Cook is hot garbage. If you remove his (already bad) stats against the Arizona Cardinals who for some reason couldn't stop him at times, he's one of the worst TEs in the NFL. And we gave this guy like $30 plus million.
Long has been injured two years running, gotten older, and paid too much - makes sense - but he was a consummate pro, and a good guy.
Lauranaitis is where it gets tricky. He's been a debate for a few years now amongst Rams fans. My contention has been that he holds the defense back. Smart guy, but limited athletically, can't shed blocks....he's essentially just a coach on the field. Made a bunch of tackles but on plays where the RB gains 7 yards. Give us a guy like Wagner and this defense would be the best, especially with our secondary developing so well. This will also likely secure long term deals for both Trumaine Johnson, who was quietly one of the best in the NFL this year, and Janoris Jenkins. The thought prior to this was that we couldn't retain both. I hope this means we will look to upgrade the position...although sliding Ogletree to the middle might be an option, he's a former safety and might be too small to bang in the middle.
Ultimately, I am happy with all these moves. I just hope it doesn't make the front office ignore QB to fill some of these holes....we should trade all our picks to land the QB we want.
BUT - we will all be laughing together when we draft a DE in the first round....because Quinn has been hurt (minor and major) two years in a row now....and Hayes/Sims are both over 30. Suddenly DE becomes a legit need for the Rams....albeit in more of a rotational capacity. Hopefully we don't take one in the first round..but it wouldn't surprise me.
