Rams' loss of free agents makes secondary a primary concern

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  • March 23, 2016 at 10:18 am #40946
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    Rams’ loss of free agents makes secondary a primary concern

    By Rich Hammond

    http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rams-709288-season-last.html

    The Rams appeared to be young, productive and full of potential at defensive back. Then came March.

    Free agency burned the Rams’ secondary worse than any opposing quarterback. On the same day last week, starting cornerback Janoris Jenkins left for a mega-deal with the New York Giants and starting free safety Rodney McLeod signed with Philadelphia. The Rams desired to keep both, but the open market won.

    Within a few hours, the Rams lost half their secondary, a group it had carefully constructed through the draft (and the shrewd signing of the undrafted McLeod). Now the Rams must rely on depth at defensive back.

    “We’ve drafted well there,” Coach Jeff Fisher said recently. “They’ve produced.”

    Indeed, the website Pro Football Focus used statistical models to claim that the Rams had the NFL’s fifth-best secondary in 2015, even though the Rams ranked among the bottom one-third of the league in opponents’ completion percentage (66.8) and average passing yards per game against (254.1).

    “I feel like, for part of (the 2015) season, that we were one of the better secondaries in the league,” said starting safety T.J. McDonald, a former USC standout. “We felt confident going into every game, no matter what quarterback we were facing, so coming into next season we have high expectations for ourselves.”

    The Rams’ four primary starters in the secondary were age 27 or younger, and the group increasingly made progress last season in spite of injuries to key contributors. Now, some retooling will be required.

    It won’t be easy to replace Jenkins, a four-year starter at cornerback who totaled 10 interceptions in 60 games. Pro Football Focus ranked Jenkins as the 14th-best cornerback in the NFL last season.

    Here’s the good news: Trumaine Johnson ranked 12th. That’s why, with both cornerbacks facing unrestricted free agency this month, the Rams chose to apply their one-year “franchise” tag to Johnson and keep him.

    Johnson, the Rams’ third-round pick in 2012, was a part-time starter in his first three seasons, in part because of injuries, but in 2015 he accounted for seven of the Rams’ 11 interceptions and was an under-the-radar star.

    Asked, at the end of the season, about his improvement, Johnson said, “Just consistency. It was a rough year (in 2014), with getting hurt and only playing two months. This was my first complete season. I was glad to come out cool.”

    The Rams don’t have a perfect answer when it comes to Jenkins’ replacement, but they have plentiful options, and those options contain plenty of motivation.

    Start with E.J. Gaines, the 2014 sixth-round pick who started 15 games in 2014 but missed all of last season because of a foot injury. Versatile defensive back Lamarcus Joyner finished fourth on the Rams last season with 72 tackles. Free-agent addition Coty Sensabaugh started for Tennessee last season.

    Perhaps nobody in that group can replace Jenkins individually, but collectively, the Rams should have enough, both to defend the outside and slot receivers. Plus, Johnson could improve even more.

    The situation at safety is more complicated. McDonald, who had shoulder surgery late last season, is a stalwart and again should be a defensive leader, but there’s no natural replacement for McLeod.

    The Rams’ internal depth at safety includes Cody Davis and Christian Bryant, both of whom have thrived in special-teams work but neither of whom has proved anything against an NFL offense.

    Maurice Alexander capably filled in for McDonald at strong safety near the end of last season, but it would take a huge leap in confidence for the Rams to think Alexander, at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, could thrive at free safety. More likely, the Rams will look to the draft, a trade or free agency to improve their depth here.

    Last month, General Manager Les Snead said “Priority A” for his offseason was to bring back the Rams’ secondary intact. Snead went 1 for 3, but the Rams hope health and depth will compensate for the free-agency losses.

    “We’re coming along,” Gaines told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at the end of last season. “The young guys back there are coming along. I’m just hoping we can get everybody back and healthy for next season.”

    ==================
    RAMS DEFENSIVE BACKS

    2015 starters: CB Trumaine Johnson (13 starts), CB Janoris Jenkins (15 starts), S T.J. McDonald (11 starts), S Rodney McLeod (16 starts)
    Others: CB Lamarcus Joyner (6 starts), CB E.J. Gaines (injured in 2015), S Cody Davis, S Maurice Alexander (5 starts)

    Contract status: Jenkins and McLeod left via free agency, for the New York Giants and Philadelphia, respectively, but the Rams retained Johnson through a one-year “franchise tag” and a guaranteed one-year contract worth $13.95 million. The Rams signed cornerback Coty Sensabaugh for depth, and McDonald will be entering the final year of his contract.

