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With biggest question answered, Rams still have much to do
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...-question-answered-rams-still-have-much-to-do
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- When the clock struck zero on the Rams' 2015 season, they set forth into the offseason wilderness with plenty of uncertainty.
At the top of that list, of course, was where they were going to call home in the short and long term. After a two-year saga, that answer came last week in Houston when the NFL's owners approved the team's move from St. Louis to Los Angeles.
With that question resolved, the Rams must now set about figuring out solutions to the many other issues they face in the 2016 offseason. Let's take a look at what's next for the Los Angeles Rams:
Filling out the coaching staff: Rams coach Jeff Fisher has a lot on his plate at the moment, starting with hiring new members of his coaching staff. In the week after the season, the Rams announced they'd parted ways with running backs coach Ben Sirmans, receivers coach Ray Sherman, offensive assistant Jeff Garcia, assistant strength coach Adam Bailey and assistant special teams coach Paul Boudreau. That doesn't even include the previous openings they already had at offensive coordinator and/or tight ends coach following the late-season dismissal of former coordinator Frank Cignetti and subsequent promotion of tight ends coach Rob Boras to that post.
As expected, all signs point toward Boras becoming the the offensive coordinator though the Rams and Fisher haven't made that official yet. The Rams have poked around on outside candidates but it's believed those they've talked to, such as former Cleveland offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, would be for a job more in line with a passing game coordinator title.
With Boras likely to move up, the Rams have an opening for a tight ends coach, but ESPN Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky reported Sunday that outgoing Tennessee offensive coordinator Jason Michael is in line for that job. As for the other openings, it's unknown who the Rams are targeting for the receivers and running backs jobs. It's possible some of the assistant position coach spots might not be filled. The Rams had hoped to land Shawn Jefferson as receivers coach but he took the same job with the Miami Dolphins.
What about Fisher?: Fisher is still under contract for the 2016 season and is clearly going to return as the head coach and lead the Rams through their move to Los Angeles. But it's fairly rare -- though not unheard of -- for a coach to finish out his contract without at least some sort of short extension. For example, the New Yorks Jets signed coach Rex Ryan to a multi-year extension before the 2014 season to prevent him from a potential lame duck season. He still lost his job after the season but teams tend to want to avoid having such uncertainty with their coaches. While the Rams have a lot to do, it wouldn't be a surprise if Fisher got a little more security at some point this offseason.
Roster decisions await: The Rams figure to have plenty of salary cap space heading toward free agency, space they'll need in order to sign some of their own free agents (and there are many). But they'll also have some opportunities to create more cap space by taking a look at letting go of some costly veterans. While immediate decisions don't have to be made, the Rams could take a hard look at high-priced guys like end Chris Long, tight end Jared Cook, guard Rodger Saffold and receiver Kenny Britt. And they'll also have to figure out what to do with quarterback Nick Foles, who wouldn't save them money against the cap but holds a roster spot that could be needed for an upgrade at the position.
Free agent frenzy: The Rams have a large free-agent class this offseason with many of their key defensive players set to become unrestricted free agents. That includes cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins, safeties Mark Barron and Rodney McLeod and defensive ends William Hayes and Eugene Sims. On offense, quarterback Case Keenum is a restricted free agent. And there are other contributors set to test the waters. At this point, it's hard to imagine that the unrestricted players won't just wait and see what they can get on the open market. The Rams also could potentially be prepared to use the franchise or transition tag for the first time since 2009 if they are concerned with losing one of their top guys and want to protect themselves while negotiating a long-term contract.
Making the move: The Rams plan to continue day-to-day business in St. Louis through the end of March with a targeted April departure for Los Angeles. Over the next week, most of the team's in-house employees will be presented with their options and the team will continue to seek out temporary homes in the L.A. area. One scenario would see the Rams handling most of the offseason program in Oxnard before moving out to make way for the Dallas Cowboys in July. The Rams are still exploring options for where they would go after that and are also looking into finalizing a place to begin construction on a more permanent home for their practice facilities and business operations. In the meantime, Rams coaches and scouting staff will be going about business as usual with upcoming events such as the Senior Bowl and scouting combine.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...-question-answered-rams-still-have-much-to-do
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- When the clock struck zero on the Rams' 2015 season, they set forth into the offseason wilderness with plenty of uncertainty.
