St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher is desperate for a winning season.
It's not just that he has finished below .500 in each of his three years in St. Louis. It's not just that the Rams haven't finished with a winning record since 2003. The truth is this Rams team is actually pretty solid. St. Louis has put together a young and talented roster thanks to a wealth of draft picks over the last few seasons. Players and coaches know they have the potential to contend for the playoffs. They just need to take the next step.
Getting a legit franchise quarterback would help with that goal. But upgrading at wide receiver may be the more realistic option this offseason.
Stedman Bailey and Brian Quick are slated to be the starting wide receivers in St. Louis next season. While both are solid players, neither is considered a true No. 1. That's why Vince Verhei of Football Outsiders believes the Rams should look at both free agency and the NFL draft for potential upgrades.
"Given how strong their roster is otherwise, the Rams must exhaust all possibilities in their hunt for wide receivers," Verhei wrote. "They can't target one or even two guys; they need to grab everyone they can. With Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas virtual locks to remain with the Cowboys and Broncos, respectively, the top free agents look to be Randall Cobb and Jeremy Maclin...And then there's the draft; with the 10th overall selection, the Rams will likely miss out on Alabama's Amari Cooper, but they likely will have their choice of Louisville's Devante Parker, Stanford's Ty Montgomery, Arizona State's Jaelen Strong, or Auburn's Sammie Coates at their disposal."
The Rams ranked just 19th in receptions (327), 21st in receiving yards (3,695) and 22nd in receiving touchdowns (43) in 2014. Some of that had to do with poor quarterback play, but some of it also had to do with a lack of talent at the position. Cobb and/or Maclin would be great additions, though the Rams will have to compete with the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs should the two pass catchers hit the open market.
As of now, it looks as if Sam Bradford will be St. Louis' starter in 2015. Getting him some weapons to play with, even if it's only for one year, would be advised. The Rams are close to being a threat in the NFC West. Adding some top tier talent at the wide receiver position would nudge them closer to contention.
