for the last 3 seasons is RFA Cody Davis who just happens to have played in 43 NFL games. Cody has been a mainstay on all of the Rams Special teams for many seasons. Cody is very far from being a GREENE WIENER. Due to Rod's complete health Cody has never had to start. But has had opportunities to showcase his skills in many pre season games & does possess the best hands of all the safeties. He is a athletic freak whereas Cody is the fastest, has the best vertical jump, best 3 cone & best 20 yd shuttle by far of all our talented safeties. We have no ideal how well Cody will play in place of Rod because he has never been given the opportunity. Here the real biggy ...cost to resign Cody will be small in comparison to what Rod will cost & easy. Rod will be hard & costly!
http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/0ap1...ye-cody-davis-shine-at-super-regional-combine

Rams have already signed FS Christian Bryant back in January of this yr. Another DB who has played safety @ FSU is back up CB Lamarcus Joyner who started 27 games as free Safety. One thing that stuck out big on Joyner when playing FS @ FSU was his instinctive & anticipatory advanced understanding from his play @ the back end of the secondary.

So someone please tell me here with TJ McDonald, Mo Alexander, probable Mark Barron, Lamarcus Joyner, CB Bryant & Cody Davis on the roster where is this big need to throw big chunks of salary cap $$$ @ another safety?

I have 2 disagreement points here

1. There is a difference between Games played and Starts- Cody has been a key special team contributor, but has only played a handful of defensive snaps in the regular season. Do you guys remember Rods first two years as starter. It seemed like he was letting a big play happen over the top every game. In year 3 (After 32 starts) you rarely saw that happen. You want to restart that whole development process with a guy with almost zero defensive experience again? I don't. You don't home grow a quality top 10 Free safety and then just let them go because you have 7th rounder and an athletic undrafted FA both with zero starting experience backing him up. Its not like Rod will break the bank as 5'10 185 FS with a few career INTs (granted he doesn't get many opportunities how we play him)

2. There is a huge difference between SS and FS especially in this scheme. Barron, Alexander, and to lesser extent TJ struggle in coverage. To best utilize their skill those guys are best used in the box where they can use their speed against the run and their size to matchup with TEs. Mcleod on the other hand is the last line of defense playing over the top in single high coverage. IMO that definitely doesn't fit Alexander and Barrons skill set. Barron flopped as a half the field safety, so I definitely don't see him playing single high. When Alexander played you could clearly see the coverage deficiencies and I wouldn't trust him as a single high safety either.TJ could do it, but you are really not playing to his strengths and best utilizing him if you play him as a deep safety the majority of the time.