Reports: St. Louis Rams Interested in Free Agent LB Akeem Ayers

As both the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas and ESPN’s Nick Wagoner reported via Twitter on Tuesday night, the St. Louis Rams have expressed interest in free agent linebacker Akeem Ayers, who is fresh off winning a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots last month.
The 25-year-old Ayers began his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans in 2011, being selected in the second round out of UCLA. He performed well as a rookie and had a career-best season in 2012, collecting 104 tackles and six sacks, but he dropped off before re-emerging a bit this year after being traded to the Patriots in October. In nine games with New England, the 6-foot-3, 255-pounder had 20 tackles and four sacks.

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

If Ayers signed with the Rams, he would likely take over the strongside linebacker role that

has filled for the past two seasons. Opportunities are limited in this role, as the Rams tend to use their nickel defense, swapping a fifth defensive back for the third linebacker, on a majority of their defensive plays, but Ayers would provide more reliable depth beyond

and

than guys like Dunbar and special teams standouts like

and

did during 2014.

Live Feed

Ebony Bird

Ayers’ addition would provide a bit of a dilemma regarding former seventh overall pick

, who was acquired from Tampa Bay for two third-day draft picks at the trade deadline this past season. Despite having played as a traditional safety during his time in Tampa, Barron was used as more of a “rover”, playing as a linebacker and

slot

corner and basically usurping Dunbar’s former role. It’s been expected by many that Barron would have a larger role while serving the same types of functions in 2015, but signing Ayers would seem to complicate that plan unless the Rams are planning on using Ayers strictly for extra run support, as they did with Dunbar in the second half of 2015.

Presumably, though, bringing in a player who just played a decently significant role on a Super Bowl-winning defense would require a somewhat substantial investment, which could mean that Barron’s role will actually end up being reduced in 2015.

Next: Rams Re-Sign Lance Kendricks to Four-Year Deal