New Additions

Written By: Anthony Bafaro

First off, I was Wrong: In my previous post I wrote, “…and there’s only $20 million left (still have to sign draft picks with that).”  This was wrong for two reasons.  First, Finnegan’s 2012 cap figure was originally reported to be $10 million.  It has since been revealed that his 2012 cap figure will be $6 million and his 2013 cap figure will be $15 million.  Additionally, separate cap space had been earmarked for draft picks prior to free agency, so after the Finnegan signing, the Rams still had about $24 million to use.

Rams Sign Two, Lose Out on a Few:  The Rams came to terms with C Scott Wells and DE/DT Kendall Langford, but were unable to sign DT Jason Jones, WR Mario Manningham, or QB Shaun Hill, who all signed with the Seahawks, 49ers, and Lions respectively.

The 31-year-old Wells signed a 4-year, $24 million deal with $13 million in guaranteed money.  Ten million of the guaranteed $13 million is contained in the first two years of his deal—another efficiently structured contract for cap-captain Kevin Demoff .  Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranked Wells 2^nd among all C’s in pass-blocking and 4^th among all C’s in run-blocking during the 2011 season.  Beyond the solid saber-metrics, Wells is known for his ability to recognize defenses and instruct line-mates.  Those attributes are key for a team with a young QB, and make the possibility of starting a rookie at LG less worrisome.

Langford, 26 years-old, signed a 4-year, $24 million deal with $12 million in guaranteed money.  Langford is not the disruptive force that Jones is, but does add some much-needed youth to the DT position.  He’s a versatile lineman that’s serviceable as a run-defender or a pass-rusher on any given play.  Last year, Langford was 6^th among all 3-4 DE’s with 25 QB pressures.  PFF ranked him 28^th last year among all 3-4 DE’s in run defense, but that may have been a product of defensive design—emphasizing his role as a pass-rusher.  They ranked him in the top-ten in run defense from 2008-2010, and he referred to himself as “a dominate run stopper.”

Holes Yet to be Filled:  The team still has major holes at LG—Kevin Hughes, Right DT—Jermelle Cudjo, Strongside LB—Josh Hull, and Weakside LB—Justin Cole.  Additionally, they’ve yet to make a move to improve the receiving core.  The first phase of free agency is about going after impact players.  If they don’t think any of the players left on the market fit that definition, they can still go into the draft with a “best player available” approach, and find role players in post-draft free agency.  Not only is the pool likely to be strengthened by some post-draft cuts, but many of the current free agents may have their ego’s properly checked by a lack of offers, and thus be willing to sign at a cheaper rate.



Twitter Box:
@_RobertKeith_: "Are the Rams going to LA in 2013 or 2014?"
Assuming all legislation goes through without a hitch, Farmers Field (the new L.A. stadium) will likely be ready for the 2017 season.  It is possible that a team would move prior to the stadium being completed, though doing so would mean sharing The Coliseum with the USC Trojans until Farmers Field is finished.  Sure, the Rams might go there; or the Chargers might go there; or the NFL might grant L.A. an expansion team or two--perhaps the most likely scenario.  We'll know a lot more about the Rams possibilities in the coming months as negotiations between the Rams and the CVC develop.

@ilikepuppies666: "What do you figure about Mike Wallace?  Worth a second round pick?"
I love Mike Wallace, and I'd love to trade a 2nd round pick to get him.  Unfortunately, that's not an option.  The Steelers put a high tender on him, so they have the luxury of either keeping him next year for a mere $2.74 million, or being compensated with a 1st round pick from any team that makes him a better offer--another reason drafting well is so important.  If he was the last piece of the puzzle and we were picking at the bottom of the first round it would certainly warrant consideration, but it doesn't make sense right now.