Eric Weddle explains why he signed with Rams: ‘Feels like the perfect place’

Eric Weddle explains why he signed with Rams: 'Feels like the perfect place'

When the Baltimore Ravens released safety Eric Weddle, it came as somewhat of a surprise. However, with a cap hit of $8.25 million and Weddle being 34 years old, it made sense for the Ravens to move on. It wasn’t an indictment on the veteran’s ability, though.

According to reports, Weddle had already received 11 offers from other teams after being cut by Baltimore, showing his market was strong right away. He narrowed his list down to five teams and quickly signed with the Rams after visiting on Thursday night.

Los Angeles signed him to a two-year deal worth up to $12.5 million, bringing him back to Southern California where he grew up and still has roots. That certainly played a role in his decision, but he went into greater detail as to why he signed with the Rams on Friday.

“You look at where you want to go, what are the teams that need a safety and the Rams were at the top of the list,” Weddle said. “The system, where I think I fit, my personality, how close they are – I mean, this team is on the verge of greatness. They showed it last year, the last couple years, so each year they’ve progressed farther and farther and obviously (they were) at the top of the list.”

Weddle has been one of the best safeties in the league for the past decade, as well as one of the most durable. He’s missed only seven games in 12 seasons, while pulling down 29 interceptions and forcing eight fumbles in that span.

He brings much more than just coverage skills and reliable tackling on the field, though. He’s also a strong locker room leader and can help younger players like John Johnson III and Marcus Peters in the secondary.

Jason La Canfora@JasonLaCanfora
Word on these NFL streets is that Antonio Brown wants $18M-$20M per year on a new deal. Yikes. Good luck with that. What a mess

PixelDonkey@PixelDonkey
I fell in love with the NFL last year. I watched the jaguar’s vs the eagles in Wembley and thought it was amazing. I decided to follow either the saints or the rams and decided early in the season it would be the @RamsNFL and omg I’ve never felt so much joy watching a team

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Justin Houston's release instantly vaults him into the conversation as one of the best free agents available.https://t.co/Mc4VnWnMcr pic.twitter.com/4OjTHOcFF6

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) March 10, 2019

Grading the move: Eric Weddle to Rams makes perfect professional and personal sense

https://theathletic.com/858212/2019/03/08/nfl-free-agency-eric-weddle-rams-grade/

Eric Weddle’s unemployment didn’t last long.

The 34-year-old heavily-bearded safety, who was released by the Ravens earlier this week, took his first free agent visit to the Los Angeles Rams and agreed to stay.

The Contract:
Weddle’s new two-year deal is worth $12.5 million, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

Why they made the move:
The Rams had a vacancy at free safety with the expected departure of LaMarcus Joyner in free agency. In Weddle they are getting an experienced, tough, productive safety (with 29 career interceptions, though zero last season in Baltimore) who should be a perfect fit with Rams’ defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. For Weddle, the Rams make a ton of sense as well. A longtime member of the San Diego Chargers, Weddle has deep ties to Southern California, and moving back to the west coast is an ideal personal situation in addition to the professional fit.

What it means for the market:
Because Weddle was released earlier this week, he was able to beat the rush, as the number of quality safeties on the market is expected to exceed the demand for them. Other impending free agents like Earl Thomas and Landon Collins, neither of whom can start talking to other teams until Monday, should draw significant interest, but Weddle found himself what was likely his best situation before the market even opened. The signing also assures that Joyner, who twice received the franchise tag from the Rams, will become a free agent. He’ll be an intriguing addition to a new team because of his position flexibility and ability to play nickel corner in addition to safety.

Signing grade: A.
A six-time Pro Bowler comes in and fills a position of need for the Rams ahead of the opening of free agency and the draft. Tough to call that anything other than a clear victory for the Rams (and for Weddle, who’ll get to go back to Southern California on a Super Bowl-ready team.)

Robert Klemko@RobertKlemko
I was going to tell you guys how long it took to hear somebody talk about the Saints getting robbed once I got to New Orleans but two guys are already talking about it in the Southwest boarding line.

One guy says, without a hint of irony, that he heard Roger Goodell wagered $30 mil on the Rams and fixed the result. Also says he’s never watching the NFL again

Stats show Eric Weddle is still one of the best safeties in the NFL https://t.co/Zkjp9BERGK via @theramswire

— RamsNewsNow (@RamsNewsNow) March 9, 2019

"It’s a perfect place for me.”

Welcome home, @weddlesbeard! pic.twitter.com/NtWXj7Ol4N

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) March 9, 2019

Weddle vid: “It’s a perfect place for me.”

https://www.therams.com/video/eric-weddle-give-everything%5B

Rams Q&A: Vinny Bonsignore

[Suh]: If no one blows his socks off, Rams are in really good position. He likes it here. It’s a winning team. Lots to like

I think the first domino to fall is their own free agents. Once that’s solidified, we’ll have a better idea of where they’ll turn to outside their building. Obviously defense/veteran dependable RB and, depending on what happens with Rodger Saffold, offensive line perhaps.

The sense I get – and all this can change once the market starts getting defined – is not to expect a huge foray into that first round of free agency (your big time category) And I’d certainly be surprised if it was multiple guys from that end of the pool. But I do think they have something up their sleeve – perhaps as a trade – to secure someone of big-time need. I’m doing my homework on who!! Beyond that, resigning their own guys comes into play. And then the draft. And a big-time aspect, I think, will be that remaining talent on the free agent market. There should be some good options left over

…so I’d say: Their own FA’s. Trades. Draft. Then remaining free agents post first wave of free agency and draft. (That doesn’t mean they won’t be aggressive in first wave of FA, but I think they’re more likely to wait)

I think it’s a given they’ll bring in a backup RB they’ll have confidence in not just picking up the slack, but someone they can lean on as an actual weapon week to week. C.J. is high on their list, but money always a factor.

