Rams named potential suitor for 3-time Pro Bowl pass rusher
It might be draft month, but there are still a lot of veteran free agents on the open market waiting to join a team.
While some teams will likely wait until the end of the draft to scoop up any remaining free agents, it's never too early to scout out the best fits for these players.
Pro Football Network's Kyle Soppe listed the top potential suitors for all the biggest names left in free agency, and believes the Los Angeles Rams should be the No. 1 suitor for edge rusher Za'Darius Smith.
"The addition of Smith would, theoretically, bolster a spot of weakness, and that would only strengthen their upside when bringing the heat," Soppe said. "Los Angeles is going to be in win-now mode as long as Matthew Stafford is on this roster, and a move like this would elevate their defensive ceiling."
Smith, a three-time Pro Bowler, will turn 33 around the same time the 2025 season begins in September, but he would be another level of veteran experience to the Rams' young defensive front. He's played in 140 career games for a litany of teams and defensive schemes, first with the Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers, before he split time in 2024 between the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions.
Smith finished with nine sacks in 2024 and has 69 career takedowns in his career. He has also tallied 173 career quarterback hits 333 combined tackles.
If the Rams want a mercenary edge rusher, Smith would be that guy. He could spell Braden Fiske at defensive end and shift to outside linebacker for Jared Verse and Byron Young. Adding Smith wouldn't take away from the young core's reps, either. Smith hasn't played more than 70% of a team's defensive snaps since 2020, so the Rams wouldn't need him to play every down if he joined the team.
If the money is right, this move makes the most sense for the Rams. Plus, it would open the team up to adding players at other positions in the draft and not focusing on edge rusher early.
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