Retired LB Gerald Hodges return to NFL should interest LA Rams

The LA Rams have lost both 2019 starting outside linebackers. LB Gerald Hodges announcement of coming out of retirement should interest the Rams

The LA Rams should not enter the 2020 NFL Draft trying to fill holes in the roster. Doing so tempts the team to reach for players who are not talented enough, or ready, to take on a starting role in the NFL. The rule of thumb for NFL teams is to fill roster holes with veteran free agents, and then afterward draft for depth and to compete for starting time.

While the Rams had released veteran OLB Clay Matthews as part of the vacancies issue, the team now has an opportunity to correct that with the recent announcement of ILB Gerald Hodges.

Veteran LB Gerald Hodges, who retired last year, now has decided he wants to play this season, per source. Hodges is a free agent.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 6, 2020

Hodges will not be a three-down option for the Rams. But he should be an inexpensive rotational player who can ensure that the team is not putting a young player on the field before they are ready.

Hodges played just six seasons in the NFL and played for four different teams. His best statistical season occurred in 2016 when he recorded 83 tackles, four QB hits, three sacks, two interceptions, and one forced fumble. His Pro Football Focus grade for that season was a respectable 78.4.

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He could be signed for a league minimum and to a one-year prove-it deal. At 6-foot-2 and 232 pounds, he is the right size to offer some versatility at linebacker. If the Rams have even the slightest belief that he can play, he is just too much of a bargain not to sign him.

This is not the first time he has announced coming out of retirement. A month after announcing his retirement in April 2019, he announced that he had a change of heart and wanted to return to play football. Now, a year later, he is making the same announcement once more.

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The LA Rams are in a tight spot right now. While the team has plenty of youth, there is a noticeable absence of veteran leadership at linebacker. The team did add OLB Leonard Floyd but is still short three starters from the 2019 linebacker corps. With only six picks, the team cannot afford to waste a pick attempting to fill a roster need but instead selecting a player too soon in the draft. Signing the veteran Hodges gives the team added depth at a needed position and immunizes the team from making a hasty, and wrong, decision in the 2020 NFL Draft.

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