5 former LA Rams players who could come out of retirement to play today

Player 4

The LA Rams have plenty of youth on the team, but adding defensive end William Hayes for 2020 could have great results. Hayes is a 35-year-old 6-foot-3 265-pound defensive lineman who last played in the NFL in 2018. In just 64 snaps with the Miami Dolphins in his last season, he put up two quarterback sacks. In 2016, he recorded five sacks and 43 tackles for the Rams.

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Hayes would not be asked to provide more than leadership and approximately 275 defensive snaps in 2020. That would give him enough playing time to remain fresh in the game, but limit his role to a rotational player where he could inflict the most damage. If his 2020 season could remain similar to his 2018 role, he would have eight sacks for the Rams, in a year when the defense may have challenges getting to the quarterback.

He enjoyed an 11 year NFL career, five of which were as a Saint Louis /Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman. In 2020, the Rams could give him the type of role worthy of a veteran of 10+ years in the NFL.

With so many younger players and in this virtual environment, rookies may not have as much access to information. Adding a player with the caliber of Hayes not only adds production on the field but an extra mentor and coaching veteran off the field.