Rams could use depth around LBs Alec Ogletree, Mark BarronBy Alden Gonzalez
ESPN Staff Writer
From now until the start of free agency, on March 7, we'll take a position-by-position look at the Los Angeles Rams in eight installments. The Rams -- coming off a 4-12 season that prompted the hiring of rookie head coach Sean McVay -- have about $40 million in cap space but do not have a first-round pick. They also have a lot of needs, all of which can feel a little overwhelming without breaking it down by section. We'll do that here. Next up: linebackers. (Previous: WR/TE, DL, OL)
Key returnees: Alec Ogletree, Mark Barron, Josh Forrest, Cory Littleton, Bryce Hager
Notable free agents: N/A
Top free agents available (for now): Chandler Jones, Dont'a Hightower, Melvin Ingram, Zach Brown, Lawrence Timmons, Kevin Minter, Manti Te'o
Key stat: ESPN Stats & Info had Ogletree with 136 tackles in 2016, a career best and the sixth-highest mark in the NFL.
Ogletree didn't get any real love for Comeback Player of the Year, but he missed the final 12 games of the 2015 season with a broken fibula, then transitioned to the vital role as the Rams' "Mike" linebacker and became the only one to play in every single defensive snap in 2016, and was named a second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press.
Pro Football Focus didn't deem Ogletree anywhere near as favorably, however. The analytics-based site graded Ogletree 50th among 87 qualified linebackers, ranking him 56th defending the run and 37th in coverage. Barron -- an athletic converted safety, just like Ogletree -- graded out 32nd in a year that finished with 117 tackles, two interceptions and a sack.
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