ESPN: It might be time for the Rams to splurge on a #1 receiver

We have a salary cap. We can’t go crazy on spending. Our Rams are spending big money on a WR named Tavon Austin. The money we should be spending on, is on the Oline, and extending Aaron Donald.

nittany ram wrote:

JackPMiller wrote:

We have a salary cap. We can’t go crazy on spending. Our Rams are spending big money on a WR named Tavon Austin. The money we should be spending on, is on the Oline, and extending Aaron Donald.

The Rams are in good shape cap-wise, Jack. Maybe they have enough cap room to do all those things. I don’t know.

I would like to sign a LT in free agency, and maybe a CB like Dre Kirkpatrick.

snowman wrote:

A better offensive line will give Goff time to find one of our current group of receivers.

I don’t think it was just the OL. I think a lot of that was Goff. One illustration of that is the fact that the veteran CK had a lower sack percentage behind the same line.

A lot of it is recognizing blitzes etc. pre-snap and calling protections pre-snap.

The veteran CK was just better at that than the rookie Goff.

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Agamemnon wrote:

I assume, McVay will bring a WR from Washington and draft some in the later rounds.

yeah i wouldn’t draft one. between tavon and a veteran wr signing (i prefer experience over youth especially with such a young qb), i don’t think it’s wise to draft a wr high.

i personally think they should draft a tight end to develop. a premier tight end would do more for this offense i think. of course that could just be my personal bias talking.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by InvaderRam.

sanbagger wrote:

Now that H and H have a year under their belt, I think they are gonna start to pay dividends..for some reason I just have a feeling about Hemingway.

If they get another TE in FA, what happens to Kendricks? I have no problem with them letting him walk. He is gonna collect a bonus 3/11 so they’ll have to make a decision soon.

i don’t think they should get one in fa. just the draft.

one reason i prefer te over wr in this draft is also that this is a strong tight end class while the wr class is weak. they got austin. and i expect them to sign a veteran receiver. i’d rather they develop cooper, thomas, and spruce.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by InvaderRam.

Agamemnon wrote:

sanbagger wrote:

If they get another TE in FA, what happens to Kendricks? I have no problem with them letting him walk. He is gonna collect a bonus 3/11 so they’ll have to make a decision soon.

Kendricks bonus is $0.5 million. That is almost just an insurance policy. I think, keep him on the roster and if you draft a TE, Kendricks can just compete or be there if there is an injury. imo
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Of course, they might not like him as a player or they might want to use his cap dollars somewhere else.

His salary is 4.25 mil so .5 mil is a hefty percentage and that adds to the cap…I think if they plan on adding a TE either via FA or draft then Lance is history.

If he’s there after 3/11 then I think he’s back…of course I could be, and probably am, wrong.

Higbee needs to get stronger and learn better technique blocking…he was just manhandled at the line last year. Hemingway???? I don’t think I saw him in a game last year.

zn wrote:

sanbagger wrote:

Higbee needs to get stronger and learn better technique blocking…he was just manhandled at the line last year. Hemingway???? I don’t think I saw him in a game last year.

And they can always keep those 3 and add another.

IMO people are down on Kendricks from 2016, but, he had value in previous years.

i’m not down on kendricks personally.

but this offense and mcvay obviously value the tight end position. getting a tight end would be more of an eye toward higbee and hemingway.

and this te class is loaded. very very good.

shoot. mcvay went out of his way i thought in praise of kendricks. i bet mcvay spends some time with lance. and maybe he likes higbee and hemingway too and decides the rams don’t need one.

but like i said. there’s some serious talent at that position.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by InvaderRam.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by InvaderRam.

His value was as the #2 TE…and he barely held up that end of the bargain.

No I see a lot more in Kendricks than that. He’s done a lot more than that. Being down on him is, IMO, just forgetting 2012-2015, when he was regularly a good blocking/catching H-back type. In fact more than once he was tops in catch percentage measured against all Rams WRs and TEs with more than 20 targets.

I never saw his receiving skills as subpar, and in fact I think for some reason he gets a bum rap from many Rams fans. He has been a solid role player and gives them a lot of versatility. I actually don’t get the animosity towards him. Granted he had a bad 2016 but I don’t see why that erases the previous years.

What he’s NOT is a top receiving TE–he’s something else, and should IMO be measured as something else.