Although the signing of Eric Weddle may have come as a bit of a surprise, it appears Sean McVay and Les Snead have had their eye on him for quite some time now.
Weddle has long been considered one of the best safeties in the league. The Rams got a good glimpse of what he brings to the table during the preseason prior to the 2018 NFL season.
Despite the veteran not playing much at the time, he did not need to in order for Los Angeles to see how effective he was. It seems the front office may have been keeping tabs on him ever since.
Snead admitted even McVay had some trouble trying to expose th Ravens defense with Weddle over the top, via the team’s official website:
“After practices I remember Sean coming back a lot and mentioning how challenging it was to go against Eric.”
“If you know nothing about football, you can just see that this guy is a playmaker — he’s consistently done that.”
The prospect of Weddle being a problem for the likes of even McVay is certainly not too far-fetched. After all, he carries quite the pedigree as a six-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro.
The timing could not be more perfect for the Rams after losing Lamarcus Joyner to the Oakland Raiders in free agency. While they may have placed a franchise tag on Joyner last year, there is no question he largely underwhelmed throughout the 2018 campaign.
Considering Weddle’s track record with McVay, it is safe to say that Los Angeles got an immediate upgrade at the safety position to pair with a rising star in John Johnson. The Rams are hoping the veteran’s presence can help stabilize their rather porous secondary.
