St. Louis Rams Cram Nick Fairley Onto D-Line

Dec 22, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley (98) celebrates after making a play during the fourth quarter against the New York Giants at Ford Field. Giants beat the Lions 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Defense is going to be the engine that drives the ship for the St. Louis Rams despite their heady acquisition of Nick Foles at quarterback.  They further proved this by pulling off an unexpected maneuver to beef up what was already a strong defensive line with defensive tackle Nick Fairley in NFL free agency.

*Report courtesy of NFL Mocks

"“Nick Fairley can be one of the most dominant defensive tackles in the NFL when he’s giving one hundred percent effort. That’s the problem – his effort has been spotty at times throughout his career in Detroit. He’s also had his share of legal issues since entering the league in 2011. He was arrested twice in 2012; once for marijuana possession and another incident for a DUI. He has character issues, but there is no doubting that he’s an immense talent at defensive tackle. He can be a game changer, but he has questions to answer about his legal history and his lethargy on the field. Only Fairley can decide how good he wants to be.”"

Grade:  A

This is a tremendous steal for the St. Louis Rams.  Their defensive front was already loads with Robert Quinn, Aaron Donald and Chris Long.  Now they add Nick Fairley who has Pro Bowl talent and falls under the direction of one of the most experienced and motivating head coaches in the league in Jeff Fisher.  If that defense wasn’t scary before, they are now.

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