5 LA Rams 2020 FA targets nobody is talking about

Offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai – (formerly Philadelphia Eagles)

Offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai is an extremely versatile offensive lineman who can spot start at practically any offensive line position. He is a true plug-and-play caliber lineman and has been instrumental in sustaining the Philadelphia Eagles’ ability to play into the playoffs despite multiple injuries along the team’s offensive line.

Versatility is the name of the 2020 Rams game.  A player like Vaitai can play in a traditional role on offense, but be added as an additional blocker for specific running plays.  He is agile enough to be added to the backfield to block for goal-line offensive sets.

Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing in at 320 pounds, he is large enough to line up out at the offensive tackle but agile and physical enough to play interior offensive line as well.  Despite a reserve role, he has averaged no less than 31 percent of the offensive snaps in his four years with the Eagles. He peaked in 2017 when he played 73 percent of the offensive snaps.  That was the year the Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl. While Vaitai’s PFF ranking for 2017 was just 56.6, his 2019 PFF ranking improved dramatically, coming in at 72.8.  For comparison purposes, that is the same 2019 PFF ranking of 72.8 for Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth.

Vaitai has played just four seasons in the NFL and is a young player poised to breakout with solid NFL play going forward. We had projected Vaitai as a target to play right tackle at an estimated cost of $3 million / year.  That may be a high salary estimate. Vaitai is a solid young offensive lineman who can be locked up for an inexpensive multi-year contract. Rams would be very wise to do so.