The Rams are on the precipice of being a really good team. This season they’ve shown the ability to beat very good teams when they beat the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos and lost by a combined 15 points to the Arizona Cardinals, San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys. They could quite possibly be just a few pieces away from being a legitimate contender in the NFC West. The addition of those few pieces could start in this year’s free agency period.
The Rams have a very large need at wide receiver. Their leading receiver in receptions was their tight end Jared Cook with 52. For a leading wide receiver on a team that is incredibly low. Their third leading receiver in receptions was their running back Benny Cunningham with 45. Their leading receiver in yards was wide receiver Kenny Britt with only 748 yards. Their versatile, playmaking wide receiver Tavon Austin had an astonishing 242 receiving yards. They a true playmaker, a wide receiver that is basically uncoverable. Some players they might target in free agency and would be a good fit on this team are Demaryius Thomas of the Denver Broncos and Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys. Either of these two would be a perfect complement to Austin, Stedman Bailey, and Brian Quick.
The other major need for the Rams is at the cornerback position. The Rams allowed just over 241 passing yards per game, ranking 19th in the league in passing defense. According to PFF (subscription), their pass coverage grade was -15.1, ranking them 17th in the league. This offseason there will likely be a few options they will consider who can help them out while they bring along some new rookies I’m sure they’ll end up drafting at the position. Some options they’ll likely look at are Tramon Williams of the Green Bay Packers, Antonio Cromartie of the Arizona Cardinals, Walter Thurmond of the New York Giants, and Terence Newman of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Their other need, and possibly most glaring need, is at the quarterback position. It is extremely safe to say that neither Austin Davis nor Shaun Hill are the future. It’s also safe to say, considering his injury history, that it’s time to move on from Sam Bradford. Davis and Hill will both be free agents at the end of this league year and Bradford only has one more year left. However, if they decide to keep Bradford he will count for over $16 million towards their cap space. If they cut him, they will only have just under $4 million in dead money. So my prediction is that he will be gone. They’ll likely sign either Davis or Hill as a backup and aim to draft Jameis Winston in this year’s draft. If they do that, they’ll also look to bring in a veteran backup who can help the other guys develop. Some options they’ll have are Jason Campbell of the Bengals, Matt Moore of the Dolphins, Matt Hasselbeck of the Colts (if he doesn’t retire), or maybe even someone like Mark Sanchez to compete for the job in the first year. However, if they feel it’s extremely unlikely they’ll be able to land Winston in this draft, I would expect them to bring someone in like Jake Locker or Brian Hoyer.
As I said before, the Rams are a very good team with a lot of talent already in place. With a top ten draft pick and some key players set to hit the open market, they could make some serious progress towards the top of the vaunted NFC West. General Manager Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher are smart football people and will certainly make some very good moves. It will be interesting.