Top 5 UFA tight ends: 1 - Zach Miller (Raiders). Pick of the litter: just 25 with back-to-back 60-reception seasons and 8 TDs in that timespan. 2 - Kevin Boss. Coming off hip surgery, but big target and reliable red-zone weapon. 3 - Daniel Graham. Regarded as one of the league's best blocking TEs. 4 - Daniel Fells. Hey, he's just turning 28 and is coming off a 41-catch season. Caught in uncomfortable territory for a TE, though; not a big-play threat, not a consistent red-zone threat, not a dominating run blocker. 5 - Bo Scaife. Really got out of favor in Tennessee; his productivity has dropped by one-third since 2008.Sleeper: David Thomas. Saint H-back is very smart, a very effective short-area receiver and has given the Rams trouble in past meetings. Saints love him, though, and he's expected to be a high-priority re-signing. Also, he had more catches in each of his last two seasons in New Orleans than he did his first three (two healthy) seasons combined, all in New England under... Josh McDaniels.
Out of the running: Marcedes Lewis (franchised by Jagwires); Owen Daniels (re-signed with Houston); Jeremy Shockey (signed with Carolina); Alex Smith (re-signed with Cleveland); Kris Wilson (re-signed with San Diego); Daniel Coats (re-signed with Denver)
Voting present: Donald Lee, Jeff King, Leonard Pope, Matt Spaeth, Jonathan Stupar, Dante Rosario, Desmond Clark, Steven SPACH, Tory Humphrey, Derek Schouman, Ben Patrick, John Gilmore, Anthony Becht, Greg Estandia, Reggie Kelly
The doctor will see you now: Joey Haynos, Brad Cottam, Chris Baker
Gawd no: Randy McMichael, Darcy Johnson, Jerramy Stevens. If he's quit dropping everything in sight like he did his last season in St. Louis, McMichael is still a role player at best, and I wouldn't rely on him for a key block. I still don't know how Johnson made the Rams' regular season roster last year. Stevens should forever consider himself lucky not to be in jail.
RamView's move: Michael Hoomanawanui, who was a tantalizingly-good receiver when healthy in 2010, and 2nd-round draft pick Lance Kendricks figure to be the main receiving and field-opening options at TE, so RamView is all about getting somebody to knock some heads. I started the idea as a joke, but a mauler blocking TE really is a big need for the Rams and could well be one of the first items they address in free agency. I like Daniel Fells and Billy Bajema, but how many times have you heard either's name called for throwing a big block on a play? Think a big masher out on the end might not have helped the Rams running game a few times last year, especially on goal-line and short-yardage situations? Get a tight end that can seal the edge, and maybe the running game diversifies beyond its 90% Jackson-up-the-middle tendencies.
That's what has gotten me interested in picking up a veteran blocking TE like Daniel Graham, who's not only still considered one of the better blocking TEs around, he's also played in Josh McDaniels' offense in New England and in Denver. Hurdles to signing Graham, though: he's a Colorado native and could try to re-sign with the Broncos even though they cut him in March; he preceded McDaniels at both of their stops and may not actually be one of McDaniels' "guys"; Seattle is said to be very interested, and Graham played for Seahawks o-line coach/woman-beater Tom Cable in college.
As for Fendi Onobun, he hit the injured reserve last year with a ton of potential, but with little blocking experience, and with Kendricks aboard, he may have already missed his window here. Without a quantum leap in training camp, he's likely to spend a lot of time on the practice squad waiting for someone to get injured.
Shoot the moon: The Rams actually already shot the moon at TE when they drafted Lance Kendricks in the 2nd round of this year's draft, an aggressive move aimed at opening up their sputtering offense, and an interesting priority given Josh McDaniels' sparse use of tight ends in the past. Expectations will be high on Kendricks from day one, though. OK, kid, step on up and be Aaron Hernandez. If Kendricks and McDaniels can make that happen, the Ram offense, and franchise, will have taken a giant step toward returning to the top of the league.
Prediction: The Rams almost didn't keep Fells last year. McDaniels is said to like him, but at the same time, probably doesn't have that much of a role for him, and I don't expect Fells to fancy staying around to be a blocking TE. I'll guess Daniel for a Cleveland Browns uniform in 2011 and Billy Bajema as the third TE here, with Britt Miller getting looks there as well.
Up next: offensive line.
Photo: KDVR-TV (Denver)
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