Who Should the St. Louis Rams Keep: William Hayes or Eugene Sims?

Nov 29, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) throws a pass under pressure from St. Louis Rams defensive end Eugene Sims (97) in the second half at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 31-7. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

The Case for Keeping Eugene Sims

Unlike William Hayes, Eugene Sims is a homegrown player for the St. Louis Rams. The team drafted the man back in 2010 (Yes, the infamous Bradford draft) out of West Texas A&M with their sixth round pick. His rookie contract has already expired, and he is currently on the last year of a two-year, $2.8 million contract extension.

Although his stats have been unspectacular since coming into the league with only 9.0 career sacks, it should be noted that he has been playing as a backup weak side defensive end. That means he doesn’t get a lot of snaps and that when he’s actually in, he’s going up against pass-blocking left tackles. It’s a difficult task, but Eugene Sims has proven to be capable of rotating with the elite Robert Quinn.

I had the opportunity to briefly meet Eugene Sims during this summer’s training camp. While getting a picture with Sims, I asked him how many sacks he would procure this year. He told me that he wanted about ten sacks this year; a pretty hefty goal for a backup defensive end in the deepest line in the league.

Obviously, Eugene Sims is nowhere close to ten sacks this season. In fact, he only has one sack and 14 total tackles in 2015. However, the aforementioned season-ending injury to Robert Quinn is going to give Sims an opportunity to shine. He has already started five games this season as a replacement, but with Quinn officially on the IR and the Rams’ playoff hopes out the window, Sims has four games to prove that he deserves another re-signing or a bigger contract from another team.

So why would the Rams re-sign Sims over Hayes? It’s simple: he’s cheaper. He hasn’t substantially improved statistically since signing the contract extension two years ago, and he’s getting close to thirty years old. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Sims receiving a contract offer from the Rams for about $1.2 million per year.

From a production standpoint, it seems obvious that signing William Hayes is more of a priority. Prove me wrong, Sims.

Next: And if They Both Walk?