After almost two weeks of no moves the Rams looked like they were not to keen on any free agents this year. But, in true Snead and Fisher form, after most of the big name free agents got big contracts the Rams decided to go bargain shopping. This class of free agency includes resigns Rodger Saffold and JoLonn Dunbar along with out-of-house free agents Alex Carrington, Kenny Britt, Shaun Hill, and Greg Reid. Let’s dive in and look at each signing

Rodger Saffold – 5-years / 31.7 million (19.5 million guaranteed)

The contract the Rams were able to workout with Saffold after he “failed” the Raiders physical is much less then he would have got in the open market. There should not be much concern about his failed physical with the Raiders because the Rams staff knows the extent of Saffold’s injury more in depth then the Raiders and it is very likely that Oakland did not pass him on the physical once they got cold feet on his ridiculous 40+ million dollar deal. Saffold has the ability to play four out of five of the positions on the offensive line at an above average level and can play right guard or right tackle at an elite level. Saffold’s resign gives the Rams lots of options on what they want to do in the draft and among the offensive line. My grade for this sign is a B. The only reason that holds me back from a higher grade is Saffold’s questionable loyalty and motivation, as he wants to start at left tackle.

JoLonn Dunbar – 2-years / 2.1 million (128k guaranteed)

The JoLonn Dunbar resign was the most underrated move of the Rams offseason. Gregg Williams has ties to Dunbar in New Orleans and loves his skill set in his defense. With only 128k of Dunbar’s contract guaranteed, it keeps the risk for the Rams very low. Most of the money in this contract is tied up in playing time incentives, which gives Dunbar an incentive to keep his noise clean and work on his game to get on the field. My grade for this sign is an A+. If Dunbar flops and can’t stay out of trouble the Rams take almost no hit at all, if Dunbar works out and plays at the level he his capable of the Rams get an outstanding linebacker for very little money.

Alex Carrington – 1-year / 1.5 million (1 million guaranteed)

It’s hard to get too excited about the Alex Carrington signing. Carrington was brought in on a one-year deal almost strictly for depth purposes. What you do have to like about Carrington is he can play the defensive end or tackle position so, depending on what happens in the draft he could find himself a little playing time on the interior defensive line. My grade for this sign is a C+. Carrington may have some untapped potential but the price tag is a little too much for a player of his current skill set.

Kenny Britt – 1-year / 1.4 million (550k guaranteed)

Did the Rams just find their new number one receiver? Personally, I think they did. This is essentially a one year “prove it” deal. If Britt comes out and produces at the level of a number one receiver he could be looking at a huge extension. Britt’s a legit big receiver threat on the outside, the first one St. Louis has had in a very long time. Even though Britt carries off the field baggage, Fisher has a history of turning guys like this around and Britt worked very well with Fisher in Tennessee. What most people may fail to realize about this sign is that it is actually more about Tavon Austin then it is Kenny Britt. With Britt’s big body demanding attention outside and Jared Cook working as a possession threat, this opens up the middle of the field for Tavon Austin to get the ball in space. My grade for this sign is a B mainly because of what this sign means for Austin. The main downside of this sign is Britt’s knee problems could potentially be an issue.

Shaun Hill 1-year / 1.75 million (guaranteed money not released yet)

This sign is an automatic upgrade from Kellen Clemmons. Shaun Hill is a proven veteran back up and can a win this team a few games in gritty fashion is if Sam Bradford goes down. The Rams need to draft a developmental back up quarterback in the later rounds of this draft, and Shaun Hill gives the Rams a great mentor for both Bradford and this future quarterback. Make no mistake though; Shaun Hill will not challenge Bradford for the starting spot. The money is right for this kind of deal. My grade for this sign is an A.

Greg Reid 3-years / 1.53 million (no guaranteed money)

If JoLonn Dunbar’s resign was the most underrated sign of the Rams offseason then Greg Reid was the most interesting sign of the offseason. This is a no-risk, high-reward situation for St. Louis. Reid’s contract has no guaranteed money so St. Louis can virtually cut him whenever they want and lose nothing. Reid was a former cornerback and returner standout at Florida State. After too torn ACL’s and some run-ins with the law he found himself out of the game. Reid performed at FSU’s pro day and a lot of scouts think that he out performed projected first round pick Lamarcus Joyner. By taking a flyer on Reid the Rams might find an elite corner for almost no money what so ever. Once again, Fisher has a history of turning guys like this around. Even though Reid is a project player he could see playing time immediately at CB3. My grade for this sign is an A+ because it carries no risk and could have a huge payoff.

