What Rams’ starters look like today
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/17240/what-rams-starters-look-like-today
EARTH CITY, Mo. — There’s still a long way to go in this offseason but free agency has mostly come and gone. There are still plenty of things for the St. Louis Rams to get accomplished and the resources to do them.
With that in mind, let’s take a shot at what the team’s starting 22 would look like if the season started right now. This isn’t an exercise meant to create gloom and doom so much as it is to illustrate what still needs to be done this offseason.
Offense
QB Nick Foles: Coach Jeff Fisher has already declared Foles the starter and, barring a big move for a Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston (which can’t be entirely ruled out at this point), Foles will likely be the opening-day choice for the Rams.
RB Tre Mason: Mason took hold of the job about midway through the 2014 season and looks to be entrenched here moving forward.
FB/TE Cory Harkey: Technically, Harkey hasn’t signed his restricted free-agent tender yet but it looks like he’ll be back in his jack-of-all trades role in 2015.
WR Kenny Britt: The Rams re-signed Britt to a two-year deal so that he could continue to hold down this spot.
WR Brian Quick: This is more of a projection than Britt because Quick is coming off a serious shoulder injury. There’s no definitive timetable on his return but training camp has been a target. Assuming he’s back by then, he should get a chance to resume in his job as a starter.
TE Jared Cook: Cook produced at a similar level in 2014 as he did in 2013 and though the Rams would surely like a little more return on the big investment they made in him, it’s probably safe to expect Cook to continue to perform at about the rate he has in those two seasons in St. Louis.
LT Greg Robinson: There’s a long way to go for Robinson to reach his potential but the Rams are confident in him and Fisher has already made it clear that this is Robinson’s job moving ahead, a declaration buoyed by releasing Jake Long.
LG Rodger Saffold: The team would probably prefer to have Saffold at right guard since that’s where he’s been at his best and it’s possible he could end up there depending on who the Rams acquire to start as the guard opposite Saffold.
C Barrett Jones: The Rams have showed some interest in free-agent center Stefen Wisniewski but that hasn’t materialized into anything yet. It’s entirely possible they’ll give Jones a chance to win this job but it stands to reason they’ll find some competition from somewhere.
RG Brandon Washington: Quite a bit of time and energy has gone into developing Washington but it’s hard to imagine the Rams are ready to hand him this job. They must find an upgrade to go with Saffold at guard.
RT Garrett Reynolds: Signed last week, Reynolds’ job will more likely be to add depth across the line so he sits here for now until the Rams get a resolution on Joe Barksdale’s status and/or see what’s available in the draft.
Defense
LDE Chris Long: Returning from an injury that cost him much of last season, Long still figures prominently in the plans but it’s not out of the question the Rams will begin planning for the long-term at the position this offseason.
LDT Aaron Donald: The emerging star and Defensive Rookie of the Year should be safely penciled in here for the long haul.
RDT Michael Brockers: Entering the last year of his rookie contract, the Rams have a fifth-year option that they’ll almost certainly exercise before the May deadline. A contract extension isn’t out of the question, either.
RDE Robert Quinn: After signing a long-term deal in Week 2 of last season, Quinn joins Donald as this franchise’s present and future.
WLB Alec Ogletree: Started to get more comfortable with new coordinator Gregg Williams midway through the year and again flashed signs of stardom.
MLB James Laurinaitis: Still steady in the middle, Laurinaitis’ cap number drops into the $4 million range this year, making him a relative bargain given his importance to the defense at large.
SLB Akeem Ayers: This probably isn’t a sure thing but given what Ayers is being paid, it stands to reason he’ll be on the field more often than not. In returning to a 4-3 defense, this is the only new starter currently projected on the defense.
CB E.J. Gaines: One the most pleasant surprises in the league last year, it’s possible Gaines will be the nickelback with Trumaine Johnson here but Gaines is going to play and play a lot moving forward.
SS T.J. McDonald: Like Ogletree, McDonald really came on during the season’s second half and should only get better as he goes on.
FS Rodney McLeod: Like Harkey, there’s still a bit of business to take care of with McLeod but it certainly appears he’ll be back in this spot next season.
CB Janoris Jenkins: Jenkins is entering the last year of his rookie contract and it’s probably a good bet that both he and Johnson won’t be back. Jenkins has given up some big plays but also made his share as well and has been more reliable than Johnson in terms of health.
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