Rams have every reason to give Wesley Bailey his shot with Myles Garrett injured

Sophomore edge rusher Josaiah Stewart is first in line to fill the playing-time void left by Myles Garrett's trip to injured reserve, but the trickle-down effect will affect the Los Angeles Rams' whole rotation. Undrafted rookie Wesley Bailey could be in for his first defensive reps on Monday against the New York Giants.

Certainly there will be more snaps to go around, and moreover, the Rams will benefit from deploying a by-committee approach to 'replacing' Garrett's galaxy-sized absence. No one player can adequately do that alone, and as exciting a young player as Stewart is, he's also never made an NFL start. 

Easing his burden by regularly swapping in Desjuan Johnson and Bailey seems like the best approach, which is good news for Rams fans eager to see the latter in action after a stellar preseason and training camp.

Wesley Bailey should see meaningful snaps in Rams' rotation

Bailey saw a pair of special-teams snaps in Week 1 against the 49ers. That's it. Johnson earned 15 defensive reps behind Garrett and Stewart, the primary backup. 

Hampered by his knee, Garrett only logged 40 snaps himself (a 62 percent share), but still, opportunities will be there for the taking. Bailey could easily see a time-share similar to Johnson's last week, or more if he gets off to a hot start.

The Louisville product veritably forced his way onto the roster with an electric summer, even though the Rams typically keep only four edge rushers. Bailey left them no choice. He was a high-risk waiver-claim candidate if cut from the 53-man roster. 

Listed at 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, Bailey more closely resembles Garrett's physical traits than anyone else on the depth chart. He easily has more length than Stewart, Johnson, or Byron Young. That should come in handy both for wrapping up ball carriers off the edge and ensuring quarterbacks can't escape his grasp if he breaks into the backfield. 

Combined with his quick-twitch athleticism, those long arms also make Bailey a batted-ball merchant at the line of scrimmage. What seems like a passing lane goes away quick when he puts up a paw. All of the above make Bailey a promising prospect, and now he should have a chance to put his talents on display in real live action. 

With Garrett sidelined and Jared Verse in Cleveland, the Rams suddenly have a talent deficit at a position that was supposed to be a massive strength. They would be silly to let Bailey rot on the bench when they need all hands on deck to make up the difference. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow