Rams Fans… Welcome Mark Clayton

We here at Ramblin’ Fan have been calling for the Rams front office to make a move to bring in more talent at the skill positions for several months, and it looks like they finally listened. The team traded a late-round draft consideration to Baltimore for wide receiver Mark Clayton. Clayton was made available after the Ravens signed TJ Houshmandzadeh to a one-year deal earlier in the day. I know many of you would have rather had Housh, but I really think Clayton is a better fit for this team. At this point in his career, Housh is more of a possession/slot receiver, and pretty much everyone we have on our roster is pretty much the same receiver. Clayton is more of a dynamic option who can stretch the field for Sam Bradford and company, and I think he will be a good fit.

Here is some background info on Clayton. He was the Ravens’ first round pick in 2005 out of Oklahoma, and he has started at least 10 games in every season since he came into the league. Clayton’s best year was probably 2006, when he caught 67 passes for 939 yards and seven touchdowns. Last year he had 34 receptions for 480 yards and two touchdowns.

Clayton has widely been regarded as a bust since he came into the league, but no one doubts that the skill set is there. He had a nice preseason this summer, and he beat out Donte Stallworth for the third receiver job before the deal. This could be a case of Clayton needing a change of scenery, and I really hope that’s the case. In fact, as I’m writing this and watching NFL Live on ESPN, Adam Schefter just said that he thinks the Rams are the winners of the day. Gotta love that.

In more receiver news, the team is apparently interested in the recently released Demetrius Williams, as he is expected to work out for the team. There were some rumors that Williams was a part of the Clayton deal, but that is not true. I’d like to see the team give Williams a chance, as I really ejoyed watching him in college while he was at Oregon. Still, there is a chance he could be a part of this team, so stay tuned.