Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › did the Rams sign Weddle?
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March 8, 2019 at 4:43 pm #98641
znModeratorIan Rapoport@RapSheet
The #Rams have agreed to terms on a 2-year deal with Pro Bowl S Eric Weddle worth up to $12.5M, source said. $10.5M base. He considered retirement, but quickly landed… back on the field.March 8, 2019 at 4:45 pm #98642znModeratorLos Angeles Rams@RamsNFL
Fear the beard.March 8, 2019 at 4:46 pm #98643znModeratorRams sign Eric Weddle
Eric Weddle‘s first visit since becoming a free agent this week was with the Rams and he won’t be taking any other trips.
The Rams tweeted “fear the beard” a short time after word of Weddle’s visit went public and multiple reporters confirmed that the post was in reference to a deal with the veteran safety. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that it is a two-year deal with a base value of $10.5 million and that it could go up to $12.5 million if certain conditions are met.
It is a return to Southern California for Weddle, who grew up there and spent the first nine years of his career in San Diego with the Chargers. His family still lives in the San Diego area and that was surely part of the allure of joining the Rams.
Weddle joins the Rams a few days before Lamarcus Joyner will become an unrestricted free agent and the move all but closes the door on his return to L.A.
March 8, 2019 at 4:50 pm #98646March 8, 2019 at 5:23 pm #98647znModeratorLindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
The Rams have signed veteran All-Pro safety Eric Weddle to a two-year deal worth as much as $12.5 million, with $5.25 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN’s Josina Anderson & Dan Graziano. Weddle fills a needed role in the secondary with the pending free agency of Lamarcus Joyner. Weddle, who attended high school in the greater Los Angeles area, was released earlier this week by the Ravens. A 12-year veteran, he is a two-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowl selection.Vincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
One other note about the #Rams signing of Eric Weddle, this signing won’t figure into comp pick equation. And, strong chance the #Rams will get a good comp pick for losing Lamarcus Joyner in free agencyDowntown Rams@DowntownRams
Everyone wins with this move. #Rams get the Whitworth equivalent on defense on an affordable deal. Weddle gets to come play for a Super Bowl runner-up as he stays retirement in the face. Even more so, Weddle stays closer to home.March 8, 2019 at 5:26 pm #98648znModeratorMike Clay@MikeClayNFL
Rams move from 12th to 7th overall in #UnitGrades after the Weddle signing. They still need to address edge rusher, LB and interior OL and they’ll be set for another Super Bowl run.March 8, 2019 at 6:31 pm #98650
HramParticipantRams are a FA destination!
Good move on their part
March 8, 2019 at 6:39 pm #98651
InvaderRamModeratori like it. a little worried about his age but was the supposed qb of the number one defense last year?
but had zero interceptions last year…
from a leadership standpoint he should add something.
March 8, 2019 at 8:43 pm #98652znModeratorNext Gen Stats@NextGenStats
New @RamsNFL safety Eric Weddle is expected to replace Lamarcus Joyner (UFA) as the defense’s primary free safety. @weddlesbeard was one of the best in the NFL last season when aligned as a deep safety, allowing a league-best 0.26 yards per coverage snap.March 8, 2019 at 8:47 pm #98653znModeratorEric Weddle is low-risk secondary answer
Three things to know about safety Eric Weddle
https://www.therams.com/news/three-things-to-know-about-safety-eric-weddle
Rams, Eric Weddle agree to terms on two-year deal
https://www.therams.com/news/rams-eric-weddle-agree-to-terms-on-two-year-deal
Rams hit a home run by adding Eric Weddle to star-studded secondary
Rams hit a home run by adding Eric Weddle to star-studded secondary
Rams bolster defense with signing of Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle
March 8, 2019 at 8:48 pm #98654znModerator— Jared Goff (@JaredGoff16) March 8, 2019
March 8, 2019 at 8:50 pm #98655znModeratorAqibTalib21@AqibTalib21
@weddlesbeard welcome my boy!!!==
This man is now playing between
Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib 🤯🤯@weddlesbeard pic.twitter.com/Twz31TGH5V— Simms & Lefkoe (@SimmsAndLefkoe) March 8, 2019
March 8, 2019 at 9:51 pm #98656
wvParticipantI think they should keep signing all-pros.
w
vMarch 8, 2019 at 10:11 pm #98657InvaderRamModeratori’d like to see them sign anthony barr and then draft best dlineman available at 31.
drool.
draft another pass rusher in the later rounds. and a defensive back.
