Free-agency review: Rams By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/17095/free-agency-review-rams-2

Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Free-agency review: Rams
By Nick Wagoner

Most significant signing: The St. Louis Rams signed four players during the opening week, and the sum of those moves is greater than any of the single parts. Retaining receiver Kenny Britt and tight end Lance Kendricks should allow the Rams to have some continuity on their offense, though some would argue that isn’t necessarily a good thing given that group’s struggles. On the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams got a couple of new toys in defensive tackle Nick Fairley and linebacker Akeem Ayers. Both should provide depth and give Williams even more ways to mix and match pieces. None of those moves is necessarily more significant than the other, but all were sensible and mostly cost-effective.

Nick Foles
One of the Rams’ biggest surprises of free agency was the move to trade for QB Nick Foles.
Most significant loss: The only loss the Rams suffered that wasn’t by choice was the departure of quarterback Shaun Hill to the Minnesota Vikings. The Rams wanted to keep Hill and pushed to make that happen, but Hill’s market turned out to be more lucrative than they could have imagined. Minnesota came strong with a two-year deal worth $6.5 million, and the Rams elected not to go to those links. Instead, the Rams traded a 2016 seventh-round pick to Houston to reacquire quarterback Case Keenum.

Biggest surprise: The biggest move of the first week also probably came as the biggest surprise, at least given what the Rams were saying publicly before it happened. The Rams traded quarterback Sam Bradford to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for quarterback Nick Foles, with draft picks also going both ways. Despite consistent rumors the Rams were interested in Foles and the obvious salary-cap savings that would come with parting ways with Bradford, the Rams continued to say Bradford was their guy, even going so far as asking his approval before promoting Frank Cignetti to offensive coordinator and hiring quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke. Coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead insist they meant it when they said Bradford would be their quarterback, but clearly they had at least some intention of making the move all along. That’s all part of the deal during the silly season that is free agency and the draft as teams try to maneuver for players. And, if it didn’t work out for the Rams, publicly declaring they wanted to trade Bradford would have been a risky proposition if they didn’t get an offer they liked and had to bring him back. In the end, the Rams got a good deal and can finally move forward with a fresh start at the game’s most important position.

What’s next: The Nos. 1, 2 and 3 priorities have to be on the offensive line. The Rams have openings at center, right tackle and one-guard position. They’d like to retain right tackle Joe Barksdale, and it seems his market hasn’t developed as hoped, so the Rams might be able to keep him on the rebound. At guard, the Rams have interest in Justin Blalock, who fits the scheme and could be a solid short-term starter while they add help in the draft. At center, Oakland’s Stefen Wisniewski has also been connected to the Rams and is the best pivot left on the market. Blalock and Wisniewski could visit St. Louis as soon as this week. The Rams have the cap space to add two of those three players but could easily create more room to get all three if they wanted.