St. Louis Rams' Top Free-Agency Targets on the Offensive Line

The St. Louis Rams have several major needs this offseason, and utilizing the free-agent market will certainly make filling those needs much easier. 

If you ask any St. Louis fan what the Rams need this offseason, they're guaranteed to give you one of two answers—either "a quarterback" or "offensive linemen." 

Neither answer is wrong, and both positions will require a great deal of attention from general manager Les Snead and the front office. If the Rams properly fill these two needs, there's no reason the Rams shouldn't compete for a playoff spot in 2015. 

St. Louis has had terrible luck with free-agent offensive linemen in the past. Big-time pickups like Jacob Bell, Jason Brown and Jake Long have been major busts, and that will likely convince people that the draft is the way to go over free agency. 

However, it hasn't been all bad with the Rams and free-agent offensive linemen. Adam Timmerman was an anchor on the line for years. Harvey Dahl, Shelley Smith, Chris Williams and Joe Barksdale (who the Rams acquired through trade) can also be considered successful acquisitions. 

With the clock ticking on Jeff Fisher's tenure, the 2015 season could be his final shot. He can't afford to take the safe route when it comes to addressing needs. There has to be some gambles this offseason, or else this regime will undoubtedly fall short. 

With that in mind, this article will cover several free agents on the offensive line. Any one of these players can start immediately for the Rams and improve the offense instantly. 

Note: All contract info is according to Spotrac.com. 

T Bryan Bulaga, Green Bay Packers

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

Green Bay's Bryan Bulaga—the 23rd overall pick of the 2010 draft—offers great talent and potential. He's a blue-collar player and fits St. Louis' desire to instill a tough, run-first mentality, but he doesn't come without risks. 

In five NFL seasons, Bulaga has never started 16 full games. According to Ian Rapoport, via NFL.com, Bulaga missed the entire 2013 season after tearing his ACL during a practice scrimmage. And his latest injury, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, was a sprained MCL he suffered during Green Bay's 2014 season opener against Seattle. 

Clearly, after two injury-riddled years of Jake Long, the last thing St. Louis fans want is another banged up veteran who can't stay on the field. That's understandable, but there's a scenario that could make a Bulaga signing appealing. 

If his miserable medical record scares away enough teams, it could lower his price tag to a number that makes the risk well worth it. Obviously, if teams are willing to overpay (which frequently happens in free agency), the Rams need to back off and use other means to improve the line. If not, he deserves a look. 

The Rams can find several uses for Bulaga. They can stick him at right tackle and force Barrett Jones and Joe Barksdale to battle for the right guard spot, or, they can keep Barksdale at right tackle and try their luck with Bulaga at guard. 

Either way, if Bulaga can stay on the field, he'd be a major upgrade for the St. Louis offensive line.

G James Carpenter, Seattle Seahawks

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Admittedly, turning James Carpenter into a long-term answer at guard would be a risky project, but it's one worth taking if the price is right. 

Seattle's greatest weakness recently has been the offensive line, and Carpenter deserves his share of the blame. Since being drafted 25th overall in 2011, Carpenter has struggled with both performance and health.

According to Danny O'Neil of The Seattle Times, Carpenter missed portions of his rookie and sophomore campaigns with a knee injury. Despite being immensely talented, the injuries have made it difficult for him to stay on the field and improve as a player.  

However, Carpenter won the first-string job in 2014 and has been the official starter in Seattle for most of the season. His 13 starts in 2014 is a career high, and it appears that Carpenter is finally getting over his early-career struggles and slowly improving. 

Even so, the Rams can not rely on Carpenter alone. If they sign him, they'll have to combine him with another free-agent guard, or a rookie from the 2015 class, and have the two players battle for the starting job. 

Carpenter is not an overly appealing option for a team that's desperate to improve its offensive line, but he's a cheaper alternative to the bigger names on the market. If the Rams fail to lock up a high-profile lineman, Carpenter will make a nice consolation prize.

G Mike Iupati, San Francisco 49ers

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Other than Joe Staley, Mike Iupati has been the most dominant and productive offensive lineman for San Francisco. He's going to require elite money, and that will make it difficult for the 49ers to retain him. 

Typically, when a team is willing to part with a star player, it immediately raises red flags. It's a sign that perhaps the player is not as essential and game-changing as some think. 

Although, in this particular instance, that's not necessarily the case. With an estimated cap space of just over $3.3 million—one of the lowest totals in the league—it's likely that Iupati's potential departure from San Francisco is not due to on-field performance, but rather financial necessity. 

At just 27, Iupati is already a three-time Pro Bowler and one of the elite free agents of the 2015 class. He'll require a massive contract—likely around $8 million per year based on the market—but he'd be a massive upgrade to the St. Louis line. 

Another thing to like about Iupati is his durability. In five NFL seasons, he has started all 16 games three times and has never started fewer than 12 in a season. 

There will be plenty of suitors seeking Iupati's services, but signing him would finally give St. Louis the run game and pass protection it deserves.

C Stefen Wisniewski, Oakland Raiders

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Stefen Wisniewski is the best available offensive lineman from this free agency class. Not only is he the safest player with the most talent, but he meets St. Louis' needs more than any other available linemen. 

Wisniewski is one of the better centers in the league, but he also has the ability to bump over to guard. This is extremely useful for the Rams. If the coaching staff feels that Tim Barnes or Barrett Jones can adequately replace Scott Wells at center, then the Rams can always plug in Wisniewski at right guard. 

The Rams were tied down in 2014 by banged-up, aging linemen that couldn't be counted on. But with Wisniewski, he's only 25 years old and has missed just three starts in four seasons. He easily has another four or five years before the wear and tear of the NFL takes a serious toll. 

As far as availability, it's not looking good. Oakland has nearly $50 million in cap space. Even if Wisniewski does not wish to remain in Oakland, the Raiders can always stick him with a franchise tag, which will take the choice out of his hands. 

However, just because Oakland has the cap space to re-sign him does not mean they can afford to. There's a reason Oakland consistently has lots of cap space—Mark Davis is the poorest owner in the league, with a net worth that's been reported as low as $500 million (which practically makes him penniless compared to Seattle's Paul Allen and St. Louis' Stan Kroenke). 

The Raiders might find it more economically efficient to ditch the big-name center and save the major contracts for flashier names that sell jerseys. 

If Oakland parts with Wisniewski, the Rams must make a run at him. Many teams will have interest, but St. Louis has to at least try.