Rams Re-Sign Chase Reynolds
- The Rams have agreed to terms with running back Chase Reynolds on a one-year deal, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). Reynolds has never received a carry, but as Thomas notes, he’s a core special-teamer, having played on more than 46% of the Rams’ ST snaps.
Case Keenum Signs RFA Tender With Rams
The only player to be tendered at a first-round level this offseason, Rams quarterback Case Keenum, has officially signed his RFA tender, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The transaction doesn’t come as a surprise, since the first-round tender made it extremely unlikely that Keenum would get an offer sheet.
By assigning him a high-end tender worth $3.635MM, rather than the second-round tender ($2.553MM) or the right-of-first-refusal tender ($1.671MM), the Rams ensured that any team attempting to poach Keenum would have to be willing to send a first-round pick to Los Angeles to do so.
Keenum, 28, took over as the Rams’ starter last season after Nick Foles was benched — he went on to start five games, completing nearly 61% of his passes for 828 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception.
Keenum’s solid 2015 performance had head coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead talking this offseason as if he would head into the 2016 season as the team’s starting quarterback. Now that the club has acquired the first overall pick in the draft though, Keenum’s role looks a little less certain.
With Keenum, Foles, 2015 third-rounder Sean Mannion, and either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz all potentially in the mix at quarterback, the Rams will almost certainly have to trade or release at least one signal-caller before the season gets underway. While it’s possible that Keenum will be dealt, the Rams like him enough – and he’s cheap enough – that it would make sense to keep him around to compete for the starting job or to back up the No. 1 pick. Foles appears to be more expendable for now.
Still, now that Keenum has signed his RFA tender, he’s eligible to be traded, if the Rams do get an offer they like. A report last week suggested that the Broncos might have some interest in Keenum.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rams Leaning Towards Jared Goff
- La Canfora has “yet to talk to an executive who does not believe” the Rams will take Cal’s Jared Goff with the first overall pick, as the belief is that Goff is more pro-ready than Carson Wentz, who spent his collegiate career at an FCS school. Wentz may need a few years to develop, and Los Angeles wants to contend immediately.
Poll: Who Should The Rams Take With The No. 1 Overall Pick?
When the Rams traded a king’s ransom to the Titans to acquire the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, it was apparent that Los Angeles made the move in order to select one of this year’s top two quarterback prospects, Carson Wentz or Jared Goff. After all, as good as Laremy Tunsil and Jalen Ramsey might be, no team, especially a team that needs a franchise signal-caller, will give up what LA gave up in order to select a tackle or a defensive back.
Since the trade, of course, there have been a number of conflicting reports as to which of the two QBs the Rams prefer. Last night, we learned that Los Angeles would meet with both Wentz and Goff–both of whom have already worked out for the club–in an effort to firm up their final, critical decision. But most writers and pundits are skeptical that the team would forfeit so much draft capital without knowing exactly which player it wants, and it appears that the Rams may just be trying to create a smokescreen in order to generate interest in the first overall pick, or, at the very least, to maximize the buzz around the team as it moves to Los Angeles.
So while the Rams may know full well which player they will take–assuming they do not trade down to the No. 2 overall selection–the rest of us do not. But that doesn’t mean we can’t discuss who the Rams should select to guide them into the next era of the franchise.
With Goff, the Rams would be getting a player who set Pac-12 conference records in 2015 with 4,719 passing yards and a whopping 43 TD passes. He also let California to its first Bowl victory since 2008. Scouts love his ability to make every throw on the field and his mechanics, although there is some concern about the fact that he struggles with his accuracy from time to time and that he is a “rhythm passer” who benefited from an uptempo passing game where he could take all of his snaps from the pistol or shotgun.
The biggest knock on Wentz, of course, is that he played for an FCS program, North Dakota State, and even though the Bison have become the Patriots of the FCS, the competition that Wentz faced was not nearly as daunting as what Goff went up against on a weekly basis. On the other hand, Wentz also has good mechanics and good field vision, and unlike Goff, he played in a pro-style offense. Wentz sometimes struggles with his footwork and with anticipatory throws–i.e., throwing receivers open–and although his intelligence and work ethic are undisputed, it will surely take him a little longer to adjust to the speed of the professional game.
