The Ndamukong Suh sweepstakes have come to an end. The free agent defensive tackle has signed with the Los Angeles Rams. He is signing a one year contract worth up to $14 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Suh joins a stout defense, and suddenly that defensive interior goes from really good to downright scary. Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers were a strong pairing, but now they add Suh into the mix and create a hell of a rotation.
It is not surprising to learn that Suh took less money from the Rams than what the Jets were offering, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The Jets are adding talent, but have numerous issues to consider. The Rams returned to the playoffs last year and that solid defense is looking drastically improved with Suh joining new cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib.
The Rams are currently the favorite to win the NFC West, by a slim margin over the San Francisco 49ers. When we see new divisional odds after the schedule release, it will be interesting to see if the difference is quite so slim.
The 49ers interior offensive line issues are that much more amplified with this move. The team settled the center position with Weston Richburg, but both guard positions remain up in the air. Jonathan Cooper, Joshua Garnett, Laken Tomlinson, and Erik Magnuson are all competing for a starting opportunity, but the 49ers could still add a starting option in the 2018 NFL Draft. Given how strong this Rams defensive front is looking, the 49ers have some work to do on their offensive interior.