Random Ramsdom: Can the collegiate hire of Eric Bieniemy help Les Snead?

Los Angeles Rams News and Links for 2/27/24

The idea proposed below is that Eric Bienemy’s hire to UCLA could help the Los Angeles Rams in acquiring some local talent. Of course the stars would all have to align, but the Rams are close to some colleges, USC included, and that could allow the Rams to have a bit of a pipeline to some budding NFL talent. In theory any hire of a NFL coach to a college team can make that team better. That NFL coach may also still have connections with their NFL colleagues, and if that same college team is located near a NFL team then that NFL team may be more likely to draft or be aware of some of those college players in the area.

Les Snead certainly has plenty of colleges and players to consider when it comes to the draft, and I do wonder about the connections that he and other general managers have with those various schools. Does the hire of Bienemy to UCLA directly help the Rams? Will Eric Henderson leaaving the Rams to go to USC help Sean McVay and Snead in the long run? I don’t know, but its interesting.

Please comment on whatever you’d like and have a great day!

Several Rams hidden benefits from UCLA’s latest coaching hire (ramblinfan)

“In the collegiate arms race, USC (UCLA’s fiercest rival) had pulled away with the hiring of former LA Rams DL Coach/Run Game Coordinator/and USC’s new Co-Defensive Coordinator Eric Henderson. Coach Henny is one of the best coaches in the NFL, and his hiring by USC not only allows him to interact with young men who will certainly benefit from his trademark #DAWGWORK (Discipline, Attitude, Work-ethic, Grit) but who can transform into leading NFL defenders under his tutelage.

Now rival UCLA has answered back, with one of their own NFL coaches with a stellar reputation. New UCLA Associate Head Coach/OC Eric Bieniemy will deliver a similar level of excellence to the UCLA offense and offensive players as well. Which NFL team is positioned to benefit most from this sudden Southern California collegiate arms race?

Well, the LA Rams will almost certainly enjoy the results.

Not only will the best and brightest in college football be lured to compete in the Rams’ backyard, but the opportunity to take a quick field trip to see how well both UCLA and USC players are doing on the football field is doable daily. Perhaps best of all, one of the brightest offensive coaches in the NFL is now in the LA Rams neighborhood.”

Should Rams consider signing Xavien Howard or Emmanuel Ogbah? (ramswire)

“Howard is the more intriguing player for Los Angeles. He’s a ball hawk in the secondary, recording a whopping 29 interceptions in eight NFL seasons. He only had one in each of the last two years, but he also had 12 passes defensed in each season, too.

There are some concerns about Howard’s play dropping off last season, missing four games in the process due to injury, but that shouldn’t be a huge worry for Los Angeles. After the news broke of Howard’s pending release, Jalen Ramsey cryptically tweeted about Vic Fangio not “utilizing our full skillset,” saying he “won’t ever forgive” him for it. That suggests he and Howard weren’t used properly in 2023.

The Rams play a ton of zone coverage, which fits Howard’s game well. He’s excellent at tracking the ball and keeping his eyes on the quarterback, allowing him to deflect passes or intercept them. In the Rams’ scheme, he’d be a natural fit.”

Ranking all 32 NFL teams (including the Rams) by cap space after historic increase (ramswire)

“For the Los Angeles Rams, they have about $40 million in cap space for this offseason, and that’s after signing Demarcus Robinson to a one-year deal worth up to $5 million.

Here’s where every team ranks in terms of cap space, with eight teams currently being over the limit; they’ll need to get under the cap by the start of the new league year.

All figures are courtesy of Over The Cap.”