Good chance on Fowler. I don’t think he’s earned crazy money so I think a decent chance he can be brought back on a fair prove-it-deal that could set him up for a bigger pay day sooner rather than later. I’m interested to see what his market ends up being

They spent a lot of time with defensive players – pass rushers – at the combine. So they have a pretty good idea what might be out there for them on that market

They want to bring [Saffold] back. But they also like Joe Noteboom a lot

With a healthy Gurley do we beat pats?

I’m sure a 100 percent Gurley would have helped.

Jason_OTC@Jason_OT
Who Do You think the Jets Will Sign?
Trey Flowers, Dante Fowler, Rodger Saffold, some corner (maybe take a gamble on a Bradley Roby if price is reasonable), Tevin Coleman

I have Saffold at $11M a year. Fowler I think should be at $8M for a year but I would not be shocked if a team with big cap room that is in love with him goes to a 4 year deal averaging $12m per year

Q: Do you believe Fowler will offer payback for the money?
Fowler I think is a mistake on a long term deal

Rams dined Eric Weddle and swiftly solved their problem at safety

Vincent Bonsignore

https://theathletic.com/858331/2019/03/08/rams-dined-eric-weddle-and-swiftly-solved-their-problem-at-safety/

For​ multiple reasons, the​ Rams immediately were​ intrigued​ by the​ idea of​ adding Eric​ Weddle​ to​ their​ fold, almost from​ the moment​​ the salary-cap strapped Baltimore Ravens cut the veteran safety on Tuesday.
Given the number of top safeties — including Landon Collins, Earl Thomas and Tyrann Mathieu — expected to hit the free-agent market next week, and the near certainty that Lamarcus Joyner will not return to the Rams next season, the 34-year-old Weddle represented a capable option at an affordable cost.
For the same reason the Rams were interested, so were many other teams.
That meant the Rams needed to work quickly, to express their interest in Weddle, secure a visit and make sure he didn’t feel the need to visit anyone else.
Check. Check. And check.
In a decisive sequence that played out Thursday and Friday, the Rams essentially confirmed the imminent departure of Joyner, then proactively filled the void in a way that enables them to focus their salary-cap space and draft picks on other areas of concern.
They did it by stealthy bringing Weddle to town for a Thursday-night dinner meeting with the coaching staff. According to sources, and perhaps not surprisingly, the engaging Weddle immediately hit it off with Rams coach Sean McVay and a swift connection was established.
After dinner, Weddle and his agent, David Canter, talked on the phone late into Thursday night. Given Weddle’s quick bond with McVay, the Rams’ proximity to his San Diego home and the opportunity to contend for a championship, Weddle and Canter came to an obvious conclusion.
“It was a no-brainer,” Canter told The Athletic.
In fact, by the time reports spread Friday that Weddle was meeting with the Rams, he’d already undergone a physical, and all that really remained was some haggling on contract details. The Rams, as it turned out, made sure they would be Weddle’s first and only meeting.
“It was all within 24 hours,” a source close to the situation told The Athletic.
Just like that, the Rams were set at safety.
By quickly coming to terms with Weddle on a two-year contract that will pay him a reported $10.5 million, they added a potential upgrade alongside second-year standout safety John Johnson and preserved whatever compensatory pick they’ll reap from losing Joyner in free agency. Weddle, like Ndamukong Suh last year, is not included in the compensatory process because he was cut by his former team.
That represents a major win for the Rams, whose aggressive strike days before the start of the free-agency period, and a little over a month ahead the draft, streamlines their long offseason to-do list. It’s also a win for Weddle, who grew up near Rancho Cucamonga and played nine impactful seasons with the then-San Diego Chargers.

The Rams get a still-productive player at a position of need, and a leader who will fit snugly in their close-knit locker room. Weddle gets to return home to play for the defending NFC champions and potentially help them return to the Super Bowl.
While Weddle might not be the major force he once was on the on the back end of a defense, his play has not dramatically slipped. He’s as durable as they come. He has played all 16 games in nine of his 12 seasons, including each of the last three seasons. Weddle hasn’t missed a start since 2015 and he’s never played fewer than 13 games.
Weddle finished last year with 68 tackles and one sack for the Ravens. He had six interceptions and 67 tackles in 2017, his first season in Baltimore after a long run with the Chargers (2007-15).
If he can deliver similar production alongside Johnson, who seems on the cusp of stardom, the Rams are in good shape at safety.
Having secured that part of their defense, the Rams can focus on other areas. Within the next seven days, they’ll have a better idea where they stand with pending unrestricted free-agent starters Suh and Dante Fowler Jr. Plus, the newfound certainty at safety gives the Rams clarity on how much they can offer Suh and Fowler Jr., or how much they might be able to spend on the free-agent market to replace one or both.
It also means they can push safeties further down the priority list in the draft. The Rams have been linked to a handful of this year’s top safeties, but by reeling Weddle in, the urgency at that position is decidedly less now.
The Rams never officially confirmed that Joyner would not return in 2019. But every time the safety position came up in discussion, the sense seemed to be that Joyner no longer was a part of the plan. Money was always a factor, but so was the thought that Joyner might want to be closer to his Florida home.
The Rams were anxious to fill the big void he’d create.
They quickly took care of that in a big way on Friday.

pic.twitter.com/wJeDxCes4S

— Jared Goff (@JaredGoff16) March 8, 2019