Five Rams poised for a break out in 2015

facebooktwitterreddit

As we enter the dog days of summer, the St. Louis Rams have several intriguing players to watch for as the 2015 regular season kicks up in just a few months.

More from Ramblin' Fan

While the Rams have added a lot of new faces, it’s the old faces that will have to make a big impact in order to lead the Rams to a place they haven’t been since 2004, the playoffs.

Here are my five players that are poised to make a break out in 2015.

1) Tavon Austin, WR

Austin has yet to show how deadly he can be for the Rams after being drafted out of the University of West Virginia. In his career thus far, Austin as accumulated 71 career receptions for just 660 yards and four touchdowns, but zero in 2014. Austin, arguably has been a better rusher for the Rams as he rushed for 224 yards in 2014 and found the end-zone two times. What does Austin have going for him headed into this season? A quarterback that is more than capable of giving him the ball. He hasn’t been the receiver we as Rams fans have wanted him to be, but one thing we know is, if you give Austin the ball in space, he will make you pay. Foles will have several options to distribute the ball too, and Austin will be one of the main threats for him. I could see Austin play the roll Desean Jackson did for Foles in 2013. And if we even get 60 percent of that, Austin is destined for a breakout year.

2) E.J Gaines, CB

Gaines had a very good rookie year in 2014. He padded 70 tackles into the stat book and snagged two balls out of the air from the corner position. The talent is their, and defensive coordinator Greg Williams will continue to use Gaines in an intricate way. Not a lot of fans know who Gaines is around the league. But, after 2015, Gaines will be known. He is arguably a top 10 corner in the NFL. I fully expect Gaines to continue to dominate his way to a pro bowl in 2015.

3) Greg Robinson, LT

Robinson, like Gaines had a very solid, yet quite 2014 campaign. Robinson started 14 games in 2014 and showed why he was a top five pick in the 2014 NFL draft. Robinson made his name known as one of the best players expected to come out of the draft in 2014, which he did. But, not a whole lot of people heard his name after he was drafted. Robinson very quietly plugged along in the 2014 season, avoiding major injury and is expected to be the anchor of the Rams’ offensive line in 2015. Robinson has what it takes to make several pro bowls, and I expect his name to be called once the pro bowl rolls around later on.

4) Stedman Bailey, WR

Bailey is another quality option that Foles will have to choose from, but we don’t know a whole lot about him. Bailey has just 47 career receptions, 661 yards and one touchdown in five career starts. This is good and bad. Good for the fact that he is still very fresh and isn’t an injury risk. But, bad because he is still extremely raw and will take some time to really mature into a very reliable receiver that many expect he will be as he grows more experience. Bailey is a mystery at this point, but something tells me that this kid will have a very quite but solid year for the Rams in 2015.

5) Jared Cook, TE

At 28 years old, Cook is the oldest receiver the Rams have. Which is great. But, Cook has underachieved in a Rams uniform. At 6′ 5″, 254 pounds, Cook was clocked at having 4.5 speed. That is a very rare trait for a tight end to have. We have seen flashes of brilliance from Cook, but we have yet to see the full package come together. Heading into his eighth NFL season, I expect Cook to be one of Foles’ top targets, especially in the redzone. Cook can beat you for the long ball over the middle of the field and is a match-up nightmare most of the time. Cook hasn’t had a great quarterback to throw the ball too in the past, which has been part of the problem. But, Foles might make Cook into a pro bowl tight end by the end of the 2015 season.