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If you ask any NFL fan who the best defensive lines in NFL history were your going to hear The Purple People Eaters (1968-1974 Vikings), The Steel Curtain (1972-1980 Steelers), The New York Sack Exchange (1979-1983 Jets), or simply the 1985 Bears. But, one unit stands above the rest of these historic defensive lines; The Fearsome Foursome or the 1963-1967 Rams. Led by Deacon Jones, this defensive line also contained Rosey Grier, Lamar Lundy, and Merlin Olsen. But, what if I told you the Rams have the chance to add another unit to this historic list of defensive lines? Yes, it’s possible.

For starters, for this to be possible, we are going to assume the Rams cannot move out of the number two pick and they take Jadeveon Clowney with the number two overall pick. A lot of people are saying that if the Rams draft Clowney they would groom him behind Long and Quinn and for a few years. This is absolutely the wrong approach. Clowney is NFL ready and needs to be put into the starting line up immediately. Obviously, Robert Quinn isn’t losing his starting spot but that doesn’t mean that Chris Long is going to be riding the bench. Long is talented enough and big enough to move inside and play alongside Michael Brockers. Long’s size paired with speed would give guards and centers a nightmare and he would also be rotated into the defensive end rotation as well. This means William Hayes and Kendal Langford are backups that will see the field a lot, and both of these guys have a lot of talent. Not saying that right off the bat a lineup of Quinn, Brockers, Long, and Clowney should be dubbed the next great defensive line but they certainly have the talent level to achieve this label at some point.

Not only would this defensive line be on of the most tantalizing in the NFL, with a linebacking core consisting of Ogletree, Laurinaitis, and Dunbar, and a defensive backfield that consists of Jenkins, Johnson, McDonald, and potentially Clinton-Dix; this could be the most feared defense in the NFL. Gregg Williams would be at the helm of a defensive with an extremely athletic defensive line, a very solid linebacking core, and a big play secondary. This would allow Williams to get very creative with formations, blitzes, and coverage. Williams could potentially cook up some things the NFL has never seen before with a talent like Clowney.

What it essentially comes down to is if Chris Long can play inside and Jadeveon Clowney plays up to his potential, we could see a scary defensive line along with one of the best defenses in the NFL.

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It’s always fun when your team goes out in the off season, acquires a big name player, and then you spend the rest of the off season in anticipation about how this big name free agent is going to contribute in the coming season. This off season has been a particularly dull one for Rams fans compared to the two previous off seasons. Even though it may not be fun and flashy, the Rams missing out on the free agents they’re targeting is actually a very good sign.

Missing out on the free agents that Snead and Fisher have decided to bring in means that this team is committed to the future and has a long term plan. Everybody got their hopes up when Snead decided to bring in names like Jarius Byrd, Alterraun Verner, Henry Melton, and others for negotiations. On the outside it looked like the Rams were ready to make some major moves, on the inside though Snead and Fisher were just bargain shopping. Management put a price tag on each of these players and decided what their value is and were committed to not over paying them. They stuck firm to their values and did not buy into spending big to win now.

It always seems like this team is just on year away, but what we have to remember is Snead has only had two drafts under his belt. In just these two drafts, Saint Louis has picked up Tavon Austin, Alec Ogletree, TJ McDonald, Stedman Bailey, Zac Stacy, Michael Brockers, Janoris Jenkins, Trumaine Johnson, Chris Givens, Greg Zuerlein, and Daryl Richardson. This does not even include project players like Barrett Jones and Brian Quick who we are still waiting to see if they work out. That means out of Snead’s last 17 picks, 13 of these picks have turned into outstanding, solid, or project players. That means 76% percent of Snead’s picks have worked out. That’s an outstanding percentage in a league where around 50% of draft picks working out is considered a success.

The bottom line is that building through the draft takes time. Fans may not want to be patient and wait for Snead to get four or five drafts in but that is how a team builds a dynasty. Building through the draft and then using your cap space to retain talent is the way to go in this league. If you’re a Rams fan that’s feeling some free agent frustration, just trust Snead, he knows what he’s doing.

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