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The St. Louis Rams’ offense shined at times during the 2014 season, but it didn’t happen often partially due to the ineffectiveness of the offensive line. Free agency is set to begin on March 10 so here’s five offensive linemen that general manager Les Snead should consider:
1. Guard Mike Iupati: Admittedly, Iupati may be the most coveted player on this list. The San Francisco 49ers will be tempted to use their franchise tag and even if they don’t, they will try to resign him by any means necessary. The next challenge is keeping other teams from overspending on Iupati. No doubt the guard position price tag has increased recently and will continue to skyrocket.
But is Iupati worth the potentially enormous contract? Without a doubt. Iupati was one of the main reasons why the 49ers had a decent running game. That said, he did struggle at times with pass blocking. Regardless, he would be an instant upgrade over Davin Joseph. However, there is a limit with the Rams. If his contract exceeds that of fellow guard Rodger Saffold, don’t count on the Rams signing him.
2. Center Rodney Hudson: The Rams need to replace the entire right side of the offensive line including the center position. The most consistent free agent center is easily Hudson. While he may not be known to many fans, he is undoubtedly recognized by many front offices. The Chiefs will most likely not franchise tag him with guys like Dwayne Bowe and Justin Houston hitting free agency too, but they will attempt to keep him in Kansas City.
Centers traditionally aren’t as expensive as guards and tackles but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Hudson becomes the highest paid center in the league. It may be in the Rams interest to pay him though since the center position ultimately delegates directions to the rest of the offensive line. The Rams could draft one, but it could be a tall order to ask a rookie to become the leader of the offensive line.
3. Guard Ronald Leary: The amount of quality guards in free agency is pretty limited too. If the Rams don’t want to break the bank, then they should avoid big name free agents like Orlando Franklin, Clint Boling and even Iupati (No matter how tempting they all are.). Leary could actually be one of the more realistic offensive linemen the Rams could sign. The reason is simple and that’s because the Cowboys have way too many free agents. Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to their free agents.
Leary isn’t as consistent as Iupati but some credit has to be given to him with Murray having one of the best seasons of his career and Tony Romo shining at times too. While he could easily contribute more than Joseph did, he still isn’t worth overspending on. If the Rams cannot reach a reasonable contract with him, they may as well place the money elsewhere and look towards the draft.
4. Center Stefen Wisniewski: As mentioned earlier, it’s almost imperative that the Rams find a quality veteran center, which was the thought process when signing Scott Wells. Unfortunately, Wells was in the latter half of his career. Wisniewski fits the bill pretty well, while he isn’t nearly as talented as Hudson, he could come at a much cheaper price and still is talented too. The Oakland Raiders don’t have many talented free agents hitting the market, so expect them to fight for Wisniewski to keep their investment in quarterback Derek Carr intact.
5. Guard Joe Reitz: Reitz is probably the riskiest free agent on the list, because it’s hard to be sure what a team is getting out of him. Reitz was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 2011 as a tackle. He didn’t cut it as a tackle and switched over to guard. While he hasn’t been overly impressive, he is a quality guard when healthy. This is where the investment may be too risky since he has been battling many injuries; the most recent being ankle injuries and concussions. If the Rams were to sign Reitz, it may be beneficial to sign a quality backup or draft a young guard.
Some readers may have gone through this list thinking I forgot about a tackle and I didn’t. The reality is the Rams don’t have much cap space and they simply can’t afford a talented free agent tackle. Even Rams’ free agent Joe Barksdale will likely cost too much to bring back next season. It’s more affordable to draft another tackle.
Source: Pro-sports-reference.com
You can follow Johnny Gomez on Twitter @Johnny5not6. Be sure to follow Rams Talk on Twitter @TalkRams.
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The St. Louis Rams’ offense shined at times during the 2014 season, but it didn’t happen often partially due to the ineffectiveness of the offensive line. Free agency is set to begin on March 10 so here’s five offensive linemen that general manager Les Snead should consider:
1. Guard Mike Iupati: Admittedly, Iupati may be the most coveted player on this list. The San Francisco 49ers will be tempted to use their franchise tag and even if they don’t, they will try to resign him by any means necessary. The next challenge is keeping other teams from overspending on Iupati. No doubt the guard position price tag has increased recently and will continue to skyrocket.
But is Iupati worth the potentially enormous contract? Without a doubt. Iupati was one of the main reasons why the 49ers had a decent running game. That said, he did struggle at times with pass blocking. Regardless, he would be an instant upgrade over Davin Joseph. However, there is a limit with the Rams. If his contract exceeds that of fellow guard Rodger Saffold, don’t count on the Rams signing him.
2. Center Rodney Hudson: The Rams need to replace the entire right side of the offensive line including the center position. The most consistent free agent center is easily Hudson. While he may not be known to many fans, he is undoubtedly recognized by many front offices. The Chiefs will most likely not franchise tag him with guys like Dwayne Bowe and Justin Houston hitting free agency too, but they will attempt to keep him in Kansas City.
Centers traditionally aren’t as expensive as guards and tackles but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Hudson becomes the highest paid center in the league. It may be in the Rams interest to pay him though since the center position ultimately delegates directions to the rest of the offensive line. The Rams could draft one, but it could be a tall order to ask a rookie to become the leader of the offensive line.
3. Guard Ronald Leary: The amount of quality guards in free agency is pretty limited too. If the Rams don’t want to break the bank, then they should avoid big name free agents like Orlando Franklin, Clint Boling and even Iupati (No matter how tempting they all are.). Leary could actually be one of the more realistic offensive linemen the Rams could sign. The reason is simple and that’s because the Cowboys have way too many free agents. Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to their free agents.
Leary isn’t as consistent as Iupati but some credit has to be given to him with Murray having one of the best seasons of his career and Tony Romo shining at times too. While he could easily contribute more than Joseph did, he still isn’t worth overspending on. If the Rams cannot reach a reasonable contract with him, they may as well place the money elsewhere and look towards the draft.
4. Center Stefen Wisniewski: As mentioned earlier, it’s almost imperative that the Rams find a quality veteran center, which was the thought process when signing Scott Wells. Unfortunately, Wells was in the latter half of his career. Wisniewski fits the bill pretty well, while he isn’t nearly as talented as Hudson, he could come at a much cheaper price and still is talented too. The Oakland Raiders don’t have many talented free agents hitting the market, so expect them to fight for Wisniewski to keep their investment in quarterback Derek Carr intact.
5. Guard Joe Reitz: Reitz is probably the riskiest free agent on the list, because it’s hard to be sure what a team is getting out of him. Reitz was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 2011 as a tackle. He didn’t cut it as a tackle and switched over to guard. While he hasn’t been overly impressive, he is a quality guard when healthy. This is where the investment may be too risky since he has been battling many injuries; the most recent being ankle injuries and concussions. If the Rams were to sign Reitz, it may be beneficial to sign a quality backup or draft a young guard.
Some readers may have gone through this list thinking I forgot about a tackle and I didn’t. The reality is the Rams don’t have much cap space and they simply can’t afford a talented free agent tackle. Even Rams’ free agent Joe Barksdale will likely cost too much to bring back next season. It’s more affordable to draft another tackle.
Source: Pro-sports-reference.com
You can follow Johnny Gomez on Twitter @Johnny5not6. Be sure to follow Rams Talk on Twitter @TalkRams.
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