March 8, 2019 at 10:38 pm #98658
AgamemnonParticipantIt’s official!
Welcome to the squad, @weddlesbeard! pic.twitter.com/WIrb2iPXlr
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) March 8, 2019
New @RamsNFL safety Eric Weddle is expected to replace Lamarcus Joyner (UFA) as the defense's primary free safety.@weddlesbeard was one of the best in the NFL last season when aligned as a deep safety, allowing a league-best 0.26 yards per coverage snap. pic.twitter.com/3r5CeUWreP
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 8, 2019
AgamemnonMarch 8, 2019 at 11:35 pm #98661znModeratorRams dined Eric Weddle and swiftly solved their problem at safety
Vincent Bonsignore
For multiple reasons, the Rams immediately were intrigued by the idea of adding Eric Weddle to their fold, almost from the moment the salary-cap strapped Baltimore Ravens cut the veteran safety on Tuesday.
Given the number of top safeties — including Landon Collins, Earl Thomas and Tyrann Mathieu — expected to hit the free-agent market next week, and the near certainty that Lamarcus Joyner will not return to the Rams next season, the 34-year-old Weddle represented a capable option at an affordable cost.
For the same reason the Rams were interested, so were many other teams.
That meant the Rams needed to work quickly, to express their interest in Weddle, secure a visit and make sure he didn’t feel the need to visit anyone else.
Check. Check. And check.
In a decisive sequence that played out Thursday and Friday, the Rams essentially confirmed the imminent departure of Joyner, then proactively filled the void in a way that enables them to focus their salary-cap space and draft picks on other areas of concern.
They did it by stealthy bringing Weddle to town for a Thursday-night dinner meeting with the coaching staff. According to sources, and perhaps not surprisingly, the engaging Weddle immediately hit it off with Rams coach Sean McVay and a swift connection was established.
After dinner, Weddle and his agent, David Canter, talked on the phone late into Thursday night. Given Weddle’s quick bond with McVay, the Rams’ proximity to his San Diego home and the opportunity to contend for a championship, Weddle and Canter came to an obvious conclusion.
“It was a no-brainer,” Canter told The Athletic.
In fact, by the time reports spread Friday that Weddle was meeting with the Rams, he’d already undergone a physical, and all that really remained was some haggling on contract details. The Rams, as it turned out, made sure they would be Weddle’s first and only meeting.
“It was all within 24 hours,” a source close to the situation told The Athletic.
Just like that, the Rams were set at safety.
By quickly coming to terms with Weddle on a two-year contract that will pay him a reported $10.5 million, they added a potential upgrade alongside second-year standout safety John Johnson and preserved whatever compensatory pick they’ll reap from losing Joyner in free agency. Weddle, like Ndamukong Suh last year, is not included in the compensatory process because he was cut by his former team.
That represents a major win for the Rams, whose aggressive strike days before the start of the free-agency period, and a little over a month ahead the draft, streamlines their long offseason to-do list. It’s also a win for Weddle, who grew up near Rancho Cucamonga and played nine impactful seasons with the then-San Diego Chargers.The Rams get a still-productive player at a position of need, and a leader who will fit snugly in their close-knit locker room. Weddle gets to return home to play for the defending NFC champions and potentially help them return to the Super Bowl.
While Weddle might not be the major force he once was on the on the back end of a defense, his play has not dramatically slipped. He’s as durable as they come. He has played all 16 games in nine of his 12 seasons, including each of the last three seasons. Weddle hasn’t missed a start since 2015 and he’s never played fewer than 13 games.
Weddle finished last year with 68 tackles and one sack for the Ravens. He had six interceptions and 67 tackles in 2017, his first season in Baltimore after a long run with the Chargers (2007-15).
If he can deliver similar production alongside Johnson, who seems on the cusp of stardom, the Rams are in good shape at safety.
Having secured that part of their defense, the Rams can focus on other areas. Within the next seven days, they’ll have a better idea where they stand with pending unrestricted free-agent starters Suh and Dante Fowler Jr. Plus, the newfound certainty at safety gives the Rams clarity on how much they can offer Suh and Fowler Jr., or how much they might be able to spend on the free-agent market to replace one or both.
