The Los Angeles Rams are looking to expand their secondary during the offseason and will meet with free agent safety Donte Whitner. He was cut by the Cleveland Browns late into the free agency period, which has made it rather difficult for him to get a job right away.
Whitner staying on the market is a testament to how much money NFL teams have spent during this crazy offseason. Whitner was one of the Browns top tacklers and a leader in their secondary. At the age of 30, Whitner's cover skills may have diminished, but he is still as physical as ever wrapping up the ball carrier.
During his career, he has spent time with three different NFL franchises: the Buffalo Bills (2006-2010), the San Francisco 49ers (2011-2013) and the Cleveland Browns for the last two seasons. In that time frame, he has recorded an astonishing 856 combined tackles, three sacks, 11 interceptions, 53 pass defenses, two defensive touchdowns and 11 forced fumbles.
Last season, Whitner recorded 81 combined tackles, 1.5 sacks, four pass defenses and a forced fumble. The Browns cleaned house and released most of their top veteran players, as it appears they intended to rebuild the franchise from the ground up. The Browns released starting center Alex Mack, starting right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, starting wide receiver Travis Benjamin, starting safety opposite to Whitner, Tashaun Gipson, and defensive leader/inside linebacker Karlos Dansby.
The Rams will be looking to replace free safety Rodney McLeod, who left for the Philadelphia Eagles during free agency. Whitner would be a great replacement for McLeod while they look for the future of the safety position during the 2016 NFL Draft. Los Angeles also lost cornerback Janoris Jenkins, which is another step in the wrong direction for this secondary.
The Rams have a legitimate need at the position, so depending on how costly Whitner is, the franchise could be looking to sign him right away. The Rams failed to pick up a safety earlier during free agency and have only bolstered this secondary during the offseason by signing cornerback Coty Sensabaugh, formerly of the Tennessee Titans. If the Rams sign Whitner, this should limit the need at this position before the NFL Draft takes place in late April.
