Rams Offensive Line Situation Could Be Uncertain After Free Agency

December 23, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford (8) throws he ball as Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Da

While the ship might be sailing on the possibility of the Rams re-signing Rodger Saffold, the chances of bringing back guard Shelly Smith might also be getting out of reach. If the Rams lost those two players the Rams would have Scott Wells, Joe Barksdale, and Harvey Dahl as legitimate starters on the offensive line.

On Sunday the interesting in Saffold cooled down a little bit as the Arizona Cardinals seem more interested in Jared Valdheer and the Miami Dolphins seem to be going after Brandon Albert at left tackle. However, the Oakland Raiders have now entered the conversation as a team who would be willing to bring Saffold in at left tackle.

The Rams have expressed interest in bringing back Saffold, but Saffold wants t play left tackle, and with Jake Long in place, that’s not going to happen in St. Louis. Saffold has said he would play guard, but he is determined to play left tackle. More on the Saffold situation will develop once the signings actually begin.

As for the other offensive lineman that the Rams would have like to bring back, Shelly Smith, four teams have reached out to him according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Smith graded at 7.0 overall on Pro Football Focus and had a 12.3 grade in run blocking.

After free agency the Rams could have a glaring hole on the offensive line. When your a team that plays in the NFC West, a division with three of the top defensive lines on the league, having a good offensive line that can generate push is necessary in order to compete, and right now it doesn’t look like the Rams have that.

The Rams have Jake Long coming off of a torn ACL, Joe Barksdale, veteran Scott Wells who hasn’t played a full season since joining the team two seasons ago, and Harvey Dahl, who also hasn’t played a full season season since first joining the team.

Right now the offensive line looks uncertain, but you can bet general manager Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher are aware of the situation. The Rams have yet to sign a free agent and with nine picks in the upcoming draft that could end up becoming more barring any trades, there is plenty of time to shore things up. Don’t hit the panic button just yet.