St. Louis Rams 2012 Offseason Needs

The St. Louis Rams were projected by many to be a surprising team in the NFC West. I was one of those people, and the only thing that was surprising to me was how awful the Rams truly were in 2011. They struggled with injuries, inconsistencies, youth, and a lack of talent, and wound up firing head coach Steve Spagnuolo.

Now, former Titans head coach Jeff Fisher is running the ship in St. Louis, and the Rams are in somewhat of a shambles. Here are the positions I think they need to address this offseason:

1. Left Tackle

This makes their first round pick a no-brainer. They can’t trade down and still get Matt Kalil because the Vikings will snatch him up at #3 overall, so I think the Rams will take Matt Kalil in the coming draft. There are rumors that they will be cutting former 2nd overall pick Jason Smith, and many have considered him a bust just one year after he was drafted. He hasn’t worked out at left or right tackle, and the Rams may just decide to move on.

2. Wide Receiver

Sam Bradford was an elite quarterback at Oklahoma, and no surprise because he had great receivers and tight ends there. In St. Louis, he has arguably the worst receivers in the NFL and that needs to be addressed. The Rams acquired Brandon Lloyd for a 5th round pick from the Denver Broncos, which turned out to be a nice rental but Lloyd has stated he will follow former St. Louis offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels wherever he goes, and that just happens to be New England where they also need an outside receiving threat.

That being said, the Rams need to find a receiver, both in the draft and free agency. They picked up a couple of youngsters last year, but both Austin Pettis and Greg Salas are better suited to be #3 or #4 receivers in the NFL. The Rams lack speed and  talent at this position and I think they could look to use either a 2nd or 3rd round pick on the position.

3. Secondary

The Rams lost O.J. Atogwe to the Redskins last year, and he had a good year there. Josh Gordy led the team with three interceptions, but this team doesn’t have a prayer, even of winning a predominantly run-first division without decent cornerbacks. Quintin Mikell was a nice acquisition at safety, but other than that, I think the cupboard is pretty bare here for the Rams.

4. Offensive Line

The interior of the Rams’ offensive line needs some serious upgrading. Bradford and the Rams quarterbacks were pressured all the time, and a lot of that has to do with the men up front. I think this will be a slow rebuild, but they need to look in the middle-later rounds for depth.

5. Running Back

Aside from Steven Jackson, the Rams have terrible running backs. Cadillac Williams was okay at times but he doesn’t provide much in terms of a change of pace. I think the Rams could look to the running backs in free agency to add an upgrade, as well as looking at the guys who are available in the draft. Perhaps a speed back could be on the bill for them in the middle to later rounds.