Rebuilding the Rams needs to start up front

In the interest of a better, more productive NFL offseason, SB Nation’s NFL crew is putting on the general manager’s cap and fixing some of the league’s most moribund franchises, from free agents to marketing campaigns guaranteed not to backfire.

★★★

Jeff Fisher led the St. Louis Rams out of the darkest corners of the NFC standings and got them hovering around .500 (slightly under) during his first two seasons at the helm. Last season, Fisher’s third, was supposed to be the year the Rams barged their way into contention behind an aggressive defense and a good-enough ball control offense.

The marketing department rolled out the slogans just in time for tickets to go on sale. “Defend Our Turf” and “Sack City” popped up everywhere. Finally, an identity! Fans could finally associate the Rams with something other than futility for the first time since the Greatest Show on Turf. (The marketing department has been more conservative so far this year, including the unusual step of canceling popular offseason events for season ticket holders and fans.)

They finished 6-10.

A 6-10 finish and a 1-4 start that included three straight laughers in front of the league’s smallest average home crowd, which made it hard to defend “Defend Our Turf.” They missed the exit to “Sack City” too; the league’s most talented defensive front had one sack through the first four games of the season.

The picks from the 2012 trade are all gone, almost exclusively used to help build the defense. After suffering three losing seasons in a row and failing to find an adequate Plan B for the oft-injured, underwhelming Sam Bradford, Fisher and general manager Les Snead are just about out of goodwill from that trade too.

This year, they have to find a way to score points if Fisher is to notch just his seventh winning season in 21 years of head coaching. St. Louis needs a unit capable of scoring more than an average of 22 points per game, which is a consistent problem for the head coach -- Fisher’s Rams have never averaged more than 21.8 points per game. Through his career, his teams have topped a 22-point average just five times and 23 points only twice, during a period when the NFL has evolved more and more into an offense-driven league.

SB Nation presents: NFC West team needs in the 2015 NFL Draft

You can point to Bradford and the team’s unwillingness to find a viable replacement/backup for him as their biggest shortcoming. It may end up being their epitaph if Stan Kroenke doesn’t want to take a loser to Los Angeles. But for now, the most important thing they can do is fix an offensive line that’s steadily gotten worse over the last three years.

Jake Long and Scott Wells represent more than $15 million in cap space this season, not to mention endless regret. Aging, ineffective and oft-injured, both should be easy cuts. They also had to lean on a washed-up Davin Joseph at guard last season. And the overall results say plenty about what a problem the offensive line has become for the Rams.

Quarterbacks actually had a decent place to work in 2012 and 2013, but the pass blocking took a sharp drop last season.

(Sack rate data via Football Outsiders)

Run blocking is a bigger problem considering Fisher’s preferred offensive identity.

Adjusted line yards, via Football Outsiders, uses regression analysis to assign the offensive line responsibility for the result of rushing attempts adjusted for down, distance, etc. More info on ALY here.

The numbers for runs in the middle/guard are called out specifically because that’s where the Rams have done the bulk of their running (57 percent in 2014, 67 percent in 2013 and 45 percent in 2012; the league average has hovered around 52 percent during that span).

Here’s how to fix that group in three easy steps.

1. Sign free agent C Rodney Hudson -- Hudson could be the player who breaks the Rams’ terrible streak with offensive free agents. He’s only 25 and has only missed one start in the last two seasons. Plenty of teams will come after Hudson, but the cap space freed up from dumping Long and Wells gives the Rams the flexibility they need to chase a guy who’ll probably command $8 million per season.

2. Re-sign RT Joe Barksdale -- He fits nicely into that unsung category of above-average linemen, which the Rams are sorely lacking. It’s possible that some team will overpay to snag him. A four-year deal worth $18 million with $5 million guaranteed is absurd, but that’s where the market is (thanks Breno Giacomini & the Jets!). If they have to pay more than that, forget it. They can find an upgrade with the No. 10 pick in the draft.

3. Find a guard on Day 2 of the draft -- Easier said than done, but after spending big on two offensive linemen, the Rams need to find another youngster on the cheap who can grow into the position. Florida State’s Tre’ Jackson would be a good fit. They need to spend more than a single pick on viable offensive linemen during the last two days of the draft, not just more seventh-rounders who won’t be on the roster a year later.

2016 and beyond -- The good news is that with this plan, the Rams would have a young offensive line all under contract for three years or more, with Rodger Saffold being the only predictable departure during that window. Ideally, one of the picks from the upcoming draft would be able to replace him. They’ll still need to keep finding depth.

The Rams missed out on the great receiver class of 2014. They were stuck living with their decision to trade up to No. 8 in 2013 for punt returner Tavon Austin. He hasn’t turned out to be the Percy Harvin/Randall Cobb type they hoped for, and he lacks the skillset to be more than a role player on offense. They also have Brian Quick, coming off a serious shoulder injury after finally starting to shake the bust label, as well as Austin’s former WVU teammate Stedman Bailey and the expected return of veteran Kenny Britt.

