Barnwell Grades Ogletree Trade

Trade: Rams deal LB Alec Ogletree to Giants

By Bill Barnwell

[www.espn.com]

Grade for Rams: C+
Grade for Giants: C

The Giants were loathe to spend money on coverage linebackers under the reign of general manager Jerry Reese, who never adequately replaced Antonio Pierce in the middle of the field after the playoff hero finished his career in 2009. Draft picks like Jonathan Goff and a bevy of free agents -- everyone from Jon Beason to J.T. Thomas -- couldn't stay healthy or play effective football. With Dave Gettleman coming over from a Panthers organization that built its defense around Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly, it's no surprise that he might want to address inside linebacker this offseason.

Ogletree is certainly the most likely candidate to succeed the Giants have brought in since Pierce, but it's hard to argue that the former Georgia star is likely to return value. The 26-year-old is a stud athlete, but he hasn't been able to turn those measurables into significant production since 2014. Ogletree forced 10 fumbles over his first two seasons, but he has only been responsible for two strips over the three ensuing years. He made tackles on 16.1 percent of Los Angeles' run plays last season, a rate which was 60th in the league among players with 200 run snaps or more.


The problem is that Ogletree plays a position the league really doesn't seem to value with significant contracts. The Rams signed Ogletree to a four-year, $42.8 million extension last October, and the Giants will essentially have Ogletree on a four-year, $38-million deal with $10 million guaranteed, all coming this season. That's not in line with what better players have gotten in free agency; Dont'a Hightower, for one, got four years and $35.5 million to stay with the Patriots last offseason. Useful players like Zach Brown, who is back in the market this year, had to settle for a one-year pact. It's difficult to believe Ogletree would have got this much if he were a free agent.

The Rams free up cap space as part of this deal, which marks the second expensive defender they've dealt away in a week after trading Robert Quinn to the Dolphins. It now seems more likely that they'll hang on to fellow linebacker Mark Barron, who seemed like a plausible cap casualty. L.A. will have $6.5 million in dead money on their cap for Ogletree this year, but with $47.3 million in space, they can use the savings to bring back Sammy Watkins, who would otherwise be an unrestricted free agent. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has helped develop unheralded inside linebackers like Todd Davis and Brandon Marshall in years past, so the Rams might be able to get by without big money players on the interior.

Gettleman gives up fourth- and sixth-round picks to the Rams, who send a 2019 seventh-rounder back as part of the deal. The Giants have the second pick in the fourth round (No. 102) and the third-to-last selection in that round (pick 135) as a compensatory chit. There's a big difference between the two selections, obviously, but either pick would represent a victory for the Rams.