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Rams still eyeing help at free safety in free agency
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/27835/rams-still-eyeing-help-at-free-safety
BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead is well aware of the void created by the departure of free safety Rodney McLeod to the Philadelphia Eagles on the opening day of free agency.
McLeod had been with the Rams for four years, and through that time the team developed him from undrafted rookie to special-teams contributor to starting free safety. But when McLeod hit free agency, his price tag went above and beyond what the Rams were willing to pay and he departed for Philadelphia with no obvious solution in house for the Rams.
On Monday evening, Snead talked about McLeod's departure and mentioned a couple of potential options the Rams have on the current roster.
"At safety, we liked when Maurice [Alexander] came in and played some last year when T.J. [McDonald] was down and we won some games with him starting at safety and Cody Davis showed some things in preseason that he might be more than just one of our better special-teamers," Snead said. "Over the years at that position we have drafted well, but more importantly we have developed. That’s been the coaching staff, that’s been the athletic performance staff and guess what, we are going to be called upon to do that again."
In other words, while players such as Davis and Alexander will be around and could get some looks, the Rams are still on the hunt for help on the back end of the defense. That help could come any number of ways, as this year's draft seems to have some decent options (think Boise State's Darian Thompson or LSU's Jalen Mills). But even though the free-agent shelves have been mostly picked over, that doesn't mean there aren't some options there, either.
"We will take a look at it in the draft and definitely take a look at that position as free agency goes," Snead said. "We have always tried to attack free agency, especially this time of year, a little bit like the draft board, it’s just a delayed draft. It’s not Thursday, Friday, Saturday. We get back from this event and you all of a sudden look back on the board and you go ‘Wait a minute, that guy is still available; let’s add him.’ It’s like a fifth, sixth, seventh-round draft choice. There’s a good bit of safeties who have had play time in the NFL. So we may look at a UFA and we may also look at it in the draft and go from there."
One possibility is Cincinnati's Reggie Nelson. Nelson tied for the most interceptions in the NFL in 2015 with eight and also had two fumble recoveries, 72 tackles and five pass breakups. The Rams have expressed at least some interest in Nelson, though the extent of that is unclear. At 32, it appears Nelson's age is working against him, but it's possible the price and length of a deal would be manageable for the Rams at this point in the process.
Aside from Nelson, there's not much left on the safety market. Philadelphia's Walter Thurmond is apparently considering retirement, but is still available, as is Arizona's Rashad Johnson, who recently visited the Tennessee Titans.
One way or another, it's a safe bet that the Rams will be adding help at free safety before this offseason is over.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/27835/rams-still-eyeing-help-at-free-safety
BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead is well aware of the void created by the departure of free safety Rodney McLeod to the Philadelphia Eagles on the opening day of free agency.
McLeod had been with the Rams for four years, and through that time the team developed him from undrafted rookie to special-teams contributor to starting free safety. But when McLeod hit free agency, his price tag went above and beyond what the Rams were willing to pay and he departed for Philadelphia with no obvious solution in house for the Rams.
On Monday evening, Snead talked about McLeod's departure and mentioned a couple of potential options the Rams have on the current roster.
"At safety, we liked when Maurice [Alexander] came in and played some last year when T.J. [McDonald] was down and we won some games with him starting at safety and Cody Davis showed some things in preseason that he might be more than just one of our better special-teamers," Snead said. "Over the years at that position we have drafted well, but more importantly we have developed. That’s been the coaching staff, that’s been the athletic performance staff and guess what, we are going to be called upon to do that again."
In other words, while players such as Davis and Alexander will be around and could get some looks, the Rams are still on the hunt for help on the back end of the defense. That help could come any number of ways, as this year's draft seems to have some decent options (think Boise State's Darian Thompson or LSU's Jalen Mills). But even though the free-agent shelves have been mostly picked over, that doesn't mean there aren't some options there, either.
"We will take a look at it in the draft and definitely take a look at that position as free agency goes," Snead said. "We have always tried to attack free agency, especially this time of year, a little bit like the draft board, it’s just a delayed draft. It’s not Thursday, Friday, Saturday. We get back from this event and you all of a sudden look back on the board and you go ‘Wait a minute, that guy is still available; let’s add him.’ It’s like a fifth, sixth, seventh-round draft choice. There’s a good bit of safeties who have had play time in the NFL. So we may look at a UFA and we may also look at it in the draft and go from there."
One possibility is Cincinnati's Reggie Nelson. Nelson tied for the most interceptions in the NFL in 2015 with eight and also had two fumble recoveries, 72 tackles and five pass breakups. The Rams have expressed at least some interest in Nelson, though the extent of that is unclear. At 32, it appears Nelson's age is working against him, but it's possible the price and length of a deal would be manageable for the Rams at this point in the process.
Aside from Nelson, there's not much left on the safety market. Philadelphia's Walter Thurmond is apparently considering retirement, but is still available, as is Arizona's Rashad Johnson, who recently visited the Tennessee Titans.
One way or another, it's a safe bet that the Rams will be adding help at free safety before this offseason is over.
