Rams sign Zach Diles

The Rams probably found their new starting weakside linebacker today, signing Houston WLB Zach Diles to a one-year contract.

Diles (6'2", 245, 26 years old) was drafted just a few picks before David Vobora in the 2007 draft, and was one of Houston's leaders in tackles in 2010 with 82. One of his calling cards is his versatility, which he got to show off last year, starting the season at Will and then moving to Mike after DeMeco Ryans was injured. He's been a full-time starter the last two seasons, something the Rams have completely lacked at the Will position, if you think about it. He's smart, instinctive, takes good angles, has good speed and range and is a consistently sound tackler. He's a little stiff in pass coverage but reads the QB well and anticipates routes well. Like Harvey Dahl, also signed today, Diles is a try-hard player who makes plays as much on effort and desire as he does because of his physical tools. Houston fans loved the guy, thought he was vastly underrated and deserved consideration for the Pro Bowl. He did miss a game last year due to an irregular heartbeat, but that's the only question anyone's going to have about that particular organ where Zach Diles is concerned.

The Rams will likely pencil Diles in as the starting WLB and ask Vobora to go back to his old utility linebacker/special teams role, which he wasn't too bad at.

The Rams haven't signed flashy players in free agency, and as we in the fanbase are acutely aware, haven't gotten Steven Jackson a backup and haven't made any free agent upgrades at wide receiver.

But with Mikell, Dahl and now Diles, Billy Devaney and company are hitting it out of the park in this year's free agency period all the same.

Photo: Getty Images

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