What do you think? Is Goff the right man for the job in LA, or is it Wentz? Is Goff, who has already been exposed to some degree of spotlight at California, more ready to lead Hollywood’s new club, or is small-school wonder Wentz ready to emerge from the shadows? And, even though we all know the Rams will take one of the two, do you think they should shock the football world and draft someone else entirely?
Poll: Who Should The Rams Select With The No. 1 Overall Pick
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Jared Goff 50% (820)
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Carson Wentz 41% (668)
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Someone else 9% (155)
Total votes: 1,643
Rams To Meet With Jared Goff And Carson Wentz
Though Rams general manager Les Snead has said he’s “97% sure” which quarterback his club will select with its recently-acquired No. 1 overall pick, reports have conflicted as to whether Los Angeles prefers California’s Jared Goff or North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz. In an effort to choose between the two, the Rams will meet with both QBs in advance of the draft, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Los Angeles has already worked out both Goff and Wentz, and has surely spent the past few months watching game film of the two signal-callers, so it’s not clear what else can be learned by more meetings with the pair. Additionally, it’s somewhat difficult to believe that the Rams would trade up to No. 1 — and sacrifice so much draft capital — without having a clear idea of whom they want to select.
There are several reasons why the Rams may have yet to announce whom they’ll draft, with one being simply that they haven’t decided between Goff and Wentz. Los Angeles might also be trying to create a smokescreen in order to generate interest in the first overall pick (an idea postulated by PFR’s Zach Links earlier this week) — such a scenario would probably have to include the Rams moving down to No. 2 via a three-team trade, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk outlined earlier today. Alternatively, it’s possible the Rams are hoping to create a buzz around the team by not announcing the pick, allowing the club to get headlines while they make the move to Los Angeles.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rams Notes: No. 1 Pick, Adams, Rose, Palacio
The Rams unquestionably made the most notable move of the week, trading away a collection of picks to the Titans in order to move up to No. 1. Since then, there’s been a number of conflicting reports about exactly which quarterback prospect — Cal’s Jared Goff or North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz — Los Angeles is targeting. While we wait for news to rise to the surface, let’s take a look at a few notes out of LA, both about the Rams’ choice at No. 1 and the draft overall…
- The Rams could find a way to both secure their quarterback of the future and acquire more picks, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk lays out. If Los Angeles indicates that they’ll be happy with either Goff or Wentz, they could convince a team that is certain it wants one or the other to move up to No. 1 via a three-way deal with the Browns — such a move would allow the Rams to select the remaining QB at No. 2 while giving Cleveland a cache of picks. It’s an unlikely scenario, though the thought process could help explain why Los Angeles hasn’t yet indicated which signal-caller it wants (though GM Les Snead did say he’s “97% sure” which quarterback he’s taking).
- While the Rams debate which quarterback to select first overall, they worked out another QB at their local pro day, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (Twitter link) that Oregon quarterback Vernon Adams‘ workout went “very well.” Adams, who is expected to be drafted in the later rounds, could be an option for Los Angeles if they want to secure a long-term backup.
- New Mexico State cornerback Winston Rose also participated in the Rams’ local pro day, as Wilson writes in a piece for the National Football Post. Rose posted three interceptions over 23 games during his career with the Aggies.
- Washington State’s Kache Palacio met with and worked out for the Rams today, as his agent Brett Tessler tweets. Palacio, who started 36 games at linebacker for the Cougars, is also capable of playing fullback and works on special teams, as Tessler notes.
Rams Rumors: Keenum, Foles, No. 1 Pick, Trade
With the Rams poised to use their newly-acquired No. 1 pick to select a quarterback, the Broncos might have some interest in Case Keenum, who had been in line to be the starter in Los Angeles, tweets Mike Klis of 9NEWS. Troy Renck of the Denver Post adds (via Twitter) that the Broncos had some interest in Keenum before the Rams placed a first-round RFA tender on the QB.
Even if the Broncos are interested in working out a deal for Keenum, it’s not clear if the Rams would be on board. With Carson Wentz or Jared Goff joining the team, the depth chart at QB will certainly be crowded, with the rookie joining Keenum, Sean Mannion, and Nick Foles. However, the Rams like Keenum enough that they may prefer to explore a deal involving Foles or Mannion.
