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Significant Investments: 12 Questionable Checks that Stan Kroenke has Written Since Purchasing the St. Louis Rams

By Patrick Karraker

Nov 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke on the sidelines prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke on the sidelines prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Rodger Saffold St. Louis Rams
Oct 19, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams guard Rodger Saffold (76) is helped off the field with an injury during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks at the Edward Jones Dome. St. Louis defeated Seattle 28-26. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Rodger Saffold

In fairness, plenty of shortsighted St. Louis Rams followers (including myself) really wanted to see Rodger Saffold stay in a Rams uniform long-term after he turned in five very impressive games as a right guard during the second half of the 2013 season. Saffold, a tackle during the first three-and-a-half seasons of his NFL career, was better able to take advantage of his immense strength on the interior, and there was hope that he’d be able to avoid his continual injury issues–particularly with his shoulders–by making a move inside.

It’s the job of an NFL front office, however, to have a long-term vision and avoid making judgments off of small sample sizes. After the Oakland Raiders initially signed Saffold to a five-year, $42.5 million-dollar deal, but then backed off after a physical revealed that he needed shoulder surgery, the writing was quite literally on the wall for the Rams to avoid making a mistake. Instead, the decision-makers followed their hearts, and Kroenke signed off on investing $19.5 guaranteed in a guard that had started five NFL games at his new position.

Despite repeatedly dealing with minor injuries that forced him from games, Saffold managed to start all 16 games during 2014. He regressed to the norm, though, perhaps because of the shoulder, and he wasn’t the $6 million-dollar per year guard that the Rams invested in. He went on to have surgery on the injured left shoulder after the 2014 season, and after recovering and starting the 2015 season healthy, his year was ended after just five games (none of which were overwhelmingly impressive) due to his need for another surgery, this time on his right shoulder.

Due to the fact that rookie sixth-rounder Cody Wichmann came on strong near the end of 2015, while rookie third-rounder Jamon Brown was perhaps the Rams’ best lineman before going down with a season-ending broken leg in the team’s ninth game, it’s quite possible that the Rams will release Saffold this offseason, with just $3 million of his signing bonus remaining as guaranteed money. That’d be yet another disappointing outcome for a lineman who the Rams have invested big money in but has failed to deliver.

Next: 4. Cortland Finnegan

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