    Biggest strength: Jenkins’ loss will hurt at cornerback, but the Rams have a strong No. 1 corner in Johnson and plenty of depth. Gaines, Joyner and Sensabaugh all have been NFL starters. The best-case scenario, and a reasonable one, is that Gaines can replace Jenkins, Joyner can handle slot receivers and Sensabaugh can be a versatile complement.
    Biggest weakness: Who is going to play free safety? It seems improbable that the Rams would hand the starting job to either Davis, Alexander or special-teams contributor Christian Bryant, but they don’t have any other options unless they move Joyner, a former college safety, back to that spot. The Rams were smart not to overpay to keep McLeod, but now they need an answer.

    Help in the draft: Keanu Neal (Florida), S; Karl Joseph (West Virginia), S; Vonn Bell (Ohio State), S; Darian Thompson (Boise State), S; Jeremy Cash (Duke), S.

    By the numbers: Jenkins, Johnson and McDonald all missed time with injuries, which is why the Rams’ pass-defense stats in 2015 appeared weaker than is probably fair. Opponents tested the Rams a fair amount, as they averaged 37.3 pass attempts per game against the Rams (the NFL’s 11th-highest total). The Rams ranked 28th in opponents’ completion percentage (66.8) but held opponents to an average quarterback rating of 90.4, 16th in the NFL

    April 2, 2016 at 8:08 pm #41368
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    After initial plans on defensive backs fall through, the Rams are trying to regroup

    Gary Klein

    http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-rams-defensive-backs-20160403-story.html

    The third in a series of occasional stories on the Rams’ depth by position, as the team prepares for the April 28-30 NFL draft. Today, the defensive backs:

    There would be no question about status of the Rams’ secondary if the team’s brain trust had executed its proclaimed off-season strategy of re-signing four key free agents.

    The team put the near $14-million-per-year franchise tag on cornerback Trumaine Johnson and re-signed safety-linebacker Mark Barron to a five-year contract reportedly worth $45 million, but cornerback Janoris Jenkins signed a huge deal with the New York Giants and safety Rodney McLeod joined the Philadelphia Eagles.

    So, half of the group that the Rams drafted or signed and developed the last four years will compete against them next season.

    See the most-read stories in Sports this hour >>
    “This is the first time since we’ve been here… we’ve had to deal with unrestricted free agency,” said Coach Jeff Fisher, who is preparing for his fifth season with the Rams. “Try and keep them all … you can’t.”

    Fisher said the Rams and Jenkins “were a lot closer than people think” to working out a deal. The Giants reportedly gave Jenkins a five-year, $62-million contract.

    “I spoke to him several times during the process and prior to the process,” Fisher said. “I expected that we were going to get things worked out. And then the money did take off. The market was there.”

    General Manager Les Snead declined to provide specifics when asked why the team chose to franchise Johnson rather than Jenkins. But Johnson, 26, now appears to be the leader of the secondary. He intercepted seven passes last season.

    To help offset the loss of Jenkins, the Rams signed free agent Coty Sensabaugh, 27. He intercepted one pass last season for the Tennessee Titans, returning it for a touchdown.

    “Coty is an instinctive, smart, I think, productive player that you can plug in and play either side,” Fisher said.

    Titans Coach Mike Mularkey described Sensabaugh as a “very smart player. … He can cover, he can tackle. He can do a lot for the Rams.”

    Sensabaugh will compete with E.J. Gaines, who is coming off a foot injury that sidelined him last season, and Lamarcus Joyner. Marcus Roberson, Eric Patterson and Troy Hill are other cornerbacks on the roster. The Rams also could bolster the position in the draft.

    Safety T.J. McDonald, the former USC standout, will return after undergoing shoulder surgery for an injury that sidelined him the final four games last season. Maurice Alexander, Christian Bryant and Joyner are players that will compete to replace MacLeod.

    And the Rams could possibly bring in a veteran.

    “There’s still some free agents out there that have the experience,” Fisher said. “And plus … we’re not hesitant to go draft at that position and play them early.”

    Snead said defensive coordinator Gregg Williams would find a creative way to blend the unit.

    “All of those guys play a role,” Snead said. “That’s how Gregg is.”

    Draft prospects

    The Rams have four picks among the first 100 in this month’s draft. They have the 15th overall pick, two second-round picks (Nos. 43 and 45) and spots in the third (No. 76), fourth (No. 110th) and sixth (No. 190th) rounds.

    The Rams are seeking to upgrade at quarterback and also at receiver, but the loss of Jenkins makes cornerback another priority the team could try to fill early, and should not have to move up from No. 15 to grab one.

    In his first mock draft, the Times’ Sam Farmer projected five defensive backs would be selected in the first round, including Florida State safety Jalen Ramsey fifth overall, Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves sixth, Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple 14th, Virginia Tech cornerback Kendall Fuller 24th and Ohio State safety Vonn Bell 25th.

    Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander and Louisiana State safety Jalen Mills are among other defensive backs in the draft.

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