St. Louis Rams Should Keep Kenny Britt to Anchor Wide Receiver Depth Chart

There’s a number that comes to mind immediately when St. Louis Rams wide receiver Kenny Britt is mentioned in any conversation. That number is nine—the amount of times he’s been attached to an incident involving police since entering the NFL.

A close second is three—the number of knee surgeries Britt has undergone over the past four seasons. His recurring problems began in 2011 when he tore his ACL and MCL in Week 3, a quick and disappointing end to a season after Britt had 14 receptions for 271 yards over the first two weeks.

But now a healthy Britt who’s found peaceful mental space (for now, at least) has a new number that should stick, making the pending free agent a valued commodity that Rams general manager Les Snead should trip over himself to retain.

The number is 748, Britt’s receiving yards in 2014. That production seems serviceable at best, but for the Rams and Britt, it’s progress.

Sure, it might be the most depressing kind of progress, but baby steps are still steps. Context is needed too, because limping past the 700-yard mark became a more notable achievement after top quarterback Sam Bradford went down in training camp. Then Britt was left to receive passes from the feared combination of Austin Davis and Shaun Hill.

Ignoring Britt’s past off-field struggles with idiocy is difficult. But when attempting to do that we see a receiver who’s been healthy for the first prolonged stretch in his career, and is still the ripe age of 26. If we also imagine a future with continued good health (difficult too, but work with me), then Britt can optimistically be viewed as a receiver peaking and entering his prime.

Maybe that image is a little too rosy for you. Maybe instead you’d like to think short term with Britt because he’s often been the enemy of long-term thinking.

For that, let’s consult the Rams’ 2014 wide receiver production beyond Britt. The names behind him offer even more context for his 748 yards while telling a tale of youth and potential.

Wide receiver	Games played	Receptions	Yards	Yds/catch
Kenny Britt	16	48	748	15.6
Stedman Bailey	14	14	435	14.5
Brian Quick	7	25	375	15.0
Tavon Austin	15	31	242	7.8

That’s a 373-yard drop-off from Britt to Stedman Bailey. The Rams had a limited deep passing game and finished 2014 with only 27 receptions for 20-plus yards that went to wide receivers. Of those, half (13) finished in Britt’s hands.

Part of Britt’s emergence was due to dire circumstances. Bailey missed the first two games because of a suspension and was then eased back into a contributing role. He wasn’t on the field for at least half of the Rams’ offensive snaps until Week 9, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Then there’s the sad story of Brian Quick’s 2014 season. The third-year wideout finally used his size to win battles for contested balls, and had 322 receiving yards and three touchdowns over the Rams' first four games. Then he suffered a devastating shoulder injury in Week 8, tearing his rotator cuff and three other ligaments.

When healthy, the combined talent ceiling of Quick and Bailey is rising. The Rams completed seven passes for 40-plus yards, and three went to Quick, even though he missed over half the season. Bailey’s catch rate of 85.7 from the slot finished tied with the Broncos’ Emmanuel Sanders for first among receivers who were on the other end for at least 25 percent of their team’s targets (per PFF).

Those bubbly thoughts associated with Quick and Bailey make Britt a needed source of offensive support if their growth is stunted going forward. Britt’s past may be dotted with muscle rips and regrettable decisions, but there’s some security in his established history of production (again, when healthy), all of which has come under one head coach.

Britt played for Jeff Fisher when they were both with the Tennessee Titans, and now they’ve spent a season together again in St. Louis. There’s familiarity between coach and receiver, and Britt offers relief with how he uses body positioning to snatch balls in heavy traffic.

That’s the value of Britt, which becomes clear when looking beyond the surface layer of his seemingly paltry 2014 production. A prime example of how he uses his 6’3”, 223-pound frame effectively came during a Week 15 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

In the second quarter, he ran a post route and was open directly up the middle. The throw should have been routine by NFL standards: Shaun Hill had to clear a linebacker who was shallow in coverage, then hit Britt between the numbers, or at last in that general vicinity.

When the throw sailed, Britt showed why he’s a valuable commodity for a team that could have a questionable quarterback situation again in 2015.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Britt can elevate to corral a ball with his fingertips before coming down with a 22-yard reception. His physical gifts can compensate for what’s lacking from his quarterback.

Britt consistently demonstrates an ability to adjust and bring in poorly thrown balls.

Earlier in the season, he also showed his strength as a large target. During the fourth quarter of an eventual loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, a ball was lobbed deep to him in the end zone. Quarterback Austin Davis had been flushed from the pocket and was scrambling. He saw Britt with one-on-one coverage, and then gave his towering receiver an opportunity to make a play.

Britt had to get in front of Bradley Fletcher while pursuing the ball in flight and keep the cornerback behind him. That required strength, sound positioning and soft hands to make the catch under duress.

All three boxes were checked with ease.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Davis made a similar decision during a Week 3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, and the result was the same (minus the touchdown).

Britt lined up wide right and ran a nine route. Davis lofted the ball high again, giving Britt a chance to use his length. As the throw descended Britt faced a strong challenge from Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne.

For Claiborne, this sort of coverage was exceedingly rare. He stayed with his assignment step-for-step down the field, then turned when Britt looked up for the ball. It was perhaps the only time in Claiborne’s NFL career when everything about his coverage appeared to be done by the book.

But sometimes you do everything right as a cornerback—including a well-timed leap—and you’re still beaten by a better athlete who has a physical advantage. This was one of those times.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

The pass was actually a touch underthrown, forcing Britt to turn and make a quick adjustment. Then with Claiborne’s fingertips grazing the ball, he fought to reel in another heavily contested catch.

Britt can provide a feeling of safety through his wide wingspan, his ability to claw for balls with defenders lurking and his ability to catch throws that are less than accurate.

The latter quality may be most important for the Rams. During his season-ending press conference, Fisher said that Bradford will face competition in training camp. That won’t come from Hill, who’s little more than a journeyman backup. He’s also a pending free agent and may not return.

It may not come from the draft either. At 10th overall in the first round, St. Louis will likely miss out on Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston. That leaves free agency, and as usual, the quarterback cupboard is more than bare. It’s been ripped from the wall and taken to the nearest dump.

The most appealing option for competition will likely be Mark Sanchez, followed by Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett. That’s two low-tier starters and an unknown who’s attempted only 79 NFL passes.

The Rams can make the playoffs in 2015 if they muster even average play out of either Bradford or any of those free-agency options. To do that, they’ll need a large-bodied, sure-handed receiver who can be brought back on another cheap contract with minimal commitment.