Saints wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith pulls in a touchdown reception against backup Rams cornerback Troy Hill during last year’s regular season. Hill signed an extension with the Rams and could see his role expand in the future. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Rams have two top-shelf cornerbacks entering the final season of their contracts so when news broke on Thursday that Los Angeles had agreed to terms with a defensive back, the mind wandered.
Did they put a bow on a multi-year deal for Marcus Peters, who has an All-Pro selection and two Pro Bowls on his resume?
From Rams general manager Les Snead to coach Sean McVay, the team’s decision-makers have been adamant about how much they wanted Peters to return.
Guess again.
OK, then they made up their mind to bring back Aqib Talib beyond next year and that’s hard to argue as well. Talib, who was also once named an All-Pro and has five Pro Bowl seasons, is solid on and off the field.
Again, from Snead to McVay, they have heaped praise on Talib’s work on the field and his influence in the locker room with the 12-year pro being a steadying force on the defense overall and in the secondary in particular.
That would be another wrong assumption.
Instead the Rams pointed some dough toward backup Troy Hill, signing him to an two-year extension through the 2020 season. Terms of the deal weren’t immediately available.
When Talib was hobbled last year, Hill, who finished with two interceptions, started seven games. He was also an integral part of the special teams.
After the year Hill, 27, became a restricted free agent with a one-year tender of just more than $2 million.
What Hill’s signing does is give the Rams protection in case they decline to pass on either Peters or Talib, or both, after the upcoming season.
There’s a sense that Peters will have serious talks with the team following the offseason practices and before training camp starts in mid-July.
But to date, Peters and Talib eye a second-teamer who has a more secure future with the NFC’s defending champions than the two players with a pair of All-Pro selections and seven Pro Bowls between them.
The Rams, in another move which has them looking ahead, also selected Michigan cornerback David Long in the recent NFL draft.