Report: St. Louis Rams Have Interest in Free Agent DT Darnell Dockett
As reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter this morning, the St. Louis Rams reportedly have interest in free-agent defensive tackle Darnell Dockett, though they probably have some ground to make up if they want to make themselves a more attractive option than their NFC West opponents:
Former Cardinals DT Darnell Dockett expected to decide today between 49ers and Cardinals, though Rams and Seahawks also interested.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 4, 2015
Though the Rams organization has been rumored to have interest in the 33-year-old Dockett dating back to previous coaching administrations, their interest in him at the moment is somewhat odd. The team just released 29-year-old defensive tackle Kendall Langford with the goal of shedding his $6 million-dollar 2015 base salary, a large amount for a player who would have been backing up Michael Brockers and Aaron Donald.
Meanwhile, Dockett was scheduled to have a cap hit of $9.8 million this coming season before Arizona released him last week. He missed the entire 2014 season with a torn ACL, and as a bigger player who will be 34 years old in May, it’s no guarantee that he’ll regain his previous effectiveness.
More from St. Louis Rams
- Chris Long, Danny Amendola, Vincent Valentine Help Patriots Win Super Bowl LI
- Longtime St. Louis Rams QB Kurt Warner Selected for Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Former St. Louis Rams Fans React to LA Rams’ 28-0 Loss to San Francisco 49ers
- NFL Edits Out References to St. Louis in YouTube Version of Orlando Pace Hall of Fame Speech
- Orlando Pace Enters Pro Football Hall of Fame
Furthermore, unless Dockett is willing to accept a sharp salary decrease in order to play as a backup, it’s difficult to envision the Rams spending such a large chunk of money on a player who will get less than 50 percent of the snaps on a weekly basis with Donald, already one of the best three-technique defensive tackles in the league, ahead of him.
With that said, the club does need two new defensive tackles, as the loss of Langford and the presumed departure of Alex Carrington, who’s an unrestricted free agent, will leave the team with only two returning players on the defensive interior. But the Rams need to be conservative with cap space this offseason in order to fit Sam Bradford into the picture and re-sign their own free agents, and adding an overpriced reserve such as Dockett wouldn’t seem to be a wise move.
Dockett, who could be in line for a starting spot with the 49ers if Justin Smith retires, should announce his decision later on Wednesday.