Fortunately, this is another fine year to draft a receiver, and the No. 10 pick is a great place to do it.

The latest SB Nation mock draft has Amari Cooper going in the top five picks, but both Kevin White and DeVante Parker could be there at No. 10. Either player would instantly be the No. 1 receiver and finally give the offense the kind of playmaker it needs. Dorial Green-Beckham is another intriguing option who’ll be linked to the Rams because of his Missouri roots and the coach’s history with troubled players. However, the Rams have done a poor job developing receivers, and those other prospects with off-field issues haven’t exactly blossomed in St. Louis under headmaster Fisher.

Re-sign Kenny Britt -- At the right price, of course. He’ll never be a consistent, 16-game performer, but he does his best work under Fisher and is young enough (26) to keep around on a reasonable three-year deal.

2016 and beyond -- Believe it or not, Brian Quick is a free agent after the upcoming season. Drafting Parker or White here would allow the Rams to let him walk if he disappoints again this season. Keeping Britt (if he signs a two- or three-year deal) leaves them with a solid second or third receiver.

Bringing back Bradford and making him the starter this season really is the team’s best option. We’ve seen Bradford’s ceiling (and you should read Bill Barnwell and Mike Tanier for more on that), but it’s at least higher than any signal caller available through free agency or trade, a list that includes such illustrious names as Mark Sanchez and Kirk Cousins.

A second-round pick for Brett Hundley is an option. Picking up Bryce Petty sometime on Day 2 is another acceptable Plan B. Both players would, ideally, get a year as an understudy. However, the problem with any of these players is that they’re probably going to be called on to start a few games during their rookie years given Bradford’s injury history. They just aren’t ready for that. Keeping Austin Davis on the roster is probably a necessity for 2015. He might even have to be Plan B given the questionable talent at quarterback in the draft.

There’s always the chance that Marcus Mariota could fall to the Rams at No. 10. It’s unlikely, but if it does happen, they should grab him because they probably won’t get another chance at a prospect of his caliber.

Without Hundley or Petty, and maybe even with them, the Rams are going to have to address the quarterback question again in 2016 in one way or another.

That won’t be the only thing the team has to address in 2016.

SB Nation presents: The five best quarterbacks in the NFL Draft

This advice column has been heavy on offense because the Rams have a glaring lack of talent on that side of the ball. Spending big on free agents and using picks in the first three rounds to address those needs creates a timing problem, because a number of important defensive players are up for free agency a year from now. The Rams could have their offense fixed just in time for a massive turnover on defense, including three players on the vaunted defensive line.

Defensive ends William Hayes and Eugene Sims, cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson and defensive tackle Michael Brockers are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents in 2016. Brockers is easy enough to deal with that year by picking up the fifth-year option in his rookie contract. It’s the two ends that put the Rams at a crossroads.

As the third defensive end on the roster, Hayes has quietly been an indispensable part of the unit. He filled in for Chris Long last season and has been the group’s movable chess piece. He’ll be 31 in 2016. Sims should be easier to replace as the fourth end on the roster. The only replacement on the roster now is Ethan Westbrooks, an undrafted rookie last year whose claim to fame is beating out Michael Sam for a roster spot.

Further complicating the picture is Chris Long’s status. He turns 30 in March and represents more than $14 million in cap space in 2016, the last year of his contract. Last season was the first time in his career that injuries have sidelined him for a significant period of time.

The roster is deeper at corner than it looks, thanks in part to a breakout rookie season from E.J. Gaines. They’ll need to replace one of either Jenkins or Johnson as the other starter on the outside after 2015.

Fisher and Snead will almost certainly have to draft a defensive end this year. The question is how high they take one. Their past history suggests it could happen sometime in the first three rounds, and nobody would be surprised if that’s how they use their first-round pick this year given the bumper crop of edge rushing talent. That would leave the offense in a huge bind, still hurting for talent.

The offensive fix-ups prescribed here would pay immediate dividends for the Rams. A rejuvenated offensive line would get more out of a backfield full of potential led by Tre Mason. It would also help make Bradford’s dink-and-dunk passes that much more effective, and make a nice working environment once Hundley or Petty or someone else takes over a year later.

Retooling the defense in 2016 would be that much easier with an offense finally capable of carrying its fair share.

It makes for a great group of potential new slogans too.

“Score with the Rams!”

Can’t beat a good double entendre.

“A much better show than you’re used to on turf”

Wordy, but I think you get the point.

“California, here we come”

That’s already kind of the team’s unofficial slogan.

Yes, there we go. It’s retro, harkens back to the team’s previous L.A. days and fits with an offense that runs the ball behind a tough offensive line. It doesn’t hurt that they already have a catchy music video to snare potential season ticket holders.