Rams can’t settle for mediocre free agents now that Jeff Fisher is gone

Now that Jeff Fisher is no longer the coach of the Los Angeles Rams, and general manager Les Snead may be on his way out, too, it opens up an opportunity for the Rams to take a different direction to build the team in the offseason.

Fisher and Snead always had this mantra of building through the draft. They made some free agent signings along the way, but over the last two years were not major players on the market. But the bulk of their personnel acquisitions came through the draft, and that’s left the team with holes on the roster that will have to be filled if they’re going to get the offense moving again.

They selected Jared Goff with the first overall pick in this year’s draft, but he didn’t start his first game until Week 11 against the Miami Dolphins. Fisher believed quarterback Case Keenum gave the Rams the best chance of winning.

Since Los Angeles decided to sit its rookie signal caller for the majority of the season, people questioned the pick altogether.

There’s still plenty of time for Goff to find his way in the pros, especially if the Rams make a smart coaching hire in the offseason. In addition to finding the right leadership, they’re also going to have to surround Goff with better offensive players. With fewer draft picks to work with in the wake of the Goff trade, they’re going to have to turn to free agency to find answers, as well.

Under Fisher and Snead, the Rams personnel moves have left a lot to be desired, both in the draft and free agency.

Out of all of the Rams’ draft picks since 2012, Todd Gurley, Aaron Donald, Alec Ogletree, Trumaine Johnson, and Janoris Jenkins are the ones who stand out. Los Angeles let Jenkins walk in free agency, and he is now having a fantastic season with the New York Giants.

Fisher’s removal is going to have ramifications for the Rams’ personnel operation. The former head coach was brought on with the guarantee of having “final say” over personnel matters. That’s going to affect how they approach the free agency and the draft.

The biggest task for the Rams will be to fix the league’s worst offense. The same offense that Gurley called a “middle school offense” following a 42-14 loss against the Atlanta Falcons. The offensive humiliation was underscored by the fact that Atlanta scored more touchdowns at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in one game than the Rams did all season.

Fisher’s coaching limited the team’s offensive production, but there isn’t much talent to work with in the first place. As a personnel man, Fisher didn’t have a great eye for offensive talent.

For example, Rams receiver Tavon Austin, who was drafted with the eighth pick in the 2013 NFL draft, is struggling with route-running. So, the Rams tried to find multiple ways of getting the ball in his hand. They lined him up in the backfield and kept throwing screens to him, and none of it worked.

It doesn’t help that the Rams have used more draft capital on running backs than any other team in the NFL. They’ve spent a first-, second- and third-round pick on running backs since Fisher took over in 2012. Of those players, only Gurley, their first-round pick in 2015, is still with the team.

One of the Rams worst draft picks, one that’s still holding the offense back, is left tackle Greg Robinson. Drafted with the second overall pick in 2014, Robinson’s mostly been a liability in both pass protection and his knack for penalties (he’s the most penalized player in the NFL over the last two seasons).

The Rams offensive line, populated exclusively by the team’s draft picks, ranks 25th adjusted sack rate. It hasn’t been much better in its run blocking, which is supposedly at the heart of the conservative offense Fisher wanted to run. They rank 30th in yards per carry.

They had the same problems with free agency under Fisher.

Fisher loved acquiring players whom he used to coach in Tennessee. He signed Cortland Finnegan and William Hayes in 2012. In 2013, the Rams signed tight end Jared Cook, and they signed receiver Kenny Britt in 2014.

Cook was a bust who only managed to catch three touchdowns in his last two seasons with the Rams.

The Rams signed left tackle and former No. 1 pick Jake Long in 2013 — the one notable free agent who wasn’t a former Fisher player — to shore up their offensive line. He never quite made it back to the high level of play he had with the Dolphins earlier in his career. Injuries took their toll and he was jettisoned after 2014.

Britt has been the lone bright spot of Fisher’s free agent acquisitions. He has a chance to be the Rams’ first receiver to break 1,000 yards in a season since the Greatest Show on Turf days.

The Rams have to get better on offense for 2017. With a restless fan base in Los Angeles, the Rams have to build a team that is ready to win now.

Los Angeles only has six picks in next year’s draft. When the Rams traded up with the Tennessee Titians to select Goff, they gave up their first- and third-round picks in 2017.

They cannot afford to rely exclusively on rookies if they want to make offensive improvements in 2017. It’s time to open the wallet and use some of that $41 million in projected cap space to acquire talented players in free agency.

This could be a good season to find receiver help on the market. The Bears haven’t shown much interest in keeping Alshon Jeffery, who could be the kind of No. 1 receiver the Rams are looking for.

Another attractive option would be DeSean Jackson. He’s from Los Angeles, went to the same school (Cal) as Goff, and would give the Rams offense the kind of dynamic player it so desperately needs.

To fix the line, the Rams don’t have many options for replacing Greg Robinson on the left side. However, they could look to Falcons tackle Ryan Schraeder or Riley Reiff from the Lions to bolster the right side. Reiff has experience as a left tackle, but he wasn’t great at the job either. If they signed a top-tier guard, they could move Rodger Saffold back to the blind side as a temporary fix.

Bengals guard Kevin Zeitler would be the best option for the interior line. Those two look to be among the best options available this spring, if they don’t get an extension from their current teams. Dallas guard Ronald Leary and Packers guard T.J. Lang could be two more options for the interior line.

The most important free agent move the Rams make will be finding Fisher’s replacement. Already some A-list names have been floated, including Jim Harbaugh, Jon Gruden, and Pete Carroll. Both Harbaugh and Carroll shot down the rumors in no uncertain terms. Gruden is always on the rumor mill, but he hasn’t coached in nearly a decade.

They need to find someone who can mold Goff and turn around the offense. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be an offensive-minded head coach.

When asked specifically about finding a coach who could foster Goff’s development, Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff said he doesn’t “look at this as just Jared Goff.”

”We’ve invested a lot of picks in the offense. We want to see them all get better. There are lots of ways to improve the offense ... but that doesn’t necessarily mean hiring an offensive coach,” Demoff said.

The search for an offensive coordinator and the staff on that side of the ball will be just as important. And they’ll have their chance to shape the team when the free agent window opens in March.

It’s all up to the Rams, though. Do they want to attract fans and win games or settle for mediocrity? Only time will tell.