A few seasons back, the St. Louis Rams took a giant step toward a rebuilding process by signing head coach Jeff Fisher. Many believed that would lead to a change in personnel, including more veteran players on the field, but they have stuck to the younger side of things in his three years with the team.
That trend changed on Monday when Fisher announced the signing of wide receiver Wes Welker. The move comes a day after the suspension of wideout Stedman Bailey was handed down by the NFL.
The Rams are coming off of a tough overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, but still sit with an even 4-4 record, tied with the division rival Seahawks. St. Louis hopes the veteran presence of Welker, along with the return of the suspended Bailey and Trey Watts in early December, will keep them in the playoff hunt down the stretch.
Bailey was suspended for violating the substance-abuse policy. He was handed a four-game ban in 2014 for a similar issue. Watts received an indefinite suspension last week for the same offense.
Welker was joined by Hakeem Nicks and Vincent Brown on Monday morning to work out with the team. He last played last season with the Broncos, but missed a lot of time, and had career-low numbers, due to concussion issues. The team evaluated the receiver's health and decided to sign him to a one-year deal with incentives.
He not only brings the leadership by his play, but also the "been there, done that" mentality. Welker has played with two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in his 11 seasons in the league. He has seen time with the Chargers, Dolphins, Patriots and Broncos, winning one Super Bowl with New England.
The five-time Pro Bowler will look to improve an offense that ranks last in the NFL at 23.8 percent on third-down conversions. The Rams are not certain if he will be active in Sunday's home game against the Bears.
Despite struggling in 2014, his last with Denver, Welker will bring 890 career receptions for 9,822 yards and 50 touchdown catches to St. Louis, as he looks to be that one factor to push the Rams to the heights they hope to be at.
That trend changed on Monday when Fisher announced the signing of wide receiver Wes Welker. The move comes a day after the suspension of wideout Stedman Bailey was handed down by the NFL.
The Rams are coming off of a tough overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, but still sit with an even 4-4 record, tied with the division rival Seahawks. St. Louis hopes the veteran presence of Welker, along with the return of the suspended Bailey and Trey Watts in early December, will keep them in the playoff hunt down the stretch.
Bailey was suspended for violating the substance-abuse policy. He was handed a four-game ban in 2014 for a similar issue. Watts received an indefinite suspension last week for the same offense.
Welker was joined by Hakeem Nicks and Vincent Brown on Monday morning to work out with the team. He last played last season with the Broncos, but missed a lot of time, and had career-low numbers, due to concussion issues. The team evaluated the receiver's health and decided to sign him to a one-year deal with incentives.
He not only brings the leadership by his play, but also the "been there, done that" mentality. Welker has played with two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in his 11 seasons in the league. He has seen time with the Chargers, Dolphins, Patriots and Broncos, winning one Super Bowl with New England.
The five-time Pro Bowler will look to improve an offense that ranks last in the NFL at 23.8 percent on third-down conversions. The Rams are not certain if he will be active in Sunday's home game against the Bears.
Despite struggling in 2014, his last with Denver, Welker will bring 890 career receptions for 9,822 yards and 50 touchdown catches to St. Louis, as he looks to be that one factor to push the Rams to the heights they hope to be at.
