Wagoner on Fairley & Ayers

Rams visiting with DT Nick Fairley, LB Akeem Ayers

By Nick Wagoner | ESPN.com

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/

EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams search for depth at defensive tackle has begun.

The Rams welcomed former Detroit defensive tackle Nick Fairley to Rams Park for a visit on Thursday afternoon. Fairley, who visited with the Cincinnati Bengals as free agency opened, would be another logical fit for the Rams defense should his price be right.

Nick Fairley missed 18 games in four seasons with the Detroit Lions.After releasing defensive tackle Kendall Langford before free agency to save money against the salary cap, the Rams were left with a defensive tackle group consisting solely of starters Michael Brockers and Aaron Donald. So it’s pretty clear the team has a need for depth, though ends William Hayes and Eugene Sims both have experience moving inside.

It’s also worth noting that Fairley played his college football at Auburn, which isn’t a reason to sign any player but certainly doesn’t hurt when it comes to the Rams.

Fairley represents an interesting case study. Taken one pick before Robert Quinn in the 2011 NFL draft, Fairley was considered one of the most disruptive interior players in that draft. His career since has been something of a roller-coaster.

In the time since, injuries and weight issues have prevented Fairley from fully reaching his vast potential. He posted 13.5 sacks in his four seasons with the Lions but also missed 18 games. In 2014, Fairley missed half the season with a pair of sprained knee ligaments and finished with 14 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.

Fairley had his best seasons in 2012 and 2013 when he posted a combined 69 tackles and 11.5 sacks in 28 games. But the continued issues led to the Lions declining his fifth-year option, making him a free agent this offseason.

Presumably, if Fairley were ever to live up to his potential, he’d be able to do it in St. Louis where line coach Mike Waufle is one of the league’s best. It’s unclear what Fairley’s market price might be, but a one-year “prove it” type of deal might make a lot of sense. And even if he didn’t start in St. Louis, there’d still be plenty of reps for him along the way.

Langford, who spent most of the 2014 season as a backup, still played about 47 percent of the snaps. Assuming Fairley was doing what was asked, it stands to reason he’d be able to do the same or perhaps more in a rotation with Brockers and Donald.

Meanwhile, the Rams are also spending time Thursday with linebacker Akeem Ayers. As we discussed Wednesday, the Rams have had interest in Ayers and a visit was likely forthcoming. That visit is now taking place.

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from that earlier article on Ayers:

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/16949/rams-show-interest-in-lb-akeem-ayers

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Ayers would be a logical fit in St. Louis as a potential Sam linebacker capable of playing the run and even as a pass-rushing end in Gregg Williams’ defensive scheme. The Tennessee Titans originally drafted Ayers in the second-round of the 2011 NFL draft, and he played in Nashville until October of last season when the Patriots traded for him.

Although Rams coach Jeff Fisher was gone from Tennessee when the Titans drafted Ayers, there are a couple of coaches on staff that are familiar. Williams served as the Titans’ senior defensive assistant in 2013 and linebackers coach Frank Bush served in the same role in Tennessee in 2011 and 2012 when Ayers was playing there.

In his first three-plus years in the league, many considered Ayers something of an underachiever but he had at least some measure of success upon his arrival in New England. After appearing in just two games in the first seven weeks, the Titans traded Ayers to the Patriots. From there, he posted 17 tackles, four sacks and an interception, working primarily as a pass-rusher.

For his career, Ayers has 241 tackles, 13 sacks, three interceptions and three forced fumbles.

If the team’s interest in Ayers doesn’t make clear their desire for help at linebacker, it should be more obvious when considering they had expressed some interest in Curtis Lofton before he agreed to terms with the Oakland Raiders. Moments after the Lofton news, New York Giants linebacker Jacquian Williams tweeted that the Rams had reached out to his agent.

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And yes, the Rams need help on the offensive line but visits with other players don’t preclude them from finding help there. What might prevent that, though, is the fact some potential options are taking visits elsewhere. Center Stefen Wisniewski is in Seattle for a visit after stopping in Tampa Bay on Wednesday, and guard Justin Blalock is visiting the Lions.

The Rams have expressed interest in both and could still line up visits assuming one or both make it out of their current visits.

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