Wagoner: mailbag (in a couple of installments)

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  • January 30, 2016 at 5:45 pm #38387
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    Where Rams stand with their many free agents

    Nick Wagoner

    http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/26409/where-rams-stand-with-their-many-free-agents

    EARTH CITY, Mo. — The offseason here is for the Los Angeles Rams and now that we know where they’ll be playing their home games for the long term, things have settled down enough to spend our weekends answering a few of your Twitter questions.

    As always, you can find me on Twitter @nwagoner and fire away with any Rams-related questions you might have. Please use hashtag #RamsMail so I can see them.

    On to your questions.

    Ram Jam @RamsFansUnite
    we know Jenks and Rams paused talks until now, what’s the latest on contract offers w/him, Tru, Barron, Rodney, etc?

    @nwagoner: By now, you’ve probably seen that the Philadelphia Eagles have been active in signing some of their own players to contract extensions. As always, you’ll see a lot of that going on around the league in the coming days and weeks. Of course, the Rams are in a unique position where they have a whole lot going on at the moment. Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff is hard at work on facilitating the team’s move to Los Angeles, though senior assistant Tony Pastoors is more than capable of handling negotiations. At this point, there doesn’t appear to be anything imminent, but things can come together quickly so we can’t rule out the possibility of the Rams getting some things done before free agency in March. The other thing to remember is that with free agency this close, a lot of agents and players will wait to see what the market bears before re-signing unless their team comes with a huge offer. Janoris Jenkins, for example, will likely wait until that three-day negotiating window opens before making a decision. The upcoming scouting combine is also a hotbed of discussion for teams and agents so for the bigger names on the Rams’ free agent list, it’s more likely that potential pre-free agency deals would wait until then. It’s also worth noting that teams can begin using the franchise and transition tags on players around then as well.

    Andy Chihuahua@punnini
    Do you know when the Rams will decide on the color scheme of their uniforms/organization once they move to LA?

    @nwagoner: This is probably the most-asked question I’ve gotten since the NFL approved the Rams’ move. People love their uniforms and, understandably, the fans in Los Angeles would like to see the old Rams colors — be it the blue and yellow or the blue and whites — brought back. The thing is, the NFL has strict rules on when a team can change color schemes and uniforms and requires its teams to offer plenty of notice for such a change to take place. The Rams have obviously been planning on a move for some time so I’m sure they’ve had the wheels spinning, and Demoff has said recently that the team has had conversations with the league about uniforms for 2016 and beyond. So it’s not out of the realm of possibility they’ll have something new for next year, but it remains to be seen how quickly such a decision will be made, especially considering how many other pieces of business they must take care of right now. My understanding is the Rams are hoping to incorporate some of their traditional colors, keep the horns on the helmet and come up with something new that mixes nostalgia with the future.

    January 31, 2016 at 9:49 am #38405
    Avatar photozn
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    Examining best way to improve Rams’ quarterback situation

    Nick Wagoner

    http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/26418/examining-the-best-way-to-improve-rams-quarterback-situation

    EARTH CITY, Mo. — The offseason is here for the Los Angeles Rams and now that we know where they’ll be playing their home games for the long term, things have settled down enough to spend our weekends answering a few of your Twitter questions.

    As always, you can find me on Twitter @nwagoner and fire away with any Rams-related questions you might have. Please use hashtag #RamsMail so I can see them.

    On to your questions.

    Mike Mulia @MikeMulia1
    @nwagoner What do you think is the best/most realistic way the Rams can “fix” their QB situation? The draft, free agency, trade? #RamsMail

    @nwagoner: You phrased this question well, Mike. Because if we are looking at it realistically, the best way to fix the quarterback situation isn’t necessarily going to guarantee improvement. Looking at the draft, there are some intriguing prospects such as Cal’s Jared Goff, Memphis’ Paxton Lynch and North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz, but the early indication is that none of them are guaranteed to come in and have success in Year 1. And that’s even assuming the Rams would have the chance to draft one of them with their No. 15 overall pick. The trade market probably won’t offer much since teams are never in a mood to trade good quarterbacks. Which leaves us with free agency, the area the Rams might have to explore the deepest to try to find a solution. The problem, again, is that if a team has a good quarterback, it probably isn’t going to let him leave. Some of the names that could hit the market include Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brock Osweiler, Matt Cassel, Kirk Cousins, Chase Daniel and Sam Bradford. Of that group, it’s unlikely Fitzpatrick, Osweiler, Cousins or Bradford will get the chance to explore the market, though it’s possible one or two could shake loose. It’s also possible players such as Robert Griffin III and/or Johnny Manziel could become available, and it’s fair to expect the Rams to take a long look at them if they do.

    The other part of the equation for the Rams is that they have three quarterbacks on the roster in Case Keenum (who will likely be retained as a restricted free agent), Nick Foles and Sean Mannion. Logic says Foles is the one that would have to go to make room for a new addition but to do that, the Rams have to be certain they have an upgrade. There’s no obvious solution here unless the Rams want to make a bold move via trade and even then, it would be a roll of the dice. It wouldn’t surprise if Keenum ends up as the starter again when all is said and done.

    Blaine Grisak @bxgrisak1993
    @nwagoner do you think the Rams would have interest in a QB at 15 if Goff or Lynch were available?

    @nwagoner: We’ll go ahead and just make this the quarterback mailbag for this week. It’s too early to have a read on who they might or might not covet, but there have been indications from the team that they’ll explore any and all options to improve their short- and long-term situation at the position. That would presumably include taking a quarterback with the 15th pick. As I mentioned above, depending on who you talk to, it doesn’t seem like there’s a signal-caller in this draft who can come in and star right away. That also doesn’t mean a guy such as Goff, Lynch or Wentz wouldn’t be an improvement over what the Rams currently have. That’s something they’d have to weigh in the evaluation because, let’s be honest, if those guys were legitimate franchise quarterbacks they’d be gone before No. 15. That doesn’t mean they can’t become one, just that it’s unusual (though not impossible) for that type of guy to go at that point. There’s a long way to go before the draft so we’ll get a better idea of how the league views this crop of quarterbacks in the coming months.

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