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Can a 28-year-old unsigned veteran add needed experience in a room that’s missing it on the Los Angeles Rams?
The new, oldest member of the edge rush room for the Rams is someone who moved back there toward the end of the 2022 season in Michael Hoecht, who’s only in season three of the NFL. It’s a unit facing countless of question marks on if they can be just as effective post Leonard Floyd, or recapture the edge dominance both “Flo” and Von Miller displayed together.
Analyst for Pro Football Focus Brad Spielberger offered up this suggestion to L.A. on Wednesday, June 28: the Rams go out and sign free agent edge Dawuane Smoot — who was once given a $10 million extension with the Jacksonville Jaguars but remains looking for a new NFL home.
While Smoot may have teams shying away from him following a devastating season-ending injury, Spielberger believes that adding him can still fit the current model the Rams are implementing for the upcoming season.
“Smoot tore his Achilles late in the 2022 season, so this is really investing in a younger free agent for 2024 and beyond, but that has been the overarching focus of the Rams’ offseason already,” Spielberger said. “Perhaps Smoot is open to a multi-year deal like we’ve seen recently for players such as Ja’Wuan James with the Baltimore Ravens during the 2021 offseason, where he gets paid around the minimum, has access to an NFL training staff year-round and can then get ready to bounce back in a major way in 2024.”
Smoot Once Took ‘Major Strides’ as a Rusher
The 6-foot-3, 249-pound Smoot spent all six of his seasons with the Jags. And that includes being brief teammates with former Rams cornerback and captain Jalen Ramsey in Duval County for all of 2017 and 2018 before Ramsey’s midseason 2019 trade.
On Smoot’s end, he wasn’t just establishing himself as a steady starting presence for Jacksonville, but became a reliable pass rusher. After going sackless his first two seasons in the league, Smoot went on to produce 22.5 sacks across the next four seasons according to Pro Football Reference, averaging 5-6 sacks per year during that span. That production was enough to cement a new extension for him as Spielberger pointed out.
“Smoot signed a two-year, $10 million extension with the Jaguars and took major strides as a pass rusher, setting new career highs in pass-rush grade, pass-rush win rate and pressure percentage last season,” Spielberger said.
Furthermore, Spielberger pointed out where Smoot ended up ranking inside the top 35 in one pivotal category calculated by PFF.
“From 2021 to 2022, Smoot’s 15.9% pass-rush win rate ranked among the top 35 at the edge position,” Spielberger wrote.
Smoot additionally delivered 123 tackles, 86 solo stops and 27 tackles for a loss — including producing three seasons between 6-7 TFLs.
Can Smoot Fit Inside the ‘Rams House?’
If it’s veteran help the Rams seek if they decide to try and top off the defense, then Smoot can come in at a least expensive value.
He could be an option as a hand-in-the-dirt W9 (wide nine technique) edge rusher and attack with his cross chop/club move as seen here versus the San Francisco 49ers from the 2021 season.
He’s proven an ability to knife inside and get to the passer with the rip move.
The Rams defense under third-year defensive coordinator Raheem Morris often has their edge rushers standing then attacking post snap — a la Floyd, Miller, Hoecht and whoever else is over the tackle. Smoot, though, has attacked offenses without needing to start in a three-point stance…indicating he can fit Morris’ defense.
Smoot still has enough speed to be utilized on DL twists — just like this one that ends with a strip sack of the Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert:
Perhaps, though, his next team can also be convinced that he can be an effective drop zone defender as seen here against Pro Bowl running back Tony Pollard of the Dallas Cowboys:
Time will tell if the Rams need to add to the edge rush room. Smoot, however, rises to among the best available if teams like the Rams need an extra edge.
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