<
        >

          NFL Nation

          Holes on defense a question Rams still must answer

          • Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterMay 30, 2016, 09:00 AM ET
            Close
              Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL at ESPN since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In his 10 years with the company, Nick has led ESPN's coverage of the Niners' 2019 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick's protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam's subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team's relocation and stadium saga. You can follow Nick via Twitter @nwagoner
            Follow on X

          The Los Angeles Rams' offseason revolved around three things: moving the team back to its West Coast home, retaining their own key free agents (or attempting to, at least) and trading up to secure what they hope will be a franchise quarterback in Jared Goff.

          The Rams were able to accomplish the first and third things on that list, and though they were able to retain many of the top priorities on their free-agent list, they also lost two players -- cornerback Janoris Jenkins and safety Rodney McLeod -- that they would've preferred to keep.

          ESPN Insider Field Yates recently took a look at the biggest remaining roster decision for each of the league's 32 teams. For the Rams, Yates pointed to the loss of Jenkins and McLeod, as well as the release of middle linebacker James Laurinaitis and end Chris Long, as leaving behind the biggest questions for the Rams moving into 2016.

          The Rams believe they have in-house options to replace all of the above, but whether the likes of cornerback E.J. Gaines, safety Maurice Alexander, linebacker Alec Ogletree and end William Hayes can replace not only the production but the leadership of the departed players remains to be seen. It's an important subject for a team that still plans to lean heavily on its defense to carry much of the freight in the team's first season back in Los Angeles.

          I.C.Y.M.I.

          A roundup of the weekend's Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... We wrapped up our OTA preview series with a look at the team's need to identify new leadership. ... The Ram-blings started with a glimpse at the many miles the Rams will travel in 2016. ... Saturday's mailbag examined which offensive lineman is due to take a step forward this season. ... Sunday's mailbag explored the way the Rams' offseason approach has evolved under Jeff Fisher and Les Snead.

          Elsewhere:

          John Clayton provided his list of the 15 best remaining free agents, including a safety the Rams have taken a look at.

          The Ravens received their punishment for OTA violations.

          NFL Nation offered the player with the most to prove for each team in the NFL this season.

          Speaking of Laurinaitis, Saints reporter Mike Triplett writes that Stephone Anthony is fine with changing positions to make room for him.

          LATimes.com's Gary Klein writes that Case Keenum knows he's not long for the starting quarterback job.

          Rams running back Todd Gurley is featured in a new burger commercial for Carl's Jr.