Rams GM Les Snead breaks down Eric Weddle signing and what he brings to LA's defense

[theramswire.usatoday.com] Rams GM Les Snead breaks down Eric Weddle signing and what he brings to LA's defense


Cameron DaSilva
January 13, 2022 6:21 am PT

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It wasn’t a blockbuster trade or a big-name signing like Odell Beckham Jr. was, but the Los Angeles Rams caught everyone off guard Wednesday by making a roster move that came out of the blue. They signed Eric Weddle to their practice squad, bringing him out of retirement after two years away from the game.

The signing came in response to Jordan Fuller’s season-ending ankle injury, leaving the Rams thin at safety. But with Weddle being 37 years old, no one expected him to be the player Los Angeles targeted as a possible replacement for Fuller.


During a virtual fan rally on Wednesday night, Rams general manager Les Snead shared what went into the signing, what Weddle brings to the defense and how the Rams plan to use him with Monday’s playoff matchup looming.

How the signing came together
Weddle hasn’t played since the end of the 2019 season and announced his retirement almost two years ago. However, he’s been staying in shape and playing competitive five-on-five basketball games, which gives the Rams confidence that he can still contribute on the field.

Defensive coaches reached out to Weddle about the possibility of him joining the Rams for their playoff run and he was in. He’s already putting in work, studying film on his first day in the Rams’ building.

“With Eric, it was one of those deals where it started with our defensive staff probably trying to figure out, how do we solve the problem of not having Jordan in this game?” Snead said. “And I truly believe it might’ve been in fun. They reached out to Eric Weddle and said, ‘Hey, what do you think? Do you want to come join the Rams and let’s go make a playoff run.’ And I think at that point in time, he’s in shape, he’s been playing a lot of basketball. He said, ‘Let me chat with my wife.’ And I just ran into him down the hall. He’s watching film right now. What he’s probably trying to think is, ‘Wait a minute, this is kind of an opportunity of a lifetime to join a team in the most important run.”


What Weddle brings to the Rams
At 37 years old, Weddle isn’t going to come in, wear the green dot as the signal caller in place of Fuller and play 65 snaps. The Rams are viewing him as more of a motivator and locker room presence with how highly respected he is in the locker room.

He brings passion and urgency to the team, letting everyone know just how big of an opportunity this is for the Rams in the playoffs.

“What’s interesting is a lot of our guys – Jalen being one of them – that when we traded for Jalen, that was Eric’s last year in ’19 so there’s a lot of players on our team that respect his passion for football, his football acumen,” Snead said. “I think the neat thing that he’s gonna bring is this is the first year we’ve had a 17-game season. This is a long season. It’s 17 games. This is the reward we get, a chance to go play in this tournament and I think what he’s going to really – even though every one of us is like, ‘This is an opportunity. Let’s get refreshed, let’s plan, let’s prepare, let’s go execute for this opportunity.’ I think what Eric brings is, ‘Hey, I’m telling you. This is an opportunity of a lifetime’ and he’s already brought that energy into the locker room today.”


What is the Rams' plan for Weddle?
Snead made it clear that the Rams aren’t diving head first into this idea of Weddle replacing Fuller. They know it’s not a one-for-one swap and they’re not expecting Weddle to be a full-time player.

The plan is for him to work in practice this week and show that he can still compete at 37 years old. If he can do that, the Rams will plug him into certain packages on Monday night against the Cardinals, hoping he can read Arizona’s offense, break up some passes and make plays in coverage.

“We’re being rational with this,” Snead said. “We signed him to our practice and we’re going to allow him to practice, let him get a feel with the intent that we can standard elevate him to our roster and then play him in certain packages. You’ve got to have a realistic plan. Number one is to get a sense – at age 37, can he still play football. He loves working out but I think the one thing he told me, wherever he plays, they play some really competitive five-on-five basketball. I think that type of movement, that type of change of direction is what he’s going to have to show us during the week. The experience and all of that’s there, but I think we’ve got to see if he can do it physically. And our defense really suits some of his superpowers. That ability to play some of that vision zone and come out of a break, break on some balls, take some routes away, steal some routes, things like that. So it definitely fits his skill set.”