Rams FA search turns up 3 undervalued vet Centers...

Rams free agency search turns up 3 undervalued veteran centers

[ramblinfan.com]

The LA Rams have a few large needs to fill, one of which is the offensive center. Should they chase that need in the draft? Or, would it be wiser to look to the NFL Free Agency market, so as to stretch the limited dollars the team has to spend?

More specifically, a replacement, a stand-in, is needed for fourth-year pro and offensive line anchor Andrew Blythe who appears likely to leave via free agency. Blythe was picked up off waivers in 2017 and has solidified a Rams offensive line that was recognized by Pro Football Focus last year as the third-ranked offensive line in the NFL.

The lynchpin, the fulcrum of that line has been Blythe who’s now appeared in 40 career regular-season games with 18 starts and started three-of-four postseason clashes. He’s been a versatile player for the Rams, someone who has started both at offensive guard and offensive guard for the Rams in the NFL playoffs. But his contract is up, and the price to resign an NFL starter for two different positions has likely grown beyond the Rams budget.

Can the Rams be so fortunate the second time around to find a center? Unless they re-sign Blythe, finding a new center should be an area of intense laser beam-like focus in the days leading up to March. We know that the Rams tried, and failed, to draft center Cesar Ruiz from the 2020 NFL Draft. He was ultimately drafted by the New Orleans Saints.

2021 NFL Draft?

Now, comes news today that the Rams have already held a pre-draft video session with Wisconsin-Whitewater center Quinn Meinerz, according to Justin Melo of The Draft Network.

The #Rams recently held a predraft meeting via Zoom with small school OL Quinn Meinerz. #NFLDraft

— Justin M (@JustinM_NFL) February 16, 2021

So, we learn the Rams have one eyeball on the draft option for a new center. And we know from the Rams’ past drafting practices that they love to select players who perform well in the Senior Bowl. And he has an impressive workout video available too.

He has the versatility to push for consideration at the offensive center or guard positions in the NFL Draft. But the LA Rams will want an NFL center. Can he do it? Oh yeah… he’s NFL ready

Meinerz has seen his stock go up recently because of his solid performance at the Senior Bowl and elevated his name to more of a national stage. He’s a prospect who didn’t play in 2020 due to the cancellation of Division III football last season. Many scouts now peg him as a solid second or third-round pick come April, based on his dominating 2019 play.

With the other eyeball, the Rams must look to the free-agent wares. Fortunately, there’s a handful of veteran centers available on the free-agent market who represent solid value, solid bang for the buck, solid bargains.

Jaguars center

One such option is Jacksonville Jaguars center Tyler Shatley, a 6-foot-3, 310-pound iron man out of Clemson who played in all 16 games last season. Shatley can play all over the offensive line and it is his versatility that was not only his biggest asset but kept him active on game days. The Rams would do well to have such an insurance policy in place.

Now in his seventh season after first joining the club as an undrafted free agent in 2014, Shatley only had one false start penalty called on him all last year. He was signed to a one-year contract for $1.5 million last year and represents an affordable, cerebral veteran player for the Rams to consider.

Don’t let his price throw you. He scored a very impressive 67.7 score with Pro Football Focus for his 2020 performance. That caps a series of ever-improving scores for the NFL center. And he is at the cusp of showing up big in his NFL career.

The attraction of a versatile player, one who can play both center and guard offers offensive line coach Aaron Kromer plenty of options to mix-and-match and scheme depending on the opponent and the game plan.

Vikings center

And versatility is also what center Bret Jones of the Minnesota Vikings brings to the table as the 6-foot 2, 315-pound lineman has played both center and guard last year. Now in his seventh season, he’s also a veteran presence who was signed for a $910,000 contract last year.

The native of Saskatchewan, Canada, was signed by the New York Giants in 2015 after spending two seasons in the Canadian Football League. He was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie in 2013 with the Calgary Stampeders. And, in 2014 received the CFL’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award. He saw action in 15 games last season for the Vikes.

Curiously enough, he originally signed on with the New York Giants after the 2013 NFL Draft. Canadien by birth, when things did not work out he found his passion in his native homeland. He has not been a solid performer for two seasons until 2020 when everything came together for him in two games against the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers.

He had great performances in both 2016 and 2017, and he was the starter for the Giants for 13 games that season. He struggled due to injury in 2019. In 2020, he spent most of the season on the Vikings practice squad but did an excellent job in two starts in 2022. Now, he is ready for a chance to compete for a starting role and will be an ideal player for Coach Kromer to coach up.

Patriots center

A third undervalued free-agent center option is James Ferentz of the New England Patriots. At 31 years of age, he’s now entering his fifth NFL season with stints at Houston (2014), Denver (2015-16), and New England (2017-19). The 6-foot-2, 300-pounder has played in 38 regular-season games with and four post-season games as a reserve.

Last season, Ferentz played in 15 regular-season games and made his first two career starts – one at guard and the other at the center position. That’s pretty impressive to a player who was signed to a one-year contract for the affordable sum of $825,000 last year.

While he has not had a season where an NFL team has entrusted him to start 16 regular-season games, he has plenty of NFL experience to make a great versatile backup for multiple positions. And Ferentz has a nasty blocking style and has shown the ability to take on defensive linemen with solid technique and cerebral play. (kinda what you’d expect from a Patriots lineman).

He’s a snarler, a gritty player who can infect his teammates with a determined scrappy attitude that is sometimes lost.

All three of our veteran free-agent offensive center options have that versatility going for them. While everyone is quick to jump on the draft bandwagon, the Rams would be wise to not overlook the value of adding a proven, savvy veteran at the offensive center. After all, that’s how they landed Blythe and that turned out pretty well.