In fact, when Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk asked Rams head coach Jeff Fisher whether Foles will be on the team’s regular-season roster in 2016, Fisher was noncommittal, but called it a “good question,” hinting that the former Eagle could be the odd man out.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s West divisions, including a few more Rams-related notes:
- Rams general manager Les Snead said today during an appearance on ESPN Radio that his team is “97% sure” about which player will be the first overall pick, as Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com tweets.
- As part of the trade for the No. 1 pick, the Rams agreed to send a 2017 third-round pick to the Titans. According to Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com, that third-rounder will be a compensatory pick, since those comp picks can be traded beginning in 2017, and the Rams expect to get one for losing Janoris Jenkins. If L.A. doesn’t get a third-round comp pick, the team will send its own pick to Tennessee, and get a 2017 seventh-rounder back from the Titans.
- The Rams hosted Iowa tight end Henry Krieger-Coble for a pre-draft visit today, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Rams Re-Sign Greg Zuerlein
5:15pm: Zuerlein’s one-year deal has a base value of just $1.25MM, but includes $675K guaranteed and can max out at $3.3MM, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link). That indicates that Zuerlein should have a leg up on any competition the Rams bring in for training camp.
5:05pm: The Rams have agreed to terms on a new contract with free agent kicker Greg Zuerlein, per Myles Simmons of TheRams.com (Twitter link). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds (via Twitter) that it’s a one-year deal.
Zuerlein, 28, has a huge leg, but has struggled with his accuracy since entering the league in 2012. Outside of the 2013 season, when he missed just two kicks all year, Zuerlein has never made more than 80% of his field goal tries in a year. In 2015, he made just 20 of 30 field goals (66.7%), and missed a pair of extra points as well.
While the majority of Zuerlein’s misses – both in 2015 and earlier in his career – have come from beyond 50 yards (3-for-9 in 2015, 16-for-31 for his career), he hasn’t been automatic on shorter kicks either. For instance, in his four seasons, he has missed five of 38 field goal attempts from between 30 and 39 yards.
Head coach Jeff Fisher indicated at last month’s owners meetings that he and the Rams intended to bring in some competition at kicker even if Zuerlein returned, and that remains the plan, says Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (Twitter link). In a follow-up tweet on his initial report, Simmons noted that he believes the Rams will bring in another kicker who will have “a decent shot” at beating out Zuerlein for the job.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Titans Working To Move Back Into Top 10?
After the Titans sent their No. 1 overall pick and two other selections to Los Angeles in exchange for four 2016 picks and two 2017 selections, general manager Jon Robinson referred to his collection of picks as “currency,” suggesting that his team might not be done trading. And according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), Robinson may be trying to make another first-round move.
[RELATED: Titans send No. 1 pick to Rams]
La Canfora reports that he continues to hear the Titans are “working hard” to trade back into the top 10. Tennessee is currently set to pick at No. 15, and getting back into the top 10 would ensure that the team could land a top defensive player or offensive tackle.
While the Titans explore another draft-pick swap, the Browns, who hold the No. 2 overall pick, are also mulling a move, says La Canfora (Twitter link). According to the CBSSports.com insider, most teams expect the Rams to use their top pick on Cal quarterback Jared Goff, who is Cleveland’s preferred signal-caller. Taking that into account, the Browns’ interest in trading their pick has “intensified,” since they don’t think Goff will be available for them.
Of course, while La Canfora’s sources seem confident that both the Rams and Browns prefer Goff to Carson Wentz, there have been conflicting reports on both fronts. As we detailed yesterday, Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times and ESPN’s John Clayton are among the reporters who believe the Rams intend to pick Wentz, and multiple reports in recent weeks have indicated the Browns like Wentz as well.
Many draft-pick trades aren’t officially consummated until draft day, once teams trading up can be sure that their desired target(s) will be available, so there may not be any resolution on these situations within the next few days. It’s certainly something worth monitoring as April 28th approaches though — it seems possible that there could be a decent amount of movement at the top of this year’s draft.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rams Believed Eagles Were Serious About Trading For No. 1 Pick
- The Rams gave the Titans a massive haul of picks to get the No. 1 selection because they believed Tennessee was about to pull the trigger on a deal with the Eagles, Howard Balzer of USA Today tweets.