NFL Free Agency: Problems Could Arise for St. Louis Rams with Current Strategy

The Rams have been true to the philosophy they established in 2009, when Bill Devaney and Steve Spagnuolo took over as general manager and head coach, respectively.

They vowed to build the team almost exclusively through the draft, while using free agency scarcely and mainly to just fill out the roster.

It's the proper way to build a team. Most of the elite players in the NFL are draft picks, not free agents. 

In fact, out of the 44 starters for the two Super Bowl teams last February (Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers), only four of them were acquired through free agency. 

Free agents can certainly be valuable, especially if teams are smart spenders with a good nose for bargains. But overall the process is overrated; the big-time free-agent signings are just eye candy for the fans. 

Even so, there may be some factors working against the Rams' philosophy this season. 

The only confirmed signing thus far is safety Quintin Mikell, formerly a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. 

While Mikell was arguably the top safety in free agency, as well as a perfect fit for a Steve Spagnuolo defense, it's still unclear how great of an impact he'll have, or if we'll notice an improvement at all. 

He's probably an upgrade over safety O.J. Atogwe, but not by a landslide. Since the Rams lost Atogwe to the Redskins and replaced him with another safety, they didn't really gain much. They are basically just right back where they started when they had Atogwe.

Meanwhile, the team that actually won the division, as opposed to just "coming close," just added a very dangerous receiver in Sidney Rice, as well as a very capable interior offensive lineman in Robert Gallery.

And don't fool yourself into thinking quarterback Matt Hasselbeck can't be replaced by the Seattle Seahawks. It's very possible for them to replicate his production with a little training camp competition at the position.

It's certainly admirable that Devaney and Spagnuolo are unwilling to sink to Seattle's level by blowing large sums of money just to conquer 2011, as opposed to their current plan, which is designed to keep the team competitive every single year.

However, it's possible that the Rams have backed themselves into a corner. 

After the drastic improvement from a 1-15 season in 2009 to 7-9 in 2010, combined with an extremely weak division, St. Louis fans will settle for nothing less than a division title in 2011. 

If the Rams' 2011 season is a repeat of 2010, then a very sobering feeling will strike Rams Nation. 

All of the sudden, after being labeled one of the premiere up-and-coming teams, the momentum could instantly shift—people will suddenly realize that the new regime just had three losing seasons in as many years, and first-time coaches rarely have losing seasons their first three years without entering sudden-death mode in the fourth.

Funny how quickly things can change in the NFL, and maybe the front office should think about that before deciding that addressing key needs in free agency is not worth the money.

But this isn't a doomsday article; it's just realism. Things could also have a happy ending.

The only recognizable free agent the Rams signed prior to 2010 was Fred Robbins.

The team went 1-15 in 2009, and the only roster additions they made after the season were the 11 rookies they drafted, along with Fred Robbins, who wasn't even considered a major asset at first due to his age at the time (33).

So how did they expect to improve on that 1-15 record with so few additions?

Young players like James Laurinaitis, Chris Long, Jason Smith, Danny Amendola and Bradley Fletcher all took giant leaps in their development, and the team lucked out with contributions from rookies Sam Bradford and Rodger Saffold.

And the same will be true in 2011.

The thing that will improve the Rams more than anything in 2011 is not new players, but their current young players who are ready to take the next step in their development.

But still, it would be nice if the front office could find another free agent or two just to give them an extra boost.

If not for the sake of the fans, then for their own sake, because things will not be pretty if the Rams have another losing season. A widely supported front office and coaching staff will slowly begin to see that support fade away.