NFL Free Agency Rumors 2011: St. Louis Rams to Sign Cadillac Williams

Chris Mortensen of ESPN is reporting that the St. Louis Rams hope to finalize a deal with Cadillac Williams today.

Many people expected the Rams to add another running back to their stable once they signed Jerious Norwood, who is recovering from an ACL tear. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are planning to pass on Cadillac Williams and turn to either Kregg Lumpkin or Earnest Graham to be their third-down back.

Cadillac was the fifth pick of the 2005 NFL Draft and has been labeled a bust since then. He rushed for 1,178 yards and six touchdowns in his rookie season, but hasn't come close to touching those numbers since.

Part of it is due to injury which may have reduced his speed and explosiveness. He missed two games in each of his first two seasons. The following season he suffered a torn patella tendon in his right knee in just the fourth game which caused him to miss the rest of the season.

The injury caused him to miss the first 10 games of the next season and then he tore his patella tendon in his left knee in the final week of the season. Williams has been able to play all 16 games in the last 2 seasons, though.

Cadillac Williams hasn't been the same since the injuries. He only has one 100-yard rushing game since 2008 and just five total touchdowns. His explosiveness has decreased which led him to lose his starting job to LeGarrette Blount.

The good news for Rams' fans, though, is just a season ago when Cadillac was the starting back, he averaged only 2.5 yards per carry. Once he was demoted to the third-down running back, he averaged a whopping 5.2 yards a carry.

What excites me about Cadillac is the fact that he is a very good talent and a proven third-down back. With the addition of Williams, the Rams can put Jerious Norwood in a position to be mostly a return man.

Plus, if Steven Jackson gets injured (knock on wood), Williams and Norwood would be pretty good options together. Both are pass-catchers, so they could be threats out of the backfield in Josh McDaniels' system.

In just two days, the Rams have solved a problem that has been plaguing them for the past three seasons. The Rams have done just about every thing right this offseason to help build depth to this team.

How do you think Cadillac Williams will fit into the Rams system?