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http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_646774a4-e046-552a-ad31-1b4c33ec784d.html
The Rams have taken major steps rebuilding the roster in two seasons of wheeling, dealing, and drafting under coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead.
But just when it looked like much of the heavy lifting was done, the Rams could be facing a major renovation project on the offensive line.
It all begins with Rodger Saffold, the tackle turned guard, whose original four-year contract is up. He’s scheduled for unrestricted free agency on March 11, the first day of the free agency-trading period, aka the start of the league year.
Back in March, neither Saffold nor his agent were happy about Saffold being switched to right tackle after the signing of Jake Long in free agency. But Saffold uttered no discouraging words once he arrived at Rams Park for the spring practice period and over the course of the just-completed 2013 season.
Before Saffold’s wild ride of a season ended with a possible concussion in Seattle, he had made only three starts at right tackle, started five games at right guard, and started the Seattle finale at left tackle in place of the injured Long.
That’s nine starts. After suffering a knee injury in Week 2 in Atlanta, Saffold missed the next four contests. He returned from the injury Oct. 20 in Carolina and rotated with starter Joe Barksdale in that game as well as the next two contests.
But it was those five starts at right guard, beginning with the Nov. 10 rout of Indianapolis, that got everyone’s attention. Before the start of this season, there were some at Rams Park who felt Saffold could be an elite performer at guard because of his combination of size, strength, footwork, and athleticism.
Saffold’s play in those five starts did nothing to dispute that notion. There were times as a puller when he struck linebackers with such force they looked like they were going backwards on skates. He usually got from Point A to Point B quickly for a 330-pounder when pulling.
Saffold was unavailable to the media after the Seattle game and on Monday at Rams Park because of the potential injury, which turned out not to be a concussion.
He has a sunny-side-up personality. He’s optimistic by nature, enjoys playing for the Rams, and likes what the team is building here. But with all the switching around over the second half of the season, mainly as a result of injuries by others, he didn’t get a good sense of where he stood with the Rams. Was he a deluxe utilityman? Or a potential centerpiece of the line?
With the Rams’ season over, the business season begins. Deciding Saffold’s worth will be tricky. Is he a tackle? Is he a guard? The Rams obviously think he’s a guard. Fisher said as much 10 days ago.
“Rodger’s a tremendous athlete, and when healthy you could put him up there with some of the best in the league,” Fisher said at the time. “You would like to think his future’s probably at right guard. Or even left guard for that matter. But he plays the tackle position very well.”
As impressive as he played in those five starts at guard, that’s a small sample size. How much is that worth for the Rams, or somebody else?
“We think Rodger can play four different line positions at an exceptionally high level, as he proved this year,” said Alan Herman, Saffold’s agent. “He was absolutely dominating whenever he played guard. I think this puts him in an attractive situation as far as free agency.”
The Rams haven’t opened negotiations with Saffold. But it wouldn’t be surprising to see Saffold test the market.
“We look forward to exploring the market, and finding a spot where Rodger can contribute on a regular basis, play a specific position, and work to become an all-Pro player at that position,” Herman said.
Saffold obviously is the top priority among the Rams’ pending unrestricted free agents, and the Rams are the only ones who can negotiate with him until March. It would be extremely surprising to see the Rams place a franchise or transition tag on Saffold as a one-year stop-gap measure. Last year, the franchise tag was $9.8 million and the transition tag $8.7 million for an offensive lineman. That’s a ton of money.
In addition, Fisher mentioned two key words when he talked about Saffold’s athletic ability: when healthy. After playing and starting all 16 games as a rookie in 2010, Saffold missed 17 of 48 games from 2011 through 2013 because of injuries: seven games in ‘11, six games in ‘12, and four games this season. That must be factored into any contract discussions.
Saffold’s not the only issue on the offensive line. Left guard Chris Williams, the only member of the unit to start all 16 games this season, is scheduled for unrestricted free agency. So is Shelley Smith, a handy backup who started two games at right guard this year, and six games at guard (four left, two right) in 2012.
And what happens with veterans Scott Wells at center and Harvey Dahl at right guard? Wells, who turns 33 Jan. 7, missed the last four games of this season and nine last season because of injuries. He’s scheduled to count $6.5 million against the cap in 2014.
Dahl, who turns 33 in June, missed four games this year and two a year ago with injuries. In a contract renegotiated in September, he is scheduled to count $4 million against the salary cap in 2014, with $2 million coming in the form of a roster bonus payable at the start of the league year.
RAM-BLING
The Rams signed five players Tuesday to their offseason roster: WR Emory Blake, DE Mason Brodine, TE Justice Cunningham, OT Sean Hooey, and CB Darren Woodard. All were members of the team’s 2013 practice squad.
