Getty Rams practice through a defensive line drill during Super Bowl 56 week on Wednesday, February 9.
Is there one last “splash” signing in the Los Angeles Rams? Especially with May minicamp on the horizon?
While the franchise pilfered Sony Michel and Von Miller late, the Rams haven’t been known to make key additions post NFL Draft during the month of May. Most analysts and fans will also look at free agency and the draft and believe the Super Bowl 56 champs have already filled every necessary hole…
Except one area that ESPN NFL Insider Bill Barnwell pointed out on the morning of Thursday, May 12 — on schedule release day.
Barnwell believes there is one pivotal area the champs need to address. And as it turns out, there’s a past defender with familiarity with a new member of the Rams who has the potential to fit inside the Rams’ exotic front. Here’s who Barnwell predicted will end up a Ram.
Defender Can be ‘Valuable Rotational Piece’
Former 39th overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft Eddie Goldman is Barnwell’s pick for the Rams.
The 6-foot-4, 320-pounder is still searching for his next NFL home after being released in March 2022 by the Chicago Bears, where he was also teammates with new Rams wideout Allen Robinson. The nose tackle spent his entire career in the Windy City — where he collected 175 total tackles, 116 solo stops, 18 tackles for a loss and 13 career sacks across 81 total games per Pro Football Reference. The former Florida State Seminole once was signed to a mega four-year, $42,040,000 deal according to Spotrac.
Why does Barnwell believe the Rams should pursue the trench defender who was once a starter and inside clog for the Bears? Especially on a defensive line that already has Aaron Donald returning, Greg Gaines emerging, A’Shawn Robinson under contract until 2023 and Bobby Brown drafted one season ago?
“Goldman isn’t exactly the sexiest signing out there, but it takes only one look at the game film from the Super Bowl to see how players like Sebastian Joseph-Day and A’Shawn Robinson controlled the line of scrimmage and helped slow down Cincinnati running back Joe Mixon,” Barnwell wrote. “Joseph-Day left for the Chargers in free agency, and while the Rams might give more reps to 2021 fourth-rounder Bobby Brown, Goldman’s size and experience in a Vic Fangio-style scheme would make him a valuable rotational piece for the Rams. A salary-cap casualty in Chicago, Goldman would be in line for a pay cut from the $8.9 million he was set to make in 2022.”
Can Goldman Bring Value & a Strong Inside Presence in the ‘Rams House?’
Should the Rams indeed pursue Goldman, he’s not exactly what you would call a household name in the league.
If anything, Goldman was once named to ESPN Draft expert Mel Kiper’s All-Rookie team in 2015. But his litany of past football accolades were during his years in Tallahassee, Florida and not in Chicago.
Still, the Rams may consider Goldman as a veteran the second-year defender Brown can lean on — a la what Bobby Wagner is predicted to also be for Brown’s fellow 2021 draft mate Ernest Jones.
Goldman is relatively young at 28. Although he’s never played a full season healthy, here are samples of what he brought to the Bears when on the field:
I will forever be thankful we drafted Eddie Goldman. Criminally underrated.
Eddie Goldman man 😳💪
And when taking on a double team, he still channels an inner bouncer at the club on this right guard from Tennessee:
Stand up the double, and the second the C comes off, toss the RG into the back. Wow Eddie Goldman (91).
If anything, Goldman can be someone who’s in on short yardage, goal line or any run down situation the Rams face if lured in. A fortress look that has Robinson, Brown and Goldman across the line could also look intriguing for defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and the Rams.
Again, the former $42 million defender Goldman may not be labeled a blockbuster addition if added to the Rams. But his presence and the fact he’ll likely not get asked to play every down does make the “Rams House” a potential fit.