It must be nice when you can add talented tackle Nick Fairley as rotation depth on the defensive line.
The St. Louis Rams are banking on a dominant defensive line getting them back to the playoffs. The Rams, who already have Robert Quinn and Chris Long at end and Michael Brockers and Aaron Donald at tackle, signed Fairley. Fairley spent his first four seasons with the Detroit Lions. He was the 13th overall pick of the 2011 NFL draft, meaning each of the Rams' top five defensive linemen was selected in the first half of the first round. The Rams have also signed linebacker Akeem Ayers this offseason, adding to an impressive front seven.
The defensive line madness doesn't help the offensive line or some other areas that the Rams were expected to address in the offseason, but there are worse things to do than build a fantastic defensive line as the foundation of the team.
It's an interesting move by Fairley. He signed a one-year deal with a $5 million base salary and he can make up to $2.5 million more in incentives according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. He will be splitting time with Brockers and Donald, and he presumably could have gone to a team that would have made him a full-time starter. It's also an interesting move by the Rams, investing a lot of money into a player you'd have to consider a luxury, given the rest of their talent on the defensive line.
But one thing is for certain: The Rams' defensive line is going to be scary good.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
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