NFC West Notes: Rams, Baldwin, Driskel, 49ers

While the Rams could still be in the market for a veteran safety, the club likes what it’s seen from defensive backs Maurice Alexander, Cody Davis, and Christian Bryant, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link). LA has been on the lookout for secondary help since losing safety Rodney McLeod during free agency, and the team has met with Donte Whitner and Dashon Goldson over the past several months. Both safeties reportedly remain “in play” for the Rams, but for now, it sounds as though the team is happy where they are.

Here’s more out of the NFC West…

  • Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin says his contract situation “will take care of itself,” as Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times writes. Baldwin is entering the final season of a three-year deal he inked prior to the 2014 season. Now, after tying for the NFL lead with 14 receiving touchdowns in 2015, Baldwin could be in line for $10MM/year or more. Baldwin should be helped by the four-year, $40MM extension the Jaguars recently gave to Allen Hurns, though Hurns is three years younger than the Seattles standout.
  • The 49ers are high on rookie quarterback Jeff Driskel, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes. “I think he’s done a really nice job,” 49ers coach Chip Kelly said. “He’s really intelligent. (He) picked things up conceptually very quickly. (He) was exposed to a couple of systems because he was at Florida and then Louisiana Tech. I think he’s already been exposed to multiple systems at the college level, so we’ve been impressed with him. He’s very athletic. I think he was the fastest quarterback at the combine. He’s big. He’s got a good arm.” Driskel, a sixth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech, could get involved in special teams packages and give San Francisco some trick play options. Driskel currently sits as the team’s No. 4 QB behind Blaine Gabbert, Colin Kaepernick, and Thaddeus Lewis. It’s conceivable that Driskel could leapfrog Lewis to become the team’s No. 3 signal caller, or he could become the club’s No. 3 signal-caller if Kaepernick is traded or released.
  • Jermaine Gresham apparently had more lucrative offers from other clubs — such as the Bears and Jets — but he chose to take less money to remain with the Cardinals.
  • Yesterday, we learned that the Cardinals are unlikely to reach an extension with defensive back Tyrann Mathieu before the start of training camp.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Rams Sign Robinson, Donald, Eight Others

5:12pm: Donald doesn’t have offsets in his deal either, Breer adds (on Twitter).

5:01pm: The Rams’ deal with Robinson does not have offsets, tweets Albert Breer of NFL Network. He’s the first player to get that concession this year and that could factor into the Jaguars’ talks with Blake Bortles, Breer adds.

4:34pm: The Rams may have waited the longest of any NFL team to get a draft pick under contract, but it didn’t take the team long to complete the process once it was started. According to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter), the Rams have signed all 11 of their 2014 draftees. In addition to the previously reported Lamarcus Joyner, that group includes first-rounders Greg Robinson and Aaron Donald and 249th overall pick Michael Sam.

A year ago, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that St. Louis head coach Jeff Fisher wanted to take the team’s rookies through “Financial Planning 101” before those players received their signing bonuses. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Rams did the same thing this year, delaying the signing process to ensure that their players know how to manage their money when they receive it.

Among those signing bonuses, Robinson’s will be the largest — according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, the signing bonus for the No. 2 pick should fall just short of $14MM. As the 13th overall pick, Donald will be in line for a bonus of $5.692MM. The remaining eight bonuses range from about $46K to $638K.

Besides Robinson, Donald, Joyner, and Sam, the Rams now have the following draftees under contract:

  • Tre Mason, RB, Auburn (3.75)
  • Maurice Alexander, S, Utah State (4.110)
  • E.J. Gaines, CB, Missouri (6.188)
  • Garrett Gilbert, QB, SMU (6.214)
  • Mitchell Van Dyk, OT, Portland State (7.226)
  • Christian Bryant, S, Ohio State (7.241)
  • Demetrius Rhaney, C, Tennessee State (7.250)
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