The Rams have taken major steps rebuilding the roster in two seasons of wheeling, dealing, and drafting under coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead.
But just when it looked like much of the heavy lifting was done, the Rams could be facing a major renovation project on the offensive line.
It all begins with Rodger Saffold, the tackle turned guard, whose original four-year contract is up. He’s scheduled for unrestricted free agency on March 11, the first day of the free agency-trading period, aka the start of the league year.
Back in March, neither Saffold nor his agent were happy about Saffold being switched to right tackle after the signing of Jake Long in free agency. But Saffold uttered no discouraging words once he arrived at Rams Park for the spring practice period and over the course of the just-completed 2013 season.
Before Saffold’s wild ride of a season ended with a possible concussion in Seattle, he had made only three starts at right tackle, started five games at right guard, and started the Seattle finale at left tackle in place of the injured Long.
That’s nine starts. After suffering a knee injury in Week 2 in Atlanta, Saffold missed the next four contests. He returned from the injury Oct. 20 in Carolina and rotated with starter Joe Barksdale in that game as well as the next two contests.
But it was those five starts at right guard, beginning with the Nov. 10 rout of Indianapolis, that got everyone’s attention. Before the start of this season, there were some at Rams Park who felt Saffold could be an elite performer at guard because of his combination of size, strength, footwork, and athleticism.
Saffold’s play in those five starts did nothing to dispute that notion. There were times as a puller when he struck linebackers with such force they looked like they were going backwards on skates. He usually got from Point A to Point B quickly for a 330-pounder when pulling.
Saffold was unavailable to the media after the Seattle game and on Monday at Rams Park because of the potential injury, which turned out not to be a concussion.
He has a sunny-side-up personality. He’s optimistic by nature, enjoys playing for the Rams, and likes what the team is building here. But with all the switching around over the second half of the season, mainly as a result of injuries by others, he didn’t get a good sense of where he stood with the Rams. Was he a deluxe utilityman? Or a potential centerpiece of the line?
With the Rams’ season over, the business season begins. Deciding Saffold’s worth will be tricky. Is he a tackle? Is he a guard? The Rams obviously think he’s a guard. Fisher said as much 10 days ago.
“Rodger’s a tremendous athlete, and when healthy you could put him up there with some of the best in the league,” Fisher said at the time. “You would like to think his future’s probably at right guard. Or even left guard for that matter. But he plays the tackle position very well.”
As impressive as he played in those five starts at guard, that’s a small sample size. How much is that worth for the Rams, or somebody else?
“We think Rodger can play four different line positions at an exceptionally high level, as he proved this year,” said Alan Herman, Saffold’s agent. “He was absolutely dominating whenever he played guard. I think this puts him in an attractive situation as far as free agency.”
The Rams haven’t opened negotiations with Saffold. But it wouldn’t be surprising to see Saffold test the market.
“We look forward to exploring the market, and finding a spot where Rodger can contribute on a regular basis, play a specific position, and work to become an all-Pro player at that position,” Herman said.
Saffold obviously is the top priority among the Rams’ pending unrestricted free agents, and the Rams are the only ones who can negotiate with him until March. It would be extremely surprising to see the Rams place a franchise or transition tag on Saffold as a one-year stop-gap measure. Last year, the franchise tag was $9.8 million and the transition tag $8.7 million for an offensive lineman. That’s a ton of money.
In addition, Fisher mentioned two key words when he talked about Saffold’s athletic ability: when healthy. After playing and starting all 16 games as a rookie in 2010, Saffold missed 17 of 48 games from 2011 through 2013 because of injuries: seven games in ‘11, six games in ‘12, and four games this season. That must be factored into any contract discussions.
Saffold’s not the only issue on the offensive line. Left guard Chris Williams, the only member of the unit to start all 16 games this season, is scheduled for unrestricted free agency. So is Shelley Smith, a handy backup who started two games at right guard this year, and six games at guard (four left, two right) in 2012.
And what happens with veterans Scott Wells at center and Harvey Dahl at right guard? Wells, who turns 33 Jan. 7, missed the last four games of this season and nine last season because of injuries. He’s scheduled to count $6.5 million against the cap in 2014.
Dahl, who turns 33 in June, missed four games this year and two a year ago with injuries. In a contract renegotiated in September, he is scheduled to count $4 million against the salary cap in 2014, with $2 million coming in the form of a roster bonus payable at the start of the league year.
RAM-BLING
The Rams signed five players Tuesday to their offseason roster: WR Emory Blake, DE Mason Brodine, TE Justice Cunningham, OT Sean Hooey, and CB Darren Woodard. All were members of the team’s 2013 practice squad.
