Rams sign Mike Sims-Walker

One of the more amazing days in Rams history wraps up tonight with the signing of wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker, formerly of the Jagwires, to a one-year deal. We're not going to harbor any illusions about this signing: Sims-Walker lost his starting job in Jacksonville down the stretch last season and disappeared from a lot of games. They won't consider him a big loss. He seems to get a lot of injuries, and he seems to lack maturity. They suspended him once for too much partying the night before a game. He also got the team mad at him last year for complaining about not getting enough passes, though he says his comment was misunderstood.

Those things being said, Sims-Walker is just 26 years old, and he's 6'2" 214. That size gives him potential as a red zone weapon - Lord knows the Rams need those - and he was a substantial deep threat for the Jagwires two years ago. He caught 63 passes for 869 yards that year, for seven TDs. He also scored 7 TDs last season and has a career average of 13.5 yards per catch. Scouts, Inc. points out a lot of flaws in his game the Rams will have to try to coach up. He's not a consistent route-runner, he doesn't explode out of his breaks, doesn't adjust his routes or read coverages well, and he'll lose concentration and drop catchable balls. He was invisible down the stretch last year. He didn't have more than 50 yards receiving even once the second half of the season. He couldn't beat press coverage off the line and got a reputation as a whiny diva.

Despite all that, though, Sims-Walker still grades out as a solid starter for his size, physique, youth, ability to go up for the ball, and blazing speed - his Combine 40 time was a smoking 4.35. These are definitely skills the Rams can use.

Many players in the NFL have played their way off of one team and gotten their wake-up call on the next. They redouble their efforts, work harder and correct the controllable problems that got them run off their first team. If Mike Sims-Walker got that wake-up call, commits to working hard and being a good team player, there's a lot in his physical makeup and past results to suggest the Rams may have come up with a steal here. And if they end up getting the diva from last season who didn't even produce? It's just a one-year contract; tear it up and try again next year. Signing Sims-Walker is a pretty good gamble for the Rams front office, and I'm cautiously optimistic that Nolan Cromwell can coach him up into a formidable threat.

Photo: ESPN

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