Rob Leifheit-USA TODAY Sports
Depth and competition are two things that really improve a roster in a hurry. For the St. Louis Rams, the safety position is a spot of worry for the upcoming 2013 campaign after both starters from a year ago (Craig Dahl and Quintin Mikell) were let go during the offseason. The team has been doing everything within its power to make sure that those two attributes can be attributed to their depth chart when training camp opens in a little more than a month.
NFL players find new lives in new cities on many occasions in today’s world of free agency, and the Rams are hopeful that their latest signing, Matt Giordano, can fulfill that in his latest stop. St. Louis signed the former member of the Oakland Raiders on Friday to add some (you guessed it) depth and competition to the safety position.
In eight seasons in the league, Giordano has suited up for the Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, and New Orleans Saints in addition to his latest two-year stint in Oakland. His two years with the Raiders saw him lead the team in interceptions with five over that two season span.
There really aren’t many weaknesses left on the Rams defensively, but the safety positions remain the biggest concerns. Darian Stewart will be entering his fourth season in St. Louis, but this is the first time he is projected as a starter with the team. Rookie T.J. McDonald figures to have the inside track at the other starting safety gig, but there is no harm in adding an extra body into the mix to push these guys in camp.
Injuries are always a concern for every team as well, and if put in a bind Giordano would be a reliable player to plug in for backup purposes should the need arise. He has 32 starts in 100 career games and 22 of those have occurred over the past two years with the Raiders.
Will this move push the Rams from a fringe playoff team to a Super Bowl contender? Not exactly, but it is definitely a solid acquisition by head coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead to give this team some much needed competition at an area of weakness. Even if Giordano doesn’t see much of the field during the season, his presence will have a positive effect on how the current starters fare during the 2013 campaign.
Anthony Blake is a Senior Writer/Copy Editor for Rant Sports. You Can Follow Him on Twitter, on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
