3 LBs from free agency to help LA Rams towards 2020 NFL Playoffs run

OLB Bradham

Nigel Bradham has plenty of experience in the NFL and can play any of the four linebacker positions. For a veteran, versatility is a solid quality to find. To find so much versatility in a veteran like Bradham, that’s a solid signing.  Nigel Bradham played eight NFL seasons, four with the Buffalo Bills, and four with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was an NFL starter through the 2019 NFL season.

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Bradham is about making contact. While his production dropped slightly in 2019 as he only competed in 12 games, he continued to make plays for the Eagles. At 6-foot-2 and 241 pounds, he can still deliver a huge thump. And he even recorded his third career interception in 2019, one he returned for 22 yards.

Value-added addition, whether starter or backup

The Eagles allowed Bradham to test the free-agent market much as the Rams opted with Nickell Robey-Coleman. Bradham was still productive, but the Eagles did not feel the $8 million price tag to activate his 2020 option was cost-effective.  After all, the Eagle signed a player who recorded 102 tackles, 10 tackles for losses, and two sacks in 2016. By 2019, that had dropped to 61 tackles, two tackles for losses, and no sacks.  It made sense for the Eagles to seek a cheaper option.

The Rams could use Bradham, even if he was simply that “insurance policy” on the bench. But the truth is that Bradham would win a starting role on this Rams defense, and give younger players enough time to learn the position while he held down the fort. Eventually, someone would successfully earn the right to start, but by that time, the Rams would still have a competent backup for the defense. A one-year deal would be sufficient. Just enough to ensure the Rams compete early to ensure the defense does not cost the team a win or two.