It also means they can push safeties further down the priority list in the draft. The Rams have been linked to a handful of this year’s top safeties, but by reeling Weddle in, the urgency at that position is decidedly less now.
The Rams never officially confirmed that Joyner would not return in 2019. But every time the safety position came up in discussion, the sense seemed to be that Joyner no longer was a part of the plan. Money was always a factor, but so was the thought that Joyner might want to be closer to his Florida home.
The Rams were anxious to fill the big void he’d create.
They quickly took care of that in a big way on Friday.March 8, 2019 at 11:39 pm #98662znModeratorLindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
Eric Weddle is 34, but he doesn’t appear to be slowing. Weddle has played 170 of a possible 176 games since 2008, tied for 4th among defensive players, per @ESPNStatsInfoEric Weddle@weddlesbeard
RAMS!!!!!!!!!!!Greg Beacham@gregbeacham
The Rams now have another player older than Sean McVay. 34-year-old Eric Weddle is 1 year and 20 days older than his new coach.March 9, 2019 at 12:56 am #98664znModeratorPFF LA Rams@PFF_Rams
Eric Weddle will bring an immediate boost to the Rams pass defense next season@weddlesbeard ranked T-14th (min. 133 coverage snaps) in NFL Passer Rating Against (Tied with Xavier Woods & Ronnie Harrison) with a rating of 62.8March 9, 2019 at 9:40 am #98670AgamemnonParticipanthttps://www.therams.com/news/rams-eric-weddle-agree-to-terms-on-two-year-deal
The Rams secondary now features two veterans in Weddle and cornerback Aqib Talib, who are No. 9 and No. 2 in interceptions, respectively, among all active players.
AgamemnonMarch 9, 2019 at 10:44 am #98671znModeratorThe Rams secondary now features two veterans in Weddle and cornerback Aqib Talib, who are No. 9 and No. 2 in interceptions, respectively, among all active players.
But…haven’t been getting interceptions.
You want Talib and Weddle for their smarts and leadership, and both can still play. But Weddle has not been making big plays recently.
Last year in 16 games Weddle had 0 INTs and 3 PDs, compared to 2017, when he had 6 and 8 respectively.
March 9, 2019 at 11:33 am #98673znModeratorWeddle vid: “It’s a perfect place for me.”
https://www.therams.com/video/eric-weddle-give-everything%5B
March 9, 2019 at 12:40 pm #98674InvaderRamModeratorYou want Talib and Weddle for their smarts and leadership, and both can still play. But Weddle has not been making big plays recently.
Last year in 16 games Weddle had 0 INTs and 3 PDs, compared to 2017, when he had 6 and 8 respectively.
yeah. mostly leadership and consistency. if he can be just a modest improvement over the joyner of last season i’ll be happy especially at a lower salary.
pff graded weddle 10th and joyner 28th last season. and obviously this is only one way to measure them. i don’t know why joyner slipped last year. i don’t know if it was mental or physical or chemistry. who knows. but hopefully weddle can just bring that much more consistency. and if jj can make strides at the other safety spot (he was ranked 7th by pff), i’ll take that. i really do think jj has just a bit more potential left to tap. maybe enough to make up for whatever athleticism weddle may have lost to age.
March 9, 2019 at 1:19 pm #98676znModeratori don’t know why joyner slipped last year. i don’t know if it was mental or physical or chemistry.
I think it was mental/instincts/”fit.” And I mean for the position–he didn’t seem to have the head or instincts for the position. I just don’t think he is a deep middle safety. He played well before when he was mixing it up underneath as a nickel safety. I think last year, he was an elliptical peg in a star-shaped hole.
I base all this on having played deep middle safety in the NFL.
Obviously.
….
March 9, 2019 at 1:27 pm #98678znModerator"It’s a perfect place for me.”
Welcome home, @weddlesbeard! pic.twitter.com/NtWXj7Ol4N
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) March 9, 2019
March 9, 2019 at 1:32 pm #98680znModeratorStats show Eric Weddle is still one of the best safeties in the NFL https://t.co/Zkjp9BERGK via @theramswire
— RamsNewsNow (@RamsNewsNow) March 9, 2019
March 9, 2019 at 1:34 pm #98681znModeratorDowntown Rams@DowntownRams
Over the course of 12 seasons, @weddlesbeard has only missed 7 total regular season games in his career! #IronManMarch 9, 2019 at 3:23 pm #98688znModeratorGrading the move: Eric Weddle to Rams makes perfect professional and personal sense
https://theathletic.com/858212/2019/03/08/nfl-free-agency-eric-weddle-rams-grade/
Eric Weddle’s unemployment didn’t last long.
