Desperate to replace the gaping void left in the defense after trading Orien Harris last week, the Rams have signed 35-year-old and St. Louis native Hollis Thomas, formerly of the Eggles and Saints, to a one-year deal.
Thomas gives the Rams something I'm not sure they've really had the whole time they've been in St. Louis, even as we've begged them to find this kind of guy year after year after year - a big body to stuff the run. At 335 pounds, he's the biggest Ram defensive player I can remember since Chuck Osborne and Jon Kirksey were kickin' it in Macomb. I would look for him to be on the field near the goal-line and on 3rd- or 4th-and-short. But that's about it: he's not considered much of a pass rush threat. He was one of the league's best run-stoppers as an Eggle, so if he's still got some gas left in his tank, he can legitimately help the Ram defense out.
Thomas doesn't come to St. Louis without baggage. He's been hurt a lot. He missed half of last season with a triceps injury. He missed all of 2002 with a foot injury and half the next season with a biceps injury. The league suspended him for four games in 2006 for violating the steroid policy, which I think puts him in the same boat as Claude Wroten: next failed test and you're gone.
I like this signing, though. The Rams need Thomas for his run-stuffing specialty. He'll also bring veteran leadership and winning experience to the young defensive line, something he was lauded for in New Orleans. It's a low-risk signing with a lot of upside. Thumbs up.
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