At the top of that list, of course, was where they were going to call home in the short and long term. After a two-year saga, that answer came last week in Houston when the NFL's owners approved the team's move from St. Louis to Los Angeles.
With that question resolved, the Rams must now set about figuring out solutions to the many other issues they face in the 2016 offseason. Let's take a look at what's next for the Los Angeles Rams:
Filling out the coaching staff: Rams coach Jeff Fisher has a lot on his plate at the moment, starting with hiring new members of his coaching staff. In the week after the season, the Rams announced they'd parted ways with running backs coach Ben Sirmans, receivers coach Ray Sherman, offensive assistant Jeff Garcia, assistant strength coach Adam Bailey and assistant special teams coach Paul Boudreau. That doesn't even include the previous openings they already had at offensive coordinator and/or tight ends coach following the late-season dismissal of former coordinator Frank Cignetti and subsequent promotion of tight ends coach Rob Boras to that post.
As expected, all signs point toward Boras becoming the the offensive coordinator though the Rams and Fisher haven't made that official yet. The Rams have poked around on outside candidates but it's believed those they've talked to, such as former Cleveland offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, would be for a job more in line with a passing game coordinator title.
With Boras likely to move up, the Rams have an opening for a tight ends coach, but ESPN Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky reported Sunday that outgoing Tennessee offensive coordinator Jason Michael is in line for that job. As for the other openings, it's unknown who the Rams are targeting for the receivers and running backs jobs. It's possible some of the assistant position coach spots might not be filled. The Rams had hoped to land Shawn Jefferson as receivers coach but he took the same job with the Miami Dolphins.
What about Fisher?: Fisher is still under contract for the 2016 season and is clearly going to return as the head coach and lead the Rams through their move to Los Angeles. But it's fairly rare -- though not unheard of -- for a coach to finish out his contract without at least some sort of short extension. For example, the New Yorks Jets signed coach Rex Ryan to a multi-year extension before the 2014 season to prevent him from a potential lame duck season. He still lost his job after the season but teams tend to want to avoid having such uncertainty with their coaches. While the Rams have a lot to do, it wouldn't be a surprise if Fisher got a little more security at some point this offseason.
Roster decisions await: The Rams figure to have plenty of salary cap space heading toward free agency, space they'll need in order to sign some of their own free agents (and there are many). But they'll also have some opportunities to create more cap space by taking a look at letting go of some costly veterans. While immediate decisions don't have to be made, the Rams could take a hard look at high-priced guys like end Chris Long, tight end Jared Cook, guard Rodger Saffold and receiver Kenny Britt. And they'll also have to figure out what to do with quarterback Nick Foles, who wouldn't save them money against the cap but holds a roster spot that could be needed for an upgrade at the position.
Free agent frenzy: The Rams have a large free-agent class this offseason with many of their key defensive players set to become unrestricted free agents. That includes cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins, safeties Mark Barron and Rodney McLeod and defensive ends William Hayes and Eugene Sims. On offense, quarterback Case Keenum is a restricted free agent. And there are other contributors set to test the waters. At this point, it's hard to imagine that the unrestricted players won't just wait and see what they can get on the open market. The Rams also could potentially be prepared to use the franchise or transition tag for the first time since 2009 if they are concerned with losing one of their top guys and want to protect themselves while negotiating a long-term contract.
Making the move: The Rams plan to continue day-to-day business in St. Louis through the end of March with a targeted April departure for Los Angeles. Over the next week, most of the team's in-house employees will be presented with their options and the team will continue to seek out temporary homes in the L.A. area. One scenario would see the Rams handling most of the offseason program in Oxnard before moving out to make way for the Dallas Cowboys in July. The Rams are still exploring options for where they would go after that and are also looking into finalizing a place to begin construction on a more permanent home for their practice facilities and business operations. In the meantime, Rams coaches and scouting staff will be going about business as usual with upcoming events such as the Senior Bowl and scouting combine.
