With an undrafted free agent filling in, will Rams feel more pressure in Aaron Donald’s contract holdout?By RICH HAMMOND
IRVINE — Five days into Rams training camp, focus turned to a former undrafted free agent and a sixth-round pick, neither of whom has played an NFL game. At least not yet.
Dominique Easley, expected to start at defensive end, tore his ACL during Tuesday’s practice and is lost for the season. Considering the Rams don’t know when star end Aaron Donald, who is negotiating a new contract, will end his holdout and report to camp, Easley’s injury is a major blow.
Michael Brockers, at nose tackle, is the last starter standing up front in the Rams’ new 3-4 defense. A week ago, defensive line looked to be a strength for the Rams, but now they’re giving first-team reps to Louis Trinca-Pasat, a recent undrafted free agent who hasn’t yet cracked a 53-man roster. Tanzel Smart, a sixth-round pick this year, also is getting more work.
“There’s no worries here,” Brockers said after Wednesday’s practice at UC Irvine. “It’s football. You hate to see an important guy like that go down, and I know it’s a cliche about ‘next man up,’ but that’s the atmosphere we have around here.”
At what point, though, do the Rams feel more pressure and bend a bit in negotiations with Donald?
Donald is a three-time Pro Bowl player just entering his prime years. Easley, even though he didn’t start a game for the Rams last season, played a lot and was one of their most consistent defensive linemen.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/2017 06:09PM by RamBill.
