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Rams free-agent preview: Wide receivers
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/16642/rams-free-agent-preview-wide-receivers
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The free-agent market is scheduled to open March 10 and teams may begin negotiations with those poised to hit the market beginning March 7. We'll count down to that with a position-by-position look at what the St. Louis Rams have in place, who is set to hit the market, what they might need and who might fit the bill.
Under contract: Tavon Austin, Brian Quick, Stedman Bailey, Chris Givens, Damian Williams, Devon Wylie, Emory Blake
Pending free agents: Kenny Britt
What's needed: The Rams have invested heavily in the position since Jeff Fisher and Les Snead arrived in 2012. In fact, all of the wideouts listed above have been acquire in the past three-plus years. But the Rams' receivers have still ranked near the bottom of the league in production in that time. Some of that is due to a quarterback situation that has yielded little in the way of consistency and some of it has been the group's relative youth. Just how much talent the Rams have on hand with this group is still up for debate, though. Quick flashed plenty of potential in the opening weeks of the 2014 season before a serious shoulder injury ended his season against Kansas City. Britt began to emerge after that and became the first Rams pass-catcher to surpass 700 yards receiving since Torry Holt in 2008. That's not exactly the standard for a receiver but it at least offered something resembling progress. Austin has been best as a punt returner and had some success in various uses in 2014 but still hasn't lived up to his draft status. Bailey has flashed potential but so far been unable to consistently produce in part because of inconsistent opportunities. Givens is probably on his last chance after being relegated mostly to a limited role last season. The Rams could use help here but how much will depend on what becomes of Britt and how Quick recovers. They want to keep Britt and he wants to stay while Quick is working his way back but will take some time. Some might want to add a top-tier receiver here and that would be understandable but if Britt departs, that want becomes a need.
Possible fits: Forget about the top guys like Dallas' Dez Bryant and Denver's Demaryius Thomas. They're not going anywhere. It's likely that Green Bay's Randall Cobb and Philadelphia's Jeremy Maclin also stay at home. Though, if they hit the market, they'll be coveted by many teams. The same is true of Baltimore's Torrey Smith. Maclin would have plenty of appeal to Rams fans since he's a local kid and has been productive but he has an injury history that might scare some teams off. This could be a buyer's market for teams in search of receivers with other names like Michael Crabtree also available and the real possibility of guys like Brandon Marshall, Vincent Jackson, Mike Wallace and others could be released.
Verdict: In theory, if the Rams were to lose Britt, they should have no shortage of options to replace him or they could opt to go the draft route. But for the very reason that the Rams should have no problem finding a replacement, they should be able to keep him. The market just might not be that strong for receivers because there could be so many available. Britt has had his greatest successes under Fisher and in the end, the guess here is that the sides work out a deal to bring him back and the Rams bet on the rest of their young wideouts to take another step forward.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/16642/rams-free-agent-preview-wide-receivers
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The free-agent market is scheduled to open March 10 and teams may begin negotiations with those poised to hit the market beginning March 7. We'll count down to that with a position-by-position look at what the St. Louis Rams have in place, who is set to hit the market, what they might need and who might fit the bill.
Under contract: Tavon Austin, Brian Quick, Stedman Bailey, Chris Givens, Damian Williams, Devon Wylie, Emory Blake
Pending free agents: Kenny Britt
What's needed: The Rams have invested heavily in the position since Jeff Fisher and Les Snead arrived in 2012. In fact, all of the wideouts listed above have been acquire in the past three-plus years. But the Rams' receivers have still ranked near the bottom of the league in production in that time. Some of that is due to a quarterback situation that has yielded little in the way of consistency and some of it has been the group's relative youth. Just how much talent the Rams have on hand with this group is still up for debate, though. Quick flashed plenty of potential in the opening weeks of the 2014 season before a serious shoulder injury ended his season against Kansas City. Britt began to emerge after that and became the first Rams pass-catcher to surpass 700 yards receiving since Torry Holt in 2008. That's not exactly the standard for a receiver but it at least offered something resembling progress. Austin has been best as a punt returner and had some success in various uses in 2014 but still hasn't lived up to his draft status. Bailey has flashed potential but so far been unable to consistently produce in part because of inconsistent opportunities. Givens is probably on his last chance after being relegated mostly to a limited role last season. The Rams could use help here but how much will depend on what becomes of Britt and how Quick recovers. They want to keep Britt and he wants to stay while Quick is working his way back but will take some time. Some might want to add a top-tier receiver here and that would be understandable but if Britt departs, that want becomes a need.
Possible fits: Forget about the top guys like Dallas' Dez Bryant and Denver's Demaryius Thomas. They're not going anywhere. It's likely that Green Bay's Randall Cobb and Philadelphia's Jeremy Maclin also stay at home. Though, if they hit the market, they'll be coveted by many teams. The same is true of Baltimore's Torrey Smith. Maclin would have plenty of appeal to Rams fans since he's a local kid and has been productive but he has an injury history that might scare some teams off. This could be a buyer's market for teams in search of receivers with other names like Michael Crabtree also available and the real possibility of guys like Brandon Marshall, Vincent Jackson, Mike Wallace and others could be released.
Verdict: In theory, if the Rams were to lose Britt, they should have no shortage of options to replace him or they could opt to go the draft route. But for the very reason that the Rams should have no problem finding a replacement, they should be able to keep him. The market just might not be that strong for receivers because there could be so many available. Britt has had his greatest successes under Fisher and in the end, the guess here is that the sides work out a deal to bring him back and the Rams bet on the rest of their young wideouts to take another step forward.