LA Rams: Hollins to IR, best free agent OLBs to keep an eye on

I: Spartan

The first available free agent worth looking at is a 6-foot-4 260-pound defender out of Michigan State named Shilique Calhoun. You may also know him by his nickname, Shalique the Freak. He has been a rotational player in the NFL for the past five football seasons, spending three seasons with the then Oakland Raiders and the past two seasons with the New England Patriots.

He was signed up by the San Francisco 49ers in mid-August as a camp body to round out training camp but was released two weeks later.

He was selected by the Raiders with the 75th overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. While he has not exactly delivered the level of NFL production one might expect from a player drafted that high, he has filled a niche role with the Raiders and then the Patriots in coming off the edge. He has played in 51 games with one NFL start. Over that time, he accumulated 56 tackles, 2.5 quarterback sacks, 13 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, and one pass defended.

Calhoun may not turn into an elite player, but he has a proven track record of suiting up and holding his own on the football field.

For the LA Rams to have a player available in two or three weeks, they need to invest the time and energy into a player now, and Calhoun has enough NFL experience to know what to focus upon and how to get up to speed to fill the Rams needs. He would also come at the NFL minimum, which is always a good price point.