HEADLINES

Kache Palacio

Rams Sign Dominique Easley

May 18th, 2016 at 4:21pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

WEDNESDAY, 4:21pm: Easley’s signing is now official. Los Angeles waived linebacker Kache Palacio to make room for Easley on its 90-man roster, Nick Waggoner of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

TUESDAY, 6:35pm: The Rams and free agent defensive lineman Dominique Easley have agreed to a one-year deal, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). It didn’t take long for the Rams-Easley union to materialize, as the 24-year-old worked out for the team earlier Tuesday.

Easley, whom the Patriots selected 29th overall in the 2014 draft, is the fifth member of the Rams defensive line who has a "<strongfirst-round pedigree, joining Michael Brockers, Aaron Donald, Robert Quinn and fellow offseason free agent pickup Quinton Coples.

Despite New England’s significant investment in Easley, it moved on from the 285-pounder earlier this offseason after the two sides reportedly butted heads over “philosophical differences on following injury programs.”

Easley had difficulty staying healthy his first two years in the NFL, missing 10 of a possible 32 regular-season games because of various injuries to his hip, knee and ankle. Easley also tore his ACL at the University of Florida, but that didn’t stop the Patriots from spending a high pick on him. One former Pats teammate referred to Easley as a “locker room cancer,” though, and a team source told the Boston Globe that Easley “comes across as an entitled kid” who “thinks he’s invincible.” Moreover, Easley is currently facing a lawsuit in Palm Beach County from a man who alleges that the defender’s dog bit him.

On the field, Easley has 25 career tackles and three sacks to his credit. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) gave him a terrific grade for his 2015 performance. His presence in Los Angeles should help make up for the departure of Nick Fairley, who appeared in 15 games with the Rams last year before leaving as a free agent to join the Saints.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rams Sign 19 Undrafted Free Agents

May 5th, 2016 at 5:18pm CST by Luke Adams

After including a handful of their 2016 draft picks in the trade package that allowed them to move up to No. 1 to snag California quarterback Jared Goff, the Rams only drafted six players last week, with all of them but Goff coming off the board on Day 3. However, Los Angeles has supplemented its draft class by adding 19 undrafted free agents to its roster.

Here’s the complete list of new Rams from Myles Simmons of TheRams.com:

Rams Notes: No. 1 Pick, Adams, Rose, Palacio

April 16th, 2016 at 7:21pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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.