The 34-year-old heavily-bearded safety, who was released by the Ravens earlier this week, took his first free agent visit to the Los Angeles Rams and agreed to stay.
The Contract:
Weddle’s new two-year deal is worth $12.5 million, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.Why they made the move:
The Rams had a vacancy at free safety with the expected departure of LaMarcus Joyner in free agency. In Weddle they are getting an experienced, tough, productive safety (with 29 career interceptions, though zero last season in Baltimore) who should be a perfect fit with Rams’ defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. For Weddle, the Rams make a ton of sense as well. A longtime member of the San Diego Chargers, Weddle has deep ties to Southern California, and moving back to the west coast is an ideal personal situation in addition to the professional fit.What it means for the market:
Because Weddle was released earlier this week, he was able to beat the rush, as the number of quality safeties on the market is expected to exceed the demand for them. Other impending free agents like Earl Thomas and Landon Collins, neither of whom can start talking to other teams until Monday, should draw significant interest, but Weddle found himself what was likely his best situation before the market even opened. The signing also assures that Joyner, who twice received the franchise tag from the Rams, will become a free agent. He’ll be an intriguing addition to a new team because of his position flexibility and ability to play nickel corner in addition to safety.Signing grade: A.
A six-time Pro Bowler comes in and fills a position of need for the Rams ahead of the opening of free agency and the draft. Tough to call that anything other than a clear victory for the Rams (and for Weddle, who’ll get to go back to Southern California on a Super Bowl-ready team.)March 9, 2019 at 4:53 pm #98689
ZooeyModeratorI would sign him for his haircut.
Joyner…was better at nickle. I think he has a strong future. I’d like the Rams to keep him…at nickle. They aren’t going to, and I get it, and wish him well (in the sense that I hope he has a very good career for an unsuccessful team somewhere else) should he leave.
March 10, 2019 at 2:14 pm #98715znModeratorEric Weddle explains why he signed with Rams: ‘Feels like the perfect place’
Eric Weddle explains why he signed with Rams: 'Feels like the perfect place'
When the Baltimore Ravens released safety Eric Weddle, it came as somewhat of a surprise. However, with a cap hit of $8.25 million and Weddle being 34 years old, it made sense for the Ravens to move on. It wasn’t an indictment on the veteran’s ability, though.
According to reports, Weddle had already received 11 offers from other teams after being cut by Baltimore, showing his market was strong right away. He narrowed his list down to five teams and quickly signed with the Rams after visiting on Thursday night.
Los Angeles signed him to a two-year deal worth up to $12.5 million, bringing him back to Southern California where he grew up and still has roots. That certainly played a role in his decision, but he went into greater detail as to why he signed with the Rams on Friday.
“You look at where you want to go, what are the teams that need a safety and the Rams were at the top of the list,” Weddle said. “The system, where I think I fit, my personality, how close they are – I mean, this team is on the verge of greatness. They showed it last year, the last couple years, so each year they’ve progressed farther and farther and obviously (they were) at the top of the list.”
Weddle has been one of the best safeties in the league for the past decade, as well as one of the most durable. He’s missed only seven games in 12 seasons, while pulling down 29 interceptions and forcing eight fumbles in that span.
He brings much more than just coverage skills and reliable tackling on the field, though. He’s also a strong locker room leader and can help younger players like John Johnson III and Marcus Peters in the secondary.
March 10, 2019 at 5:25 pm #98721InvaderRamModeratorHe’s also a strong locker room leader and can help younger players like John Johnson III and Marcus Peters in the secondary.
yeah, like i said. especially with jj. what kind of an impact can playing with a guy like weddle have on a young promising player?
he was ranked 7th by pff in 2018. i believe he was 8th in 2017. i’m not sure.
now playing alongside a veteran with his wealth of knowledge and experience. could he vault into the top 5? maybe even higher? that’s what has me really excited. still doesn’t